Truth in Autobiography

Posted on May 26, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

“Autobiography as a whole rests on historical accuracy but our attention is claimed first and foremost by the perceptions, the quality and selection of material, and the exercise of judgement by the writer. The successful autobiography is one that shows a mind reflecting upon, sifting and relating to events; it must display a person changing and being changed by life’s experiences, and sometimes even by the very process of writing the autobiography”. (Opoku-Akyemang).

The debate on just what constitutes an autobiography has been raging for centuries. Among the issues debated among readers and scholars, are the problems of defining autobiography, the validity of the authorial voice, the role of the reader in an autobiography, the historical significance and validity of the text, and finally, the key factors of a successful autobiography.

The accepted definition of autobiography in almost all dictionaries is, “The story or account of a person’s life, written by himself” (Webster 55). This definition would appear to be straightforward enough but upon closer examination we find many troubling aspects of the definition. Most readers’ encounter an autobiography with the supposition that the story being told is factual, which many critics believe can never be the case. Of the many definitions of autobiography, the most troubling would be “a biography written by the subject of it; memoirs of one’s life written by one’s self”. (BrainyDictionary.com). A key word in that definition is ‘memoirs’. The definition of a memoir is “an account of the author’s experiences”. If we take the above definition of an autobiography as being a memoir, then the definition of an autobiography is an account of experiences. Experiences are naturally subjective to time and are subject to revision and therefore could be construed as fiction.

In Notes from the Underground, Fydor Dostoyevsky says “…a true autobiography is almost an impossibility, and that man is bound to lie about himself” (Dostoyevsky). But does man lie deliberately or does the written text become a lie when the author’s experience changes? It is not possible to use feelings of certitude as a means of determining truth. To do so is to open oneself to an abyss of doubt (Kimball). Jonathan Edwards writes of three distinct conversion experiences, all of which he wrote about as ‘truth’, as certainties. If you can have an experience that later turns out to be false (when you previously thought that it was truth) then what you think, what you experience, at any given moment can be false. At the very moment you experienced it as true it could very well have been false. Therefore, consciousness of an experience is inherently a source of error. There are many versions of a life – all are true, all are fiction – it depends on the time in which the life is being told. As Robert Elbaz states, “Autobiography is fiction, and fiction is autobiography. Factual truth is irrelevant to autobiography.” So is the voice speaking in an autobiographical text valid? In his book, Malcolm X: The Art of Autobiography, John Edgar Wideman, states, “The locus of the voice is his mind, and of course the mind can routinely accomplish what the most sophisticated experiments in written narrative can only suggest and mimic…” (Wideman).

Further, there is the question of where the reader fits into the text. What expectations does the reader bring to the reading of an autobiography? The reader typically expects that the text is true in every sense. In addition, the reader brings to the reading an anticipation of being somehow transformed by the text. The reader expects that the author will include in the discourse a recounting of hardships that will ultimately lead to a personal transformation on the author’s part. Through this telling of transformation, the reader, consciously or unconsciously, may be hoping for a transformation of their own..

In positioning the reader within the reading of the autobiography, various forms of criticism can be used. If the text is read utilizing New Criticism then the author becomes a byproduct of the text. “…factors such as the life of the author and his/her intentions, or the historical and ideological context in which the text was produced” are inconsequential (Bennett & Royle 11). If this were the case, then how would one be expected to read the autobiography without noting the position of the author as he/she wrote it? On the other hand, if one takes the position of reading the text through Reader Response theory, then “the meaning of the text is created through the process of reading” (Bennett & Royle 12), which makes the reader the authority of the validity of the text and therefore of the experience itself. Should the reader be responsible for validating the text when the experience was not theirs to begin with? In Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends, psychologists Michael White and David Epston say, “Since we cannot know objective reality, all knowing requires an act of interpretation” (White/Epston 2). Therefore, the autobiographical text, as well as any other text, is open to the interpretation of the reader.

A deconstructionist would respond that “while any text demands a ‘faithful’ reading, it also demands an individual response” (Bennett and Royle 17). If an individual is reading an autobiography, then the position of individual can be thought of as being moot because the reading of an autobiography usually carries with it the knowledge that one is reading of someone else’s experience. Therefore, can the reader be excused from reading into the text his or her own experience? While the reader understands that they are reading someone else’s experience, it is often difficult, if not impossible, for that reader not to read into the text his own experience.

Another question surrounding the validity of the autobiographical text is its historical significance. Inherent in the idea of autobiography is that the text should provide its readers with descriptions of time and place. The largest objection to Maxine Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior is that readers who are not Chinese read the text and take Hong’s words as factual accounts of Chinese culture. Chinese readers have objected to the way in which Chinese culture is portrayed in Woman Warrior. “WW actually violates the popular definition of autobiography — a chronologically sequenced account with verifiable references to people, places, and events” (Wong). This is only the case if one use’s that definition of autobiography. Jean Starobinsky, in an article titled “The Style of Autobiography” comments that “Every autobiography—even when it limits itself to pure narrative—is a self-interpretation” (Starobinsky). Woman Warrior in actuality presents a sequence of the author’s self-interpretation in time. Kingston’s narrative is based on what she calls ‘talk-story’ and she weaves the stories told to her as a child by her mother into an autobiographical text. In essence, she is handing down to future generations the ‘talk-story’ and the question of what is truth is irrelevant. The autobiographical tale that she tells is her tale. At the conclusion of “No Name Woman”, Kingston tells the reader, “My aunt haunts me—her ghost drawn to me because now, after fifty years of neglect, I alone devote pages of paper to her…” (Kingston 315). Kingston not only attempts to recreate her past, but the past of her ancestors as well. “…every telling or retelling of a story…is a new telling that encapsulates, and expands upon the previous telling” (White/Epston 13). What the reader assumes to be factual is not relevant to Kingston, her stories are the stories she has been told and retold throughout her life and the question of their validity is not as important to Kingston as the act of recording the ‘talk-stories’.

William Butler Yeats, the famous Irish poet, perfected this form of creating a talk-story, a myth of one’s people. He dedicated his life’s work to creating a new ‘myth’ for his people by recording in his poems the history of the Irish people. Yeats says of the great writers, “…they spoke of tried to speak out of a people to a people, behind them stretched the generations” (Yeats 405) and “Behind all Irish history hangs a great tapestry…” (Yeats 407). It is within this tapestry that Yeats finds the substance of his own autobiographies and his myths. Many critics would question the autobiographical nature of Yeats works, one could call them biographical instead of autobiographical. Yet Yeats would counter that he has put his put his own history into every poem, his myths, his talk-stories are a part of the great tapestry.

Finally, we come to the question of what constitutes a successful autobiography. One of the examples that get closest to what a successful autobiography is would be Maya Angelou’s, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou’s story “…denies the form and its history, creating from each ending a new beginning, relocating the center to some luminous place in a volume yet to be” (Braxton 130). Angelou records experience not as history, but as experience that she recognizes as changing in time. Angelou epitomizes the statement that James Olney makes when he says, “… even as the autobiographer fixes limits in the past, a new experiment in living, a new experience in consciousness … and a new projection or metaphor of a new self is under way” (Olney). Bennett and Royle state that “…the intractable problem of how to end an autobiography (is that) such a text can never catch up with itself because it takes longer to write about life than it takes to live it. In this sense, autobiography can never end” (Bennett & Royle 3). In this sense, the autobiography can also be said to never begin. The autobiographical text is constantly shifting through time, moving from truth to fiction and back again to truth. The story has multiple beginnings as well as endings.

Angelou’s narrative has all the key elements of an autobiography except perhaps an ending. Her autobiographies tend to leave the reader hanging in the wind, wondering what comes next. It is perhaps fitting that Angelou’s books contain this element of serial novels. It is through the serial autobiography that autobiography approaches its true and ultimate form – an account through time of a person’s life, a story with many beginnings that does not end until the author himself reaches the end. And even then, the story continues, doesn’t it?

