Tuesday Tidbit: Listen for “a deeper sound, a different beat”

 

Because writing a memoir requires reflection and introspection, the process can change our lives.

 

God can use it to change the way we hear.

 

He can use it to open our eyes and tenderize our hearts.

 

God helps us recognize a higher, deeper, broader story.

 

Henri Nouwen writes, ““When we listen to the Spirit, we hear a deeper sound, a different beat. The great movement of the spiritual life is from a deaf, nonhearing life into a life of listening . . . in which we . . . hear the guiding and healing voice of God, who is with us and will never leave us alone.” (Henri Nouwen, Discernment)

 

When we start writing, we have no idea where our memories and our ponderings and writings—and God—will take us.

 

“The written word

preserves what otherwise might be lost

among the impressions that inundate our lives.

Thoughts, insights, and perceptions

constantly threaten to leave us

before we have the opportunity

to grasp their meaning.

Writing can keep technology-driven,

fast-paced, quick-fix, ambiguity-tolerant

modern life from overpowering us—

and give us something palpable

upon which to reflect.

 

Reflection slows matters down.

It analyzes what was previously unexamined,

and opens doors to different interpretations

of what was there all along.

Writing, by encouraging reflection,

intensifies life.”

Editors Ben Jacobs and Helena Hjalmarsson,

The Quotable Book Lover

 

There you have it, your Tuesday Tidbit.

Happy writing!

 

Tuesday Tidbit: Celebrate God’s grace upon grace in your memoir

Take time—make time—to remember:

God’s blessings one after another after another,

His favor,

His mercy,

and gifts,

heaped upon you—

all because of the abundance of His grace.

 

And when you have remembered them,

write them into your memoir.

Create a memoir that is

a conscious celebration of God

in all His goodness, faithfulness, holiness, and splendor.

(Click on that link!)

 

There you have it: your Tuesday Tidbit.

Tuesday Tidbit: Your Thanksgiving memories for your memoir

 

Pay close attention to the smells of Thanksgiving: Turkey roasting in the oven. Stuffing, too. Logs burning in the fireplace. Pumpkin spice candles. Jot down those Thanksgiving smells now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

What are the sounds of Thanksgiving? Guests visiting with one another. Your uncle sharpening the carving knife. Grