One of the challenges when writing a family history or life story is the missing photos. We write about a big moment and realize we don’t have the photos to show our readers. Maybe when the event happened, we didn’t get pictures because we were fully present in the moment. Or maybe we had photos that disappeared over the years. The good news is your story will still shine even without the original photos.
Continue reading “Telling Family Stories without the Perfect Photos”Write with All Five Senses
An awesome way to keep your readers engaged is to write with all five senses. Autumn is a wonderful time of year to practice. The colorful, crunchy leaves and spicy aromas of fall are sure to prompt you to write with all your senses.
Continue reading “Write with All Five Senses”Cozy, Creative Autumn Writing Time
Autumn is a wonderful time to focus on your writing project. Carve out some time for creative brainstorming or writing—a little time goes a long way, especially if you stay consistent. Think of it like a series of mini autumn retreats for working on your project—even if your retreat takes place over several 15-minute sessions throughout the coming weeks.
Continue reading “Cozy, Creative Autumn Writing Time”Messy Beats the Blank Screen
Writers often struggle when facing a blank screen. How should they begin writing? What are the right opening words? How should they tell a story?
The blank screen seems like a roadblock. How do you get around it or move through it?
There is one simple way that works every time: Write messy.
Continue reading “Messy Beats the Blank Screen”Try a Photo Writing Prompt
Whether you’ve started writing a book or are preparing to start soon, you might find writing prompts a helpful exercise. You can do journal prompts, where you write in response to a phrase. You can do memory prompts, where you describe a particular memory. You can also write in response to a photo prompt, which is what we will try this week.
Continue reading “Try a Photo Writing Prompt”Show, Don’t Tell: A Writing Technique that Immerses Your Reader in the Story
With the fall school season underway, this seems like a good time to learn or practice a writing and self-editing skill. You may have heard the phrase, Show, don’t tell. It’s a helpful technique for strengthening your writing and engaging your reader. Let’s take a look.
Continue reading “Show, Don’t Tell: A Writing Technique that Immerses Your Reader in the Story”Shorter Days, Smaller Steps: Regaining Joy in Writing
The fall season has an interesting rhythm for writing. On one hand, we writers often feel energetic and ambitious as we take on new challenges. On the other hand, as days get shorter and temperatures cool, our bodies often feel like we’re slowing into pre-winter hibernation mode. How can we navigate the writing rhythm of fall?
Continue reading “Shorter Days, Smaller Steps: Regaining Joy in Writing”Embrace the Season: Fall Writing Moments Await
The fall season is slowly settling in. This is a great season to reflect and reset. It’s also a great time to renew your commitment to your writing project and look forward to cozy fall writing days. Pumpkin latte, fuzzy socks, comfy blanket to go with your writing time?
Continue reading “Embrace the Season: Fall Writing Moments Await”Writing Prompt: Back-to-School Letter for Future Generations
One of the fun things about writing family history is you can experiment with different writing formats. You can tell a family story by writing a poem or a song, describing a photo, sharing a recipe and the story behind it, creating a diary-style note, or writing a letter.
Today, we’ll look at a writing prompt for a seasonal letter you can write. This letter is partly an encouragement to future generations of your family, and it’s partly a way to share your own memories.
Continue reading “Writing Prompt: Back-to-School Letter for Future Generations”Rediscover, Reflect, Remember: Writing Memories Old and New
Late summer is a time that invites reflection. Summer activities are winding down. Quiet moments linger. Families enjoy visits and reunions before the busy fall season gets underway. It’s a time filled with memories, old and new. As a writer, you’ll find late summer is an ideal time to capture memories before the season shifts into new fall activities.
Continue reading “Rediscover, Reflect, Remember: Writing Memories Old and New”
Janet Eriksson 