Works Cited

Bennett, Andrew and Nicholas Royle. Introduction to Literature, Criticism and Theory. 2nd Edition. New York: Prentice Hall, 1999.
BrainyDictionary. Accessed 11/6/03.
http://www.brainydictionary.com/words/au/autobiography133729.html
Braxton, Joanne, ed. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A Casebook. NY: Oxford University Press. 1999.
Dostoyevsky, Fydor. Notes from the Underground.
Kingston, Maxine Hong. “No Name Woman”. The Longman Anthology of Women’s Literature.
Mary K. DeShazer, ed. NY: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers. 2001 (308-315).
Olney, James. Metaphors of Self: The Meaning of Autobiography. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1972
Opoku-Akyemang, K. “Shifting Paradigms: Graves Without Bodies: The Mnemonic Importance of Equiano’s Autobiography”. Beyond Survival: African Literature and the Search for New Life.
Anyidoho,Kofi, Abena P. Busia & Anne V. Adams (editors). New Jersey. Africa World Press Inc./The Red Sea Press Inc.
Starobinski, Jean, “The Style of Autobiography,” Autobiography: Essays Theoretical and Critical. ed. James Olney. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1980. p. 74 The Pocket Webster Schol and Office Dictionary. Pocket Books. 1990
White, Michael and David Epston. Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. WW Norton & Company: New York. 1990.

Wong, Sau-ling Cynthia. “Autobiography as Guided Chinatown Tour?: Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior and the Chinese American Autobiography Controversy.” Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior: A Casebook. Ed. Sau-ling Cynthia Chin. NY & Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. 29-53.

Yeats, William Butler. The Yeats Reader: A Portable Compendium of Poetry, Drama, and Prose. Richard Finneran, Ed. Scribner Poetry: New York. 1997.

Filed under: Lifewriting | Tagged: autobiography, journal, journaling, memoir, truth, write | Leave a Comment »

Memoir and Writing Workshops

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

I put out the call to my Linked In memoir writing friends and they responded! Here are some very talented writers/teachers offering writing workshops to the public.

I’ll add to the list as I receive more!

Want to know more about writing your memoirs?

Download a FREE COPY of my ebook today!

If you would like to receive updated information regarding writing workshops, please send me an email at kazsilvestri@yahoo.com, follow my blog, Like Karenzo Media on Facebook, and/or Follow me on Twitter.

Please feel free to contact me with YOUR WORKSHOPS or other resources for MEMOIR WRITING, JOURNALING, OR CREATIVE WRITING!

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Linda Joy Myers, President, National Association of Memoir Writers, Co-President Women’s National Book Association

The Power of Memoir

Linda Joy Myers’ Blog, Memories and Memoirs

Linda Joy Myers, Ph. D. is the author of The Power of Memoir–How to Write Your Healing Story and Don’t Call Me Mother .

National Association of Memoir Writers free monthly Roundtable Discussion series (see links at the end of this post). Includes audios for the roundtables so people can listen and learn on their own.

Offers membership benefits that include a monthly workshop/teleseminar on topics important to memoir writers.

Linda Joy also offers online workshops—an ongoing Writing your Spiritual/healing Memoir workshop

Other courses are offered by various teachers at NAMW on craft, story, and writing the truth. People can keep track of NAMW’s ongoing offerings by signing up for the free newsletter and they will get a free Ebook on How to Begin your Memoir.

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Lisa Romeo
Teaches creative nonfiction — memoir and personal essay — online in several formats. Most popular is the “Four by Four Series” in which she covers four key elements of nonfiction craft in four weeks. The topics rotate.

Writing the Personal Essay, beginning July 9. You will plan, write, revise, and polish at least one (and if you like, two) 1000-word personal essay(s) over the course of the class. What you get: Lessons — examples — suggested craft readings — in-depth (private) comment/feedback from Lisa — a private online home for discussion with other writers — writing exercises/assignments — (optional) phone call — unlimited email exchanges. This is NOT a peer workshop. You spend all your time working on your own writing. Registration is now open. Class limited to 16 writers. Questions? Send me an email: LisaRomeoWrites@gmail.com

May, June, and July: One Week Workshops – writers choose from 17 different topics and create their own mini-class that fits individual schedules.

For NJ residents, also teaches at the Rutgers University Writing Program Extension/New Brunswick campus.

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Lindsay Harrison
Memoir writing courses in New York City through Gotham Writers’ Workshop. Courses include a blend of lecture on the craft of writing, in class exercises, and workshopping of student essays.

Gotham Writers’ Workshop NYC and online
ONLINE CLASSES Tuition: $399, Returning Students $369. Registration Fee $25.
NEW YORK CITY CLASSES Tuition: $125. Registration Fee $25.

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Kitty Axelson-Berry, Modern Memoirs

BEREAVEMENT BOOK WRITING, SELF-PUBLISHING WORKSHOPS

We’re ready to resume our Bereavement Book Writing and Self-publishing workshops after a long hiatus. Over three or four months, depending on the needs of participants, we provide writing assignments, sharing and more in a supportive environment. The writing period is followed by in-depth sessions covering book design, formatting, printing and binding (and e-publishing if desired).

Visit us at www.modernmemoirs.com or contact us directly — kitty@modernmemoirs.com, ali@modernmemoirs.com — or 413-253-2353.

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Marjorie Hudson

June 16 – Saturday Workshop- Memoir: Writing the Times of Your Life

Fee: $125 for 8 sessions of 2 hours, with optional individual session for additional fee.Pittsboro, NC
Award-winning writer Marjorie Hudson fell in love with North Carolina and moved here almost 30 years ago. Her new book, Accidental Birds of the Carolinas, gathers together short stories she’s written over the past 20 years, absorbing the lessons of a newcomer in the South.

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Lynda Monk, Creative Wellness Works

Virtual Life Source Writing retreats
Offer women the opportunity to deepen their writing, connect with their stories, and nourish their spirit through reflective writing. Life Source Writing is a five step reflective practice to support helpers, healers & caregivers to write and reflect for wisdom and well-being., author of memoir in progress Umbilical Cord: An Adoptee’s Memoir.

Friday June 8, 2012 (1pm – 4pm PST) three-hour writing retreat (accessed by telephone)
This 3-hour Virtual Writing Retreat Includes: You receive the Life Source Writing: A Reflective Journaling Practice for Self-Discovery, Self-Care, Wellness and Creativity e-book © 2009 (value $19.95). A retreat guide called Setting Your Retreat Up For Success which shares suggestions for setting up your retreat time, as well as logistics you need for calling into the conference line where we will “meet” together on the call.

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Susan Weidener

Offers one on one coaching in writing your memoir

http://www.susanweidener.com/p/so-you-want-to-write-memoir.html
Turning Your Life Into Story – Saturday, Sept. 8 at the Fairfield Inn in Exton, PA.
This workshop is open to men and women.

Susan’s memoir “Again in a Heartbeat” is FREE today (May 17, 2012) for Kindle users.

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Sue Mitchell

Currently offers coaching to help writers develop and maintain their writing practice and overcome creative blocks, and memoir writers are especially welcome. Also works with individuals to guide them through a one-on-one program based on Denis LeDoux’s book Turning Memories Into Memoirs. Watch for her upcoming online course in memoir writing for those who don’t think of themselves as writers. Sue is a certified Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coach and has taught writing in the public schools for 20 years.

http://www.yourmuseiscalling.com

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A Free Memoir Writing Lesson

Created from Irene Graham’s long established writing workshops using right-brain / left-brain learning techniques, The Memoir Writing Club is a Membership Writing Community providing a memoir writing course online, memoir workbook, publishing, writing rooms, book club, writers’ network, story consultancy and Alumni benefits.

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Susan Perloff
Philadelphia Writers Group

Philadelphia Writers’ Group offers classes on writing non-fiction.

Join other writers in a safe, supportive environment, sharing each other’s prose. Learn, too, as you edit everyone’s submission. Share your work in every session. Hear your words read aloud by someone else. Write for every class because, of course, the only way to succeed is to practice, practice, practice.

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Writing Your Memoirs Workshop: A Manual for Instructors [Kindle Edition]
Karen Hamilton Silvestri

Kindle Purchase Price: $2.99
Prime Members: $0.00 (borrow for free from your Kindle)

Updated and expanded in 2012, the manual for instructors has more than ever resources to help lead memoir writing workshops in your community! Includes many tools for a potential instructor – how to find venues, how to advertise, what to charge, how to run the workshop, what to do after the workshop, and so much more! It includes sample handouts and sample promotional materials.

A helpful guide to help you get started leading workshops on memoir writing in your community. I have been leading workshops since 1998 and share with you my ideas, my research.

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Linda Joy Myers, President, National Association of Memoir Writers, Co-President Women’s National Book Association

The Power of Memoir

Linda Joy Myers’ Blog, Memories and Memoirs

Linda Joy Myers, Ph. D. is the author of The Power of Memoir–How to Write Your Healing Story and Don’t Call Me Mother .

