The Takeaway: If you’ve ever struggled to write about difficult periods of your life, Melanie Brooks’ “Writing Hard Stories” can provide guidance, solace and inspiration. The book features interviews with well-known authors who have published at least one memoir, and digs just as deeply into their emotional process as it does their writing process. […]
Earlier this month, my partner and I began organizing our garage, a task that for us is part interior design and part archaeological dig. While she and I know for the most part what we’ll find when we sort, unpack and arrange our belongings, every once in awhile we uncover a delightful surprise and it’s […]
The take-away: If you have ever wondered what the “right” motivation might be to write about yourself, or if you’re wondering why so many successful writers try their hand at memoir, Why We Write About Ourselves will provide some answers, as well as leave you with more questions about why people publish in this most […]
It’s here! It’s here! It’s here! Earlier this week, I launched the first in what will be a series of helpful guides for creating a personal or family history project, a short PDF report entitled “How to Tell Your Tale.” Subtitled “10 Questions Answered to Help You Pick the Perfect Format For Your Family History […]
Coming attractions: Join our list to learn more about creating personal and family history projects!
Photo courtesy of Caro Wallis via Flickr. Over the past few years, I’ve shared a lot with you here on the Listen Closely Productions blog … Podcasts to fill your earbuds, samples of what family history projects can look and sound like, and extensive how-to posts that walked you step by step through the process […]
Photo courtesy of Abizern via Flickr. I was reading a blog post by author Greg McKeown the other day, and he made a comment that, although it was really aimed at making readers more productive and better leaders, really spoke to me as a personal historian. He noted that after both his grandfathers died, one man’s […]
Photo courtesy of Melissa Gruntkosky via Flickr. One of the hardest parts of writing a personal history, a memoir, or a family history is deciding what to write about. And that difficulty is compounded if you feel you can’t remember enough about what’s happened to you to write anything significant about it! There’s an easy […]
Photo courtesy of Justin Russell via Flickr. It’s almost officially the winter holiday season, and those of us who still send holiday greetings through the mail are prepping our lists and trying to figure out what to write. I’m including this post on this blog, which so often touches on personal and family history, and […]
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