memoir
July 2, 2024
Have you thought about compiling a family history but don’t know where to start? Writers are often advised to write what they know or are curious about. Not everyone agrees with this, but perhaps there’s some wisdom in it, or in the case of family history, start with yourself (the person in your family tree […]
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November 29, 2022
How do you feel about Christmas? For some people, Christmas beings great joy and anticipation. They can’t wait to decorate the tree, string the lights and hit play on the Christmas music. For others, it stirs up painful memories, perhaps of family conflict, or loss and grief. And for some, Christmas is just not part […]
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July 19, 2022
I recently read an interesting article about the way that constantly taking photographs “diminishes our ability to recall our experiences, diverts our attention, and takes us out of the moment” but that “at the same time, new research suggests that cameras can also be used to enhance our memories of certain experiences”. I guess, for […]
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November 2, 2021
Have you ever thought about the legacy you might leave for others, or the legacies passed down to you by previous generations? Whether or not we have direct descendants, or know our ancestors, our lives and stories have the power to connect with and impact others in numerous ways. Last week, I had the opportunity […]
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January 7, 2020
Although these prompts could be done any time, the beginning of the year seems a great time to reconnect with your memoir or family history project. You may still be in holiday mode, or just trying to motivate yourself to get going again after the Christmas break. None of these involve much writing, but all […]
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June 11, 2019
I’ve recently been running a series of workshops on writing memoir and family history at the City of Vincent Library and Local History Centre. In our first session, I led participants through a series of activities to help them stare down the blank page and start writing. It was fabulous to see just how many […]
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