National Association of Memoir Writers free monthly Roundtable Discussion series (see links at the end of this post). Includes audios for the roundtables so people can listen and learn on their own.

Offers membership benefits that include a monthly workshop/teleseminar on topics important to memoir writers.

Linda Joy also offers online workshops—an ongoing Writing your Spiritual/healing Memoir workshop

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Lifetales Workbook: A Workbook for Writing Your Memoirs
The Lifetales Workbook brings in over 20 years of experience of lecturing and teaching memoir workshops. The workbook includes tips on getting started, writing prompts to keep you writing, and tips and resources on book layout, publishing, and marketing your completed stories. Be a part of PRESERVING HISTORY…ONE LIFESTORY AT A TIME!

Print (softcover): ~~$17.99~~ NOW $16.19

Ebook (pdf): $7.99

Amazon Kindle: $4.95

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Jo Parfitt, Summertime Publishing ONLINE CLASSES AND IN TUSCANY
Jo Parfitt has helped over 100 Expat Authors go from ‘Brainwave to Bookshelf’ in a mere 3-9 months. And over 1,000 aspiring authors have attended her inspirational workshops.

Start Writing Your Life Stories in the Hague, as a residential one week course in Tuscany (www.watermill.net) and 1-1 online – see www.joparfitt.com/freereport

Jo is also a publisher and many of her students go on to write a memoir – see www.expatapple.com, www.flyawayhomebook.com and more. Get a copy of Jo’s novel, Sunshine Soup

Pick up your free copy of How to Write Your Life Story – The Inside Secrets

+31 (0)6 4847 3779
Skype:summertimejo
Blog: http://www.joparfitt.com
Twitter: @joparfitt
Facebook: Summertime Publishing
Bookshop: ExpatBookshop.com

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Ann Barnes (contact info coming soon) MESA, ARIZONA
Teaches classes and workshops geared toward writing life stories in the Mesa, Arizona area. Ann is in the process of creating a workbook and help guide for capturing life stories. She uses writing prompts and topics to help members get writing.

Ann is a former freelance writer and has just completed her first manuscript about the journey of some of her ancestors from Germany to Texas in 1849. She is also a genealogist and family historian.

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Robin Waldron, The Write Source Studio INDIANA
TWS is located in Franklin, Indiana where Robin teaches face-to-face courses in memoir. She teaches eight and twelve week memoir courses as well as once-a-month Legacy Letter (a.k.a. Ethical Will) workshops. Her TWS team edits manuacripts of both creative non-fiction and fiction. Thier goal is to guide clients from inspiration to publication. Robin is a Certified Lifewriting Instructor, personal historian, published writer, and editor. She has been writing for 20 years, instructing and mentoring for 12 years. She can be contacted through her website at http://www.twswritesource.com or by email at twswritesource@comcast.net.

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Bobbi Carducci, Pennwriters Inc. ONLINE CLASSES AND IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Bobbi Carducci is a former senior staff writer for a Washington, D.C. area newspaper and currently writes a monthly book review column for About Families Publications. Her short stories appear in the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL and CUP OF COMFORT anthologies. Her first book for young readers, STOREE WRYTER GETS A DOG, is scheduled for release in February 2011. Bobbi is a long time member of Pennwriters and is currently on the Pennwriters Board of Directors. She is a frequent speaker at writing conferences and serves as judge for the annual Mom’s Choice and Benjamin Franklin Book Awards. In her capacity as Founder and Director of the Young Voices Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) educational nonprofit established to mentor young writers, she created the Young Voices Awards honoring books that Inspire, Mentor and/or Educate Readers of all ages. To contact Bobbi Carducci, email her at bcarducci@comcast.net.

CREATIVE NONFICTION & MEMOIR WRITING with Bobbi Carducci: Online Course
DATE: June 1 – June 29, 2012. REGISTER: http://tinyurl.com/PennwritersCourse201206
Get that great real-life story of yours published! LIMITED CLASS SIZE. Enroll now.$79 ($89 non-Pennwriters members) EARLY-BIRD PRICES END SOON
Discover proven methods to convey real-life facts and events through story structure and character development with a focus on storytelling, personal essays, and feature writing. In this online course, you will learn: How to Begin, Research, Turning facts into drama, Point of View, Character Development, How to handle family (What will they say, ethical dilemmas, etc.)

FREE BONUS: Memoir writing tip sheet PLUS the first 10 people to register for the course will receive an autographed copy of the CUP OF COMFORT FOR SISTERS anthology featuring Bobbi Carducci’s creative nonfiction short story, “Changing Currents.”

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Filed under: Lifewriting | Tagged: autobiography, journal, memoir, memoir writing, online, seminar, stories, workshops, writing | 2 Comments »

Summer Reading for Students 2012

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

Elementary, Middle, High School

Book Descriptions are from Amazon.com

NOTE: All links lead to the Kindle Version, but you can find hard copies once there also.

By popular demand, I have scoured 2012 Summer Reading Lists for students and pulled a compilation of books for most grade levels. I’ve chosen books that I have personally taught as a middle/high school teacher (or have wanted to teach). Those of you looking for pre-school and early elementary readers, I’ll be posting a list for them shortly, so keep checking back or subscribe to our blog!

Teachers: If you have a novel or book that you dearly love and would like to see included here, please send me an email at kazsilvestri@yahoo.com or leave a comment here. Thanks for all you do to keep children reading!

Elementary School

Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O’Dell

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Kindle Price: $4.99

Scott O’Dell won the Newbery Medal in 1961 for his unforgettable novel Island of the Blue Dolphins, based on the true story of a Nicoleño Indian girl living in solitude between 1835 and 1853 on San Nicolas Island, only 70 miles off the coast of southern California. His quietly gripping tale of Karana’s survival, strength, and courage—and vivid descriptions of island life—have captivated readers for decades. This 50th anniversary paperback edition features an introduction by two-time Newbery Medal recipient Lois Lowry. A classic!

The Borrowers Mary Norton (Author), Beth Krush (Illustrator), Joe Krush (Illustrator)

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Kindle Price: $1.59

The Borrowers—the Clock family: Homily, Pod, and their fourteen-year-old daughter, Arrietty, to be precise—are tiny people who live underneath the kitchen floor of an old English country manor. All their minuscule home furnishings, from postage stamp paintings to champagne cork chairs, are “borrowed” from the “human beans” who tromp around loudly above them. All is well until Pod is spotted upstairs by a human boy! Can the Clocks stay nested safely in their beloved hidden home, or will they be forced to flee? The British author Mary Norton won the Carnegie Medal for The Borrowers in 1952, the year it was first published in England.

Because of Winn-Dixie Kate Dicamillo

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Kindle Price: $2.99

The summer Opal and her father, the preacher, move to Naomi, Florida, Opal goes into the Winn-Dixie supermarket and comes out with a dog. A big, ugly, suffering dog with a sterling sense of humor.A dog she dubs Winn-Dixie. Because of Winn-Dixie, the preacher tells Opal ten things about her absent mother, one for each year Opal has been alive.Winn-Dixie is better at making friends than anyone Opal has ever known, and together they meet the local librarian, Miss Franny Block, who once fought off a bear with a copy of WAR AND PEACE. They meet Gloria Dump, who is nearly blind but sees with her heart, and Otis, an ex-con who sets the animals in his pet shop loose after hours, then lulls them with his guitar.Opal spends all that sweet summer collecting stories about her new friends and thinking about her mother. But because of Winn-Dixie or perhaps because she has grown, Opal learns to let go, just a little, and that friendship and forgiveness can sneak up on you like a sudden summer storm. Recalling the fiction of Harper Lee and Carson McCullers, here is a funny, poignant, and utterly genuine first novel from a major new talent.

Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson (Author), Donna Diamond (Illustrator)

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Kindle Price: $5.99

All summer, Jess pushed himself to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade, and when the year’s first school-yard race was run, he was going to win.But his victory was stolen by a newcomer, by a girl, one who didn’t even know enough to stay on the girls’ side of the playground. Then, unexpectedly, Jess finds himself sticking up for Leslie, for the girl who breaks rules and wins races. The friendship between the two grows as Jess guides the city girl through the pitfalls of life in their small, rural town, and Leslie draws him into the world of imaginations world of magic and ceremony called Terabithia. Here, Leslie and Jess rule supreme among the oaks and evergreens, safe from the bullies and ridicule of the mundane world. Safe until an unforeseen tragedy forces Jess to reign in Terabithia alone, and both worlds are forever changed. In this poignant, beautifully rendered novel, Katherine Paterson weaves a powerful story of friendship and courage.

The Great Gilly Hopkins Katherine Paterson

Age level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Kindle Price: $5.99

10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

The reader will cheer for her as she copes with the longings and terrors of always being a foster child. Katherine Paterson, winner of the 1978 Newbery Medal for Bridge to Terabithia and of the 1977 National Book Award for The Master Puppeteer, again reaches across boundaries with her wit, compassion, and love, and here creates an immensely engaging story about a child’s desperate search for a place to call home.

A Year Down Yonder Richard Peck

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Kindle Price: $6.99

Mary Alice’s childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel’s sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children’s literature.

The City of Ember: The First Book of Ember Jeanne Duprau

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Kindle Price: $6.99

The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever! This stunning debut novel offers refreshingly clear writing and fascinating, original characters.

Holes Louis Sachar (Author), Vladimir Radunsky (Illustrator), Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Kindle Price: $6.99

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys “build character” by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.

Fever 1793 Laurie Halse Anderson (Author), Lori Earley (Author)

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Kindle Price: $6.99

It’s late summer 1793, and the streets of Philadelphia are abuzz with mosquitoes and rumors of fever. Down near the docks, many have taken ill, and the fatalities are mounting. Now they include Polly, the serving girl at the Cook Coffeehouse. But fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook doesn’t get a moment to mourn the passing of her childhood playmate. New customers have overrun her family’s coffee shop, located far from the mosquito-infested river, and Mattie’s concerns of fever are all but overshadowed by dreams of growing her family’s small business into a thriving enterprise. But when the fever begins to strike closer to home, Mattie’s struggle to build a new life must give way to a new fight-the fight to stay alive.

The House of the Scorpion Nancy Farmer

Age Level: 11 and up

Kindle Price: $8.99

MATTEO ALACRáN WAS NOT BORN; HE WAS HARVESTED. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium — a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt’s first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster — except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón’s power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn’t even suspect.

Middle School

The Book Thief Markus Zusak

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $9.99

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau. This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $9.99

Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author’s own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character’s art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

Speak Laurie Halse Anderson

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $9.99

(I hesitate to place this book in the Middle School section, so I want to leave a word of caution. This book deals with rape, so parents may want to read it first before offering it to preteens/teens.)

In this powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself. Speak is a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature.

The Giver (Newbery Medal Book) Lois Lowry

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $4.70

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal world. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver does he begin to understand the dark secrets behind this fragile community.

Messenger (The Giver Trilogy) Lois Lowry

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $7.01

Strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to new strangers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the few people able to travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village’s closing and try to convince Seer’s daughter to return with him before it’s too late. But Forest has become hostile to Matty as well, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand.

The Call of the Wild Jack London

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $0.00

Novel by Jack London, published in 1903 and often considered to be his masterpiece. London’s version of the classic quest story using a dog as the protagonist has sometimes been erroneously categorized as a children’s novel. Buck, who is shipped to the Klondike to be trained as a sled dog, eventually reverts to his primitive, wolflike ancestry. He then undertakes an almost mythical journey, abandoning the safety of his familiar world to encounter danger, adventure, and fantasy. When he is transformed into the legendary “Ghost Dog” of the Klondike, he has become a true hero. — The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature

The Hound of the Baskervilles Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $1.90

“The Hound of the Baskervilles” is considered to be one of the greatest of the Sherlock Holmes stories and one of the greatest mystery novels ever written. While most of Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories take the form of shorter narratives, readers will delight in the fact that “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a full-length novel instead. At the center of this novel is the investigation of the murder of Sir Charles Baskerville. Could the ghost of the Hound of the Baskervilles, who as legend would have it, tore out the throat of Hugo Baskerville generations ago, have murdered Sir Charles? Or is the culprit a more earthly one? Discover along with Sherlock Holmes the true identity of the murderer.

Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood Ibtisam Barakat

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $9.99

In this groundbreaking memoir set in Ramallah during the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War, Ibtisam Barakat captures what it is like to be a child whose world is shattered by war. With candor and courage, she stitches together memories of her childhood: fear and confusion as bombs explode near her home and she is separated from her family; the harshness of life as a Palestinian refugee; her unexpected joy when she discovers Alef, the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. This is the beginning of her passionate connection to words, and as language becomes her refuge, allowing her to piece together the fragments of her world, it becomes her true home. Transcending the particulars of politics, this illuminating and timely book provides a telling glimpse into a little-known culture that has become an increasingly important part of the puzzle of world peace.

Life As We Knew It (The Last Survivors) Susan Beth Pfeffer

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $3.28

I guess I always felt even if the world came to an end, McDonald’s still would be open.

High school sophomore Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth, like “one marble hits another.” The result is catastrophic. How can her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis are wiping out the coasts, earthquakes are rocking the continents, and volcanic ash is blocking out the sun? As August turns dark and wintery in northeastern Pennsylvania,　Miranda, her two brothers, and their　mother　retreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove. Told in a year’s worth of journal entries, this heart-pounding story chronicles Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all—hope—in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world. An extraordinary series debut!

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle) Christopher Paolini

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $10.99

Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire.

Ender’s Game Orson Scott Card

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $5.99

My personal favorite! Karen

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training. Ender’s skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender’s two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives. Ender’s Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.

Gym Candy Carl Deuker

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $5.99

Mick Johnson is determined not to make the same mistakes his father, a failed football hero, made. But after being tackled just short of the end zone in a big game, Mick begins using “gym candy,” or steroids. His performances become record-breaking, but the side effects are terrible: Mick suffers ’roid rage, depression, and body acne. Gym Candy’s subject matter is just as hard-hitting as its football scenes. You’ll find yourself unable to look away as Mick goes down a road that even he knows is the wrong one to travel.

American Born Chinese Gene Luen Yang

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $9.99

A tour-de-force by rising indy comics star Gene Yang, American Born Chinese tells the story of three apparently unrelated characters: Jin Wang, who moves to a new neighborhood with his family only to discover that he’s the only Chinese-American student at his new school; the powerful Monkey King, subject of one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables; and Chin-Kee, a personification of the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, who is ruining his cousin Danny’s life with his yearly visits. Their lives and stories come together with an unexpected twist in this action-packed modern fable. American Born Chinese is an amazing ride, all the way up to the astonishing climax. American Born Chinese is a 2006 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature, the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New, an Eisner Award nominee for Best Coloring and a 2007 Bank Street – Best Children’s Book of the Year.

Tears of a Tiger Sharon M. Draper

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Kindle Price: $5.99

In one horrifying night, Andy’s life changed forever…Andy Jackson was driving the car that crashed one night after a game, killing Robert Washington, his best friend and the captain of the Hazelwood High Tigers. It was late, and they’d been drinking, and now, months later, Andy can’t stop blaming himself. As he turns away from family, friends, and even his girlfriend, he finds he’s losing the most precious thing of all — his ability to face the future.

Hatchet Gary Paulsen

Age Level: 13 and up | Grade Level: 8 and up

Kindle Price: $6.99

This Newbery Honor book is a dramatic, heart-stopping story of a boy who, following a plane crash in the Canadian wilderness, must learn to survive with only a hatchet and his own wits. Ages 12-up. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

High School

Before We Were Free Julia Alvarez

Age Level: 12 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up

Another personal favorite of mine!

Kindle Price: $6.99

Anita de la Torre never questioned her freedom living in the Dominican Republic. But by her 12th birthday in 1960, most of her relatives have emigrated to the United States, her Tío Toni has disappeared without a trace, and the government’s secret police terrorize her remaining family because of their suspected opposition of el Trujillo’s dictatorship. Using the strength and courage of her family, Anita must overcome her fears and fly to freedom, leaving all that she once knew behind. From renowned author Julia Alvarez comes an unforgettable story about adolescence, perseverance, and one girl’s struggle to be free.

Jacob Have I Loved Katherine Paterson

Age Level: 13 and up | Grade Level: 8 and up

Kindle Price: $5.99

“Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated . . .” With her grandmother’s taunt, Louise knew that she, like the biblical Esau, was the despised elder twin. Caroline, her selfish younger sister, was the one everyone loved. Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island in the early 1940s, angry Louise reveals how Caroline robbed her of everything: her hopes for schooling, her friends, her mother, even her name. While everyone pampered Caroline, Wheeze (her sister’s name for her) began to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who had mysteriously returned after fifty years. The war unexpectedly gave this independent girl a chance to fulfill her childish dream to work as a watermen alongside her father. But the dream did not satisfy the woman she was becoming. Alone and unsure, Louise began to fight her way to a place where Caroline could not reach. Renowned author Katherine Paterson here chooses a little-known area off the Maryland shore as her setting for a fresh telling of the ancient story of an elder twin’s lost birthright.

Monster Walter Dean Myers

Age Level: 13 and up | Grade Level: 8 and up

Kindle Price: $7.99

Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that Steve served as the lookout. Guilty or innocent, Steve becomes a pawn in the hands of “the system,” cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in anyone to shorten their own sentences. For the first time, Steve is forced to think about who he is as he faces prison, where he may spend all the tomorrows of his life. As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, Steve, an amateur filmmaker, decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies. He writes it all down, scene by scene, the story of how his whole life was turned around in an instant. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred and his vision obscured until he can no longer tell who he is or what is the truth. This compelling novel is Walter Dean Myers’s writing at its best.

If I Stay Gayle Forman

Age Level: 14 and up | Grade Level: 9 and up

Kindle Price: $8.99

A critically acclaimed novel that will change the way you look at life, love, and family. In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia’s story will stay with you for a long, long time.

Beastly Alex Flinn

Age Level: 14 and up | Grade Level: 9 and up

Kindle Price: $8.99

A modern retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith

Age Level: 13 and up | Grade Level: 8 and up

Kindle Price: $9.99

The American classic about a young girl’s coming-of-age at the turn of the century.

Half Broke Horses Jeannette Walls

Age Level: 13 and up | Grade Level: 8 and up

Kindle Price: $12.99

Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa or Beryl Markham’s West with the Night. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix readers everywhere.

The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls

Age Level: 13 and up | Grade Level: 8 and up

Kindle Price: $9.99

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story.

Between the Lines Jodi Picoult (Author), Samantha van Leer (Author)

Publication Date: June 26, 2012 | Age Level: 12 and up

Kindle Price: $9.99

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult and her teenage daughter present their first-ever novel for teens, filled with romance, adventure, and humor.

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t? Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah. And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom. Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

Vanishing Point David Markson.
This is a print edition. It is not available on Kindle.

Recommended by high school teacher, William Southerland. “Excellent, if quirky, novel. This should lead to some very interesting discussions in August. Highly recommended.”

Filed under: Reading Recommondations | Tagged: 2012, books, children, novels, recommended, school, school reading list, student, summer reading, summer reading list 2012, young adult | 2 Comments »

Free Books May 14, 2012

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

Our special focus today is Children’s and Young Adult Books. You’ll also find a mix of adult fiction, non-fiction. All of these books are being offered FREE today from Amazon for the Kindle. I try to chose the free books that are top rated and have good reviews from readers. I have also tried to include a good mix of genres for you to choose from.

The FREE status is constantly updated at Amazon, so be sure to check that the book is still free before you buy it! I am not responsible if you don’t!

FYI: Free for Prime Members does NOT mean it is free for everyone!

Enjoy all the freebies!!

Kindle Daily Deal:

The Last Explorer by Simon Nasht

This riveting biography recounts the life of the world’s first truly modern explorer: Sir Hubert Wilkins. He was a celebrated reporter, pilot, spy, war hero, and scientist. Focusing on the high drama of polar exploration, Wilkins was first to fly across the Arctic and first to fly in Antarctica. Rating 4.9 out of 5
Yesterday’s Price: $12.99 Today’s Discount: $11.00 Kindle Daily Deal Price: $1.99 (85% off)

May 14, 2012 Free Kindle Books

(All book descriptions come from Amazon.com)

CHILDREN/YOUTH

The Book of the King (The Wormling) Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up by Jerry B. Jenkins, Chris Fabry FREE TODAY!

“Nothing special” is the best way to describe Owen Reeder—at least that’s what he’s been told all his life. When a stranger visits his father’s bookstore, Owen’s ordinary life spirals out of control and right into a world he didn’t even know existed. Owen believes the only gift he possesses is his ability to devour books, but he is about to be forced into a battle that will affect two worlds: his and the unknown world of the Lowlands. Perfect for readers ages 10 to 14 who enjoy a fast-paced story packed with action, fantasy, and humor.

The League of Freaks and the Secret Key by Alberto Hazan FREE TODAY!

Strange things keep happening to Shree Mandvi, an ordinary Indian girl from the Bronx, when she moves to a prestigious private school in New England. As if having the ability to fly wasn’t weird enough, Shree soon discovers that four of her classmates each have their own unique powers, just like her. Together, they chase after a hidden treasure (and a mysterious secret key) that’s been hidden for centuries somewhere underneath the Harvard University campus.

The Hunger Games Trilogy Suzanne Collins Kindle Price: $18.99 You Save (65%)

The extraordinary, ground breaking New York Times bestsellers The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, along with the third book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, are available for the first time ever in a beautiful e-book trilogy edition. Stunning, gripping, and powerful. The trilogy is now complete!

The Ugly Duckling (Illustrated) Hans Christian Andersen (Author), Ripple Digital Publishing (Illustrator) FREE TODAY!
A classic story by Hans Christian Andersen presented with modern illustrations. The story of how a little bird endures the abuses and miseries as he was growing up not realizing he would mature into a beautiful swan. It’s a great tale about personal transformation for the better.

The Secret Door (An Other-Realm Adventure) by Evan Dennis FREE TODAY!

This is the story of Jack and his imagination. Follow Jack as he finds The Secret Door in the ground that leads to the Other-Realm where anything is possible. An adventurous boy finds more than he bargains for when playing alone in his backyard. The Secret Door leads to a place where imagination becomes real: The Other-Realm. The door disappears and he has to find his way out by another route.Jack forgets things as he goes deeper into the Other-Realm. He becomes lost the further he gets. Excitement, danger, and triumph follow Jack on his path.Can he find his way back home? Or will he live in the Other-Realm forever as part of his own imagination?

Girls to the Rescue: Young Marian’s Adventures in Sherwood Forest by Bruce Lansky (Author, Editor), Stephen Mooser (Author) FREE TODAY!

The Sheriff of Nottingham learned the hard way: don’t mess with Maid Marian! This Girls to the Rescue novel tells the exciting tale of thirteen-year-old Maid Marian and her first adventure with young Robin of Loxley (the future Robin Hood). The Sheriff of Nottingham has thrown Marian’s father into the dungeon, and only Marian can save her father from the hangman’s noose. Marian proves herself the cleverest of heroes as she takes on a pack of hungry wolves, murderous thieves, and the Sheriff’s loyal soldiers. She also solves a heart-wrenching mystery–the disappearance of her mother, missing for three years and presumed dead.

Garbage! Monster! Burp! Tom Watson FREE TODAY!

A monster at the bottom of a hill eats all of the garbage generated by the town on top of the hill. This provides two important benefits: The monster is happy with plenty to eat and the town stays nice and clean. Unfortunately, as the town grows, so does the amount of garbage the monster must consume. He gets bigger – and he starts burping. This is, as you can probably guess, a bit unsightly and stinky. In the end, the kids figure out how to solve the problem – despite the nasty mayor’s doubts and objections.

Backyard Bugs Mike Nowak FREE TODAY!

An introduction to insects for children in beautiful color photographs. Build your child’s interest in nature with this collection of insects that are commonly found in the U.S. Midwest. Children between that ages of 3 and 8 will enjoy this book although adults will also marvel at the detailed pictures of insects in their natural habitat.

Adventures In Funeral Crashing (A Kait Lenox YA Chick Lit Mystery) Milda Harris FREE TODAY!
Sixteen year old Kait Lenox has a reputation as the weird girl in her high school, mostly because of her ex-best friend turned mean popular girl, Ariel, but maybe it has a little to do with the fact that Kait has a hobby crashing funerals. At one of these, Kait is outted by the most popular guy in school, Ethan Ripley. Yet, instead of humiliating her for all the world to see, he asks for her help, and Kait finds herself entangled in a murder mystery. Not only is the thrill of the mystery exciting, but more importantly Ethan knows her name! A little sleuthing is well worth that!

The Twilight Saga Collection by Stephenie Meyer (Author) Age Level: 14 and up | Grade Level: 7 and up
Kindle Price: $36.99 includes You Save: (62%)

This stunning set, complete with all four books, makes the perfect gift for fans of the bestselling vampire love story.
Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn capture the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires.

FICTION

Destiny Wears Spurs by Kari Lee Harmon Somer FREE TODAY!

One temperamental Colorado cowboy + one phony ad campaign + one quirky NY ad exec = one wild Rocky Mountain ride in Destiny Wears Spurs! Monica Hammond—NY ad exec at Hammond’s Advertising Agency—will do anything to save her father’s company from her ex-fiancé, but she never imagines that will involve working beside cowboys on a Colorado dude ranch. With the boss looking like the centerfold for a Hot Men of the West calendar, her slogans sound more like an advertisement for a singles’ ranch than a family run operation. While Cody Rafferty—owner of Rafferty’s Remote Ranch—only agrees to need a phony ad campaign because he owes her father a favor and her crazy antics are making more work for him than it’s worth, but he can’t help rooting for the spunky little spitfire. Falling in lust is one thing, but falling in love isn’t part of the plan, only sometimes destiny has a mind of its own. * Winner of NJRW PYHIAB in Single Title Romance * Semi-finalist in the ABNA Contest

Too Close to Miss by John Perich FREE TODAY!

Too Close to Miss is a gritty, lightning-paced thriller set in Boston. It introduces Mara Cunningham, a stubborn crime scene photographer whose quick wits and eye for trouble often get her into danger. It contains tense chases, brutal fights and confrontations over dark secrets.” … a briskly-paced, thoroughly entertaining thriller that lives up to the heritage of the noir genre. It’s ten pounds of style in a two-pound bag.”- Tom Devlin, DC Accidental

Almost a Bride (Wyoming Wildflowers Book 1) by Patricia McLinn FREE TODAY!

Dave Currick was everything Matty Brennan wanted for as along as she could remember. Right up until he broke her heart six years ago. Now that she’s returned to Wyoming for good, what she wants more than anything is to save her family’s ranch. Even if that means swallowing her pride and asking Dave to marry her.Matty’s up to something – Dave knows that much. Just as he knows that Matty needs help, so of course he’ll provide it, just as he has all her life. Doing what’s best for Matty is second nature. Even when it comes to marrying her in name only. Although he can’t resist one hot-blooded kiss after the I-dos.Maybe – just maybe – his Matty will become more to him than Almost a Bride.

HOSTILE WITNESS (legal thriller, thriller) (The Witness Series,#1) by Rebecca Forster FREE TODAY!

When sixteen-year-old Hannah Sheraton is arrested for the murder of her stepgrandfather, the chief justice of the California Supreme court, her distraught mother turns to her old college roommate, Josie Baylor-Bates, for help. Josie, once a hot-shot criminal defense attorney, left the fast track behind for a small practice in Hermosa Beach, California. But Hannah Sheraton intrigues her and, when the girl is charged as an adult, Josie cannot turn her back. But the deeper she digs the more Josie realizes that politics, the law and family relationships create a combustible and dangerous situation. When the horrible truth is uncovered it can save Hannah Sheraton or destroy them both. ”This story was inspired by a case my husband handled. As a superior court judge he had to sentence a minor to life in prison. It made me wonder how I felt about minors arrested for violent crimes. Are they most vulnerable among us – capable or horrible violence, perceived as adults and yet emotionally still children?” Rebecca Forster (rebeccaforster.com)

NON-FICTION

Everything the Bible Says About Angels and Demons by Baker Publishing Group FREE TODAY!

Readers’ fascination with angelic beings–both dark and light–continues to grow. Numerous authors have given their ideas about angelic beings, but it’s time to hear what God has to say. All the scriptural references on the subject have been collected and explained in a clear and concise format. The book’s length and focus make it perfect for readers on the go who love the Word of God.

Always Know What To Say – Easy Ways To Approach And Talk To Anyone by Peter W. Murphy FREE TODAY!

Want to know the easy way to approach and make conversation with new people? In this book you`ll discover simple ways to ensure you always have something interesting to talk about.

Find out how popular people make it look so easy and how you can do the same.

How to Use Your Creative Imagination by Roy Eugene Davis FREE TODAY!

An enlivening Power is nurturing the universe and we can learn to be responsive to it.
Because you are a spiritual being, you already have the ability to remove or transcend all limiting conditions that may have, until now, opposed your endeavors to live freely , enjoyably, and effectively. As this is accomplished, the necessary resources and supportive events, circumstances, and relationships for your highest good will be spontaneously provided and your spiritual growth will be rapid and satisfying. Creative imagination and skillful living will enable you to live as you deserve to live.

The Couples Guide to Pregnancy & Beyond: He Says, She Says by John Zakour, Shannon Duffy FREE TODAY!

For couples interested in making the most out of this team project, “The Couple’s Guide to Pregnancy & Beyond: He Says, She Says” offers parents-to-be of all ages hip, gender-specific perspectives about a full range of issues and concerns that both men and women face when it comes to pregnancy. Each informative chapter contains an introduction, a section written from “She to He,” a section written from “He to She,” and concludes with a bit of “banter between the sexes” that is designed to address some of the most commonly asked questions. Also featured throughout is the sage medical advice of Dr. Joanne Hessney who provides even more information about pregnancy from a clinical perspective

The Other Baby Book: A Natural Approach to Baby’s First Year by Miriam J. Katz, Megan McGrory Massaro $5.99 (Prime Members Free)

What if the rules of modern motherhood were turned upside down? The Other Baby Book guides new and expecting mamas on a journey past “shoulds” and “musts,” back to the heart of true joy and connection. In this well-researched, yet conversational guide to baby’s first year, Massaro and Katz throw off the shackles of profit-driven companies and popular yet potentially harmful baby-rearing practices. Instead, they offer moms simple, frugal, and profound ways to support the mother-baby relationship. This practical and accessible guide offers… *compelling research to support a healthy lifestyle for the whole family, timeless traditions to nurture close mother-baby bonds, cutting edge commentaries by leading practitioners in each field, *encouraging stories from moms living out these practices

Homesteading Made Simple: A No-Fluff Guide To Living A Self-Sufficient Life by James Rockwell, Simple Self-Sufficiency $3.99 (Prime Members Free)

Homesteading is a way of life, a philosophy put into practice. Becoming a homesteader means deciding that self-sufficiency is the most important thing in life – and then living it. It’s about reducing reliance on producers and manufacturers of all kinds. How? Grow and process your own food so you don’t have to buy it. Gather and store your own energy so you don’t need to be connected to the grid. Make your own products and trade with neighbors for things you don’t have. Spend your time working hard, but working for yourself, with your family. Homesteading is a commitment to an ideal and it’s often a shared journey that a family takes together, with trials and errors, small failures and great successes. Most importantly, it’s about making the effort to be more self-sufficient. Homesteading today can take on many different forms. It might mean having an extensive backyard garden with greenhouse, chicken coop, and root cellar, all smack dab in the middle of a city. Or maybe it’s a more traditional set-up on a remote rural property, off the grid, living a life of back-to-the-land self-sufficiency on an acreage hundreds of miles from the nearest town. Whatever vision you have for your homestead, there’s a lot to learn but with a little preparation and planning and the motivation to make your life more self-sufficient, it is attainable. This book takes you through a bit of the background of homesteading and gives you plenty of good dirt-under-your-fingernails tips on how to get started, including information on water, energy, permaculture, food preservation, raising animals, and more.

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Lifetales Workbook Free 5/12 and 5/13 in honor of Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

The Lifetales Workbook brings in over 20 years of experience of lecturing and teaching memoir workshops. The workbook includes tips on getting started, writing prompts to keep you writing, and tips and resources on book layout, publishing, and marketing your completed stories. Be a part of PRESERVING HISTORY…ONE LIFESTORY AT A TIME!

FREE Kindle Edition for Mother’s Day! Get yours at Amazon.com

Filed under: Lifewriting | Tagged: Amazon, autobiography, diary, free, journal, journaling, Kindle, memoir, workbook, workshop | Leave a Comment »

Making Poems by Using Journal Fragments

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

Here is another interesting way to create poetry from your journals or memoirs. These poems are an interesting way to get at the ‘meat’ of your journal writing and the resulting poems can be very powerful. If you enjoy abstract art, this type of poetry writing just might be for you. I have had amazing success with these poems. I use this form of fragment poetry with my Creative Writing classes and workshop participants.

The method:

First, agree that you will allow your thoughts to run wild! No censuring allowed here!

Browse through your journal with pen, pencil, or highlighter in hand. I personally use a pencil, so that I can go back erase the marks from my journal later. If you journal on the computer, save the journal as Fragments first, then you are free to use the highlight tool as you search through the text. Circle or highlight words or phrases that jump out of you. You are working from your gut here. Don’t stop to ask why that particular word or phrase struck you, just circle it! My rule is that if I find myself pausing and pondering a word, phrase, or sentence, then I circle it.

Continue doing this for a few pages, then copy each of the circled words/phrases onto a piece of paper. I group them into lines of four to six as I copy them down…again, do not censure, just write them in the order you circled them.

Read through your fragments. Now you can start moving them around. You are looking for some sort of flow here, but it doesn’t have to necessarily make sense.

Continue editing by adding or deleting words. You will be surprised how the fragments need very little editing and seem to come together into a coherent piece without much editing or moving of lines!

Again, the key here is to not overthink it! Let your gut lead you and be ready for whatever jumps out at you.

Here are a couple of my fragments:

We were inseparable
Now I have some place
It keeps freezing up
All signs point to
Reality
Now it is frozen

(The above fragment came from a couple of pages of my journal and the subject matter was remembering an old friend, my computer freezing up, and what I was going to do with my day. I did no editing to that one….just wrote down the phrases that jumped out at me!)

Writing by candlelight
I am hiding
Forever on the verge of something
Always almost there

Was it all written already?
Too many questions
I don’t think I’ll ever get it
It is safer to stay away

Filed under: Lifewriting, Poetry | Tagged: autobiography, creative, fragment, ideas, journal, memoir, poem, Poetry, writing | 1 Comment »

Burrough’s Cut-Up Method: Spontaneous Poetry and Writing

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

I can’t tell you how much I LOVE doing this! You can do it by cutting up paper or on the computer. I show you both methods here. This first part is the original version (in other words, not by me!). After that, I tell you MY version and how to do it on the computer. Enjoy! And I’d love to see what you come up with!

William Burroughs, “The Cut Up Method” from Leroi Jones, ed., The Moderns: An Anthology of New Writing in America (NY: Corinth Books, 1963).
THE CUT UP METHOD

At a surrealist rally in the 1920′s Tristan Tzara the man from nowhere proposed to create a poem on the spot by pulling words out of a hat. A riot ensued wrecked the theatre. Andre Breton expelled Tristan Tzara from the movement and grounded the cut ups on the Freudian couch.

In the summer of 1959 Brion Gysin painter and writer cut newspaper articles into sections and rearranged the sections at random. Minutes To Go resulted from this initial cut up experiment. Minutes To Go contains unedited unchanged cut ups emerging as quite coherent and meaningful prose.

The cut up method brings to writers the collage which has been used by painters for fifty years. And used by the moving and still camera. In fact all street shots from movie or still cameras are by the unpredictable factors of passers by and juxtaposition cut ups. And photographers will tell you that often their best shots are accidents . . . writers will tell you the same. The best writing seems to be done almost by accident but writers until the cut up method was made explicit– (all writing is in fact cut ups. I will return to this point)–had no way to produce the accident of spontaneity. You can not will spontaneity. But you can introduce the unpredictable spontaneous factor with a pair of scissors.

The method is simple. Here is one way to do it. Take a page. Like this page. Now cut down the middle and cross the middle. You have four sections: 1 2 3 4 … one two three four. Now rearrange the sections placing section four with section one and section two with section three. And you have a new page. Sometimes it says much the same thing. Sometimes something quite different–(cutting up political speeches is an interesting exercise)–in any case you will find that it says something and something quite definite. Take any poet or writer you fancy. Heresay, or poems you have read over many times. The words have lost meaning and life through years of repetition. Now take the poem and type out selected passages. Fill a page with excerpts. Now cut the page. You have a new poem. As many poems as you like. As many Shakespeare Rimbaud poems as you like. Tristan Tzara said: “Poetry for everyone.” And Andre Breton called him a cop and expelled him from the movement. Say it again: “Poetry is for everyone.” Poetry is a place and it is free to all cut up Rimbaud and you are in Rimbaud’s place.

My try at the Cut-Up Method (also called the Fold-in)

This one page piece came from three pages of journal entries. I printed the pages, cut them up the middle vertically, then across horizontally. I then laid out the pieces on the table and randomly moved them around. I then taped the pieces together so that I would not be tempted to interrupt the spontaneity of their random placement. I then typed the resulting document verbatim. I then edited that complete text by removing words, some whole sentences, and adding a word here or there for coherence. The paragraph arrangement I did not change other than to add paragraph indentation.

Meditative Tesserae

Went to bed at 8 or so. We watched a movie with supporting people – all more treacherous than the last. I live my own strange life. Sometimes I read back through this stuff thinking as I watch that it is very hard to think. Trying to read, record anything of value. I write about this house, it has too many people in it. I should have been one of those not afraid to share her every thought. Talking, talking, talking. I can’t think straight, I know it so well that I feel like it won’t come out and everyone wants to know my most private thoughts. Little old lady who holes up in her room and realizes how I don’t fit in. What is she up to? Every wall covered with books. I could stay in here all day and I have. So I live books and books and books.

My topic for the day is “Make a list of…”. In one section there is the night as I fall asleep. I thought it funny, I was thinking about this topic in one place and I would want to go to another. We’re all alone. There’s nothing. I don’t want to go anywhere. My immediate thought was this crushing knowledge. We repress. I doubt I would have the energy to show how well you think you know me. I close myself off to everyone. Some people do it better than others. No one notices anyway. I have mourned the issue by filling myself with sleep. Other people just muddle me up and I realize what crap it is. At some bizarre time, all my defenses will crumble and I will have been reading too much Neitscze.

How quickly I rush in to cover myself. The book, scarcely pausing to explain meaning in life…why bother? If you live you can see that people have always believed. But I don’t think it will be a good choice of books for covering the point. But that is our topic. To live here we call this Higher Power God out by writing on loose-leaf paper. This just sent me reeling further down into the inadequacies of organized religion. The Native Americans had no organized Great Spirit. I am sick to death of trying to help.

Messenger turned off – it is just me. Where is your favorite place to hide? Is it possible for us to be alone? In a little place always gravitating towards dark corners – to my books and my writing. I know that I need to recreate my life and start over. But I don’t think that will do a damn thing. Characters say “You don’t know how to read to me”. How do we deal with our minds these days…we disguise, we bury, we exclude. Some can’t think straight anymore. So, I wonder, is this my problem?

Silly for me to even make a list. I cannot repress as well as others do. Existential stuff…there is no mind watching it. They didn’t care. You die and there is nothing else. Too intense. I don’t think so at all. I keep studying ancient mythology over and over again – and then just wait. Which leads me to realize in a Higher Power. In this society no one would understand. To be left naked and vulnerable to the world. I spent two days reading basic pieces of knowledge that have turned people off to God. Cover up, cover up. They all believed in the building backup of fallen walls. It is shared by the people who surround me. Abyss.

And literature, you have no interest in me. I just flounder around without tapping the major crux of the matter. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. How can we undo all the damage? Some live as the primitives and trust in the morning when everyone is asleep I have just forgotten what I am doing here. Which just goes to show that in the next life we are somehow always alone. I don’t understand myself.

You can also try the method on your computer:

I took the first page of a short story that I was working on and divided it into two columns in MS Word. I then noted that the text on the page covered 9 vertical inches on the page so I highlighted 4 ½ inches of the text in the first column and then copied and pasted it to a new document. I then did the same with the remaining 4 ½ inches of the first column and so forth with the second column. I ended up with with four separate squares of text. I moved the #4 to first postion and #1 to fourth position. I then swapped #2 and #3 with one another. Then I formatted the result into one column of text. I did delete about ten words in all from here and there, added no more than three words, and arranged the paragraph indents but did no other editing.

Here it is (the working title is “Mei-Mei”:

The nurse went away and she was left alone, drifting in between gray clouds of soft gauze. She knew she was alone then and it was comforting, a familiar feeling in an alien place. Just before the bubble in her brain burst, pushing her brain violently against her brain stem and ending her life, she wondered silently to the cotton ceiling, “What happened to my story?”

The wall was a myriad of things – objects, photos, cut out magazine pictures, headlines, random words, scraps of fabric, and pieces of stone and glass. This was her storyboard. In some forgotten time and place she had lost herself. Did it begin after marriage? Did it begin in childhood? Or had it taken place at birth? She was misplaced, a character out of mythical time that didn’t quite fit anymore, a fairy child stolen away from the mists of the willow tree branches and that was fitting too.

Them praying to their God and her in that hospital bed alone. They wouldn’t understand how fitting it was. The nurse came to tell her that she had a heart attack and they had to do surgery to unclog the artery and her family was all there – where, she wondered – and that it would all be okay. Okay. Then the nurse went away and she was left alone, drifting in between gray clouds of soft gauze.

She was forced to live in a humans made up world. Every morning she took her cup of coffee and tiptoed to the storyboard. She silently walked it from one end to the other and then from center to periphery. It was the only way she had to remind herself of who she was. She died alone. Which is how she always felt so it seemed fitting at the time. Her family was right outside the door, holding vigil, praying to a God she had never quite been able to believe in.

Read more about the Cut Up Method here: Cut Up Theory and Method

Filed under: Lifewriting, Poetry | Tagged: burroughs, cut up method, dada, fold in, memoir, Poetry, writing | Leave a Comment »

Time Management Tools for the Busy Freelancer

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

I can hear my father telling me, “Time is money. Manage your time wisely; do it now!” In this fast paced culture, it is so easy to lose time, and therefore lose money. We need to set up a system for managing our time and adhere to it, so that we work efficiently and have time left over to play. Here are a few tips – and time management tools – to help you get started on taking back your valuable time.

Set up a workspace. Whether you work in an office, in a store, or at home, find your own workspace where you can keep your things. Having the items you need to do your job in one place saves time and causes less stress.

Steer the conversation when on the phone. Learn how to steer the conversation to a close when talking on the phone. Too often people go off on tangents when talking on the phone and you need to be able to wait for a pause and gently say, “I understand what you are saying, but I really need to get back to work.”

Take notes. Keep a notepad by your desk and take notes while on the phone. Be careful about scribbling notes on random pieces of paper because they will get lost. If you have to, use sticky notes and then paste these notes into your datebook immediately so they won’t be misplaced.

Schedule a time to check email (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and stick to it. If you are working, you need to be working, not checking personal email. Let everyone know that you check personal email once in the morning and again in the evening. Unless it is work related, you should try to stay away from social networking while on the job.

File it. Have a place for files and file things promptly.

Hang a whiteboard on the wall. Whether you have an office or work from home, it is helpful to have a large whiteboard on the wall that lists your pending tasks and to-do list for each week. You will save yourself time by being able to glance at the big board instead of scrambling for your datebook.

Stop your open door policy. Let friends and family know that you are available at certain times and to please not bother you otherwise. If you let people just pop in whenever they want you will waste many hours of time during your workday.

Put a sign on your door. “Busy, please do not interrupt. I will be available at [time].” While it may seem harsh, some people just don’t understand and will waste your time constantly interrupting you. Be firm.

Schedule meetings at your convenience not other people’s. Unless it is your boss or a client, don’t give in to every person that wants to talk to you on their time. Remember that your time is just as valuable as theirs.

Prioritize tasks. Take care of important and urgent matters first. If you make a habit of prioritizing projects and chores, you will get much more accomplished – and with a lot less stress. Each morning, jot down what needs to be done and then assign numbers to each item an order of importance.

Multitask. Group projects together so that you can use your time more efficiently. File while you’re on the phone. Clean out your desk drawer while waiting for the printer to print out your work. Catch up on reading notes while waiting for the copier to print your latest project.

Just say NO! Learn to say no when asked to take on more projects than you have time for. Bosses, clients and co-workers will only keep piling on the work if you let them. Take a stand and save yourself time.

Make a to-do list each night as a template for the following day. This will help to keep you on track so that you won’t feel overwhelmed or forget something important.

Keep a diary. Purchase a small notebook (even a composition notebook will do) and write down phone calls you make and take, notes from meetings you attend, things you need to get done, etc. At the end of each day, review your diary notes and enter what else you accomplished that day.

Time Management Tools

Freelance Switch Hourly Rate Calculator

Toggl. Time management you enjoy. Helps you see how you really spend your day. Makes every second count.

Slimtimer. Slimtimer lets you track your time on projects with a dead simple interface.

Rescue Time. RescueTime not only tracks time, but it monitors how time is apportioned by tracking what programs are open and for how long.

Klock. Keep track of anything with Klok’s simple work timer and visual display of how your days “fill up”. This Adobe AIR based application can track your time as well as export data to a spreadsheet to be used in invoices.

How do you manage your time? I’d love to hear from you about tools you use for time management.

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Filed under: Freelancing, Tech Tips for Freelancers | Tagged: copy editor, copywriter, editor, elance, freelance, ghostwriter, guru, time, time management, tools, writer | Leave a Comment »

Journaling Topics: Where Do I Start?

Posted on May 3, 2012 by Kaz Silvestri

Where do I start? Surely it can’t be that hard to sit down and journal each day. Can it? I hear so many people say, “Well, I told myself I would journal today, but I didn’t know what to say.”

Get Messy

Who says you have to stay in the lines? Write sideways, write very big or very small, write past the margins, draw maps and pictures – GET MESSY WITH IT!

Dr. Ira Progoff says in At a Journal Workshop, “Insofar as the past is over and the future has not yet transpired, this midpoint is an open moment of possibility. Properly used, it becomes like the eye of a hurricane, a quiet place at the center of life, a free, unconditioned moment of opportunity.”

So, begin with today, with this minute, this second.

Bare Your Soul

Your journal is what you make it. It is yours and yours alone. You enter the page with your soul bared and pour forth your darkest fears, your greatest triumphs, your ho-hum drudgery of life. It doesn’t matter what you put forth, it only matters that you do it!

Dr. Progoff explains, “We may use it actively and intensely during times of conflict and difficulty; we may use it softly and slowly when our life is more relaxed…”

Just Doodle

Often times I just sit and doodle on the page. No words, no pictures even, just swirls and flowers or whatever my mind commands my hand to do. The content is not what is important; it is that you bring your spirit to the page again and again. I have gone months entering the daily occurrences of my life, boring details that I feel mean nothing. But, as I read back over the years, I find within those boring pages little nuggets of gold.

Morning Pages

“What you do want is to catch yourself unawares, to record things you didn’t really didn’t know you were thinking.” says Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way and The Vien of Gold.

Julia suggests what she calls Morning Pages. Each morning, preferably upon waking, she suggests writing 3 pages, front and back. Do it without stopping, just let the words flow from your pen. If you find yourself with nothing to say, then write “I have nothing to say” over and over until you do have something to say. An advantage of Morning Pages is that by dumping the trivial, mundane thoughts on paper each morning you will be able to free your mind to ponder further depths. You will feel more alive and less cluttered with tiny details of little importance.

Paper versus Keyboard

Julia, and other writers, suggests doing your journaling by hand. There is something about the direct connection from mind, to hand, to paper that is supposed to be revitalizing. I don’t know. I journal in whatever way feels right to me at the time. Sometimes by hand and often times at my computer keyboard. Sometimes I pull off to the side of the road or into a parking lot because some profound thought flits through my head and I must get it on paper or lose it. If I have my journal with me (and you should try to keep your journal with you!) I will write it there. But there have been many times that I have poured forth my soul on the back of a McDonalds bag with a stick of lipstick. Do what you have to do. Just DO IT!

Topic du Jour (Topic of the Day)

My all time favorite! This idea comes from Kathleen Adam’s Journal to the Self. At the back of your journal, or on a piece of paper near your computer, write the numbers 1-31. For each number, write in a topic. Some topics I put were the names of my kids, writing, reading, a memory, the world around me, work, the future, nature, music, books, etc….whatever interests you or you think you might like to write about. Each day when you sit down to journal, use the day of the month to choose your topic for the day. If today is the 3rd of the month, I go to my Topic du Jour list and see that today I will write about ‘work’.

“Allow yourself to be awkward. You are stripping yourself. You are exposing your life, not how your ego would like to see you represented, but how you are as a human being.” Natalie Goldberg

Journal Buddy

Make yourself accountable. Find someone who also journals and set up a time to meet at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or the work/school cafeteria. Commit to writing for 10 minutes, then talk with each other about what you wrote. Alternately, join a writer’s group (or create one!) on Facebook or LinkedIn.

Whatever you do – JUST WRITE! Journaling is therapeutic and – if you are a writer – a great way to generate ideas for projects.

Filed under: Lifewriting | Tagged: creative, doodle, draw, ideas, ira progroff, journal, julia cameron, kathleen adams, memoir, Poetry, self, therapy, topics, workshop, writing | 1 Comment »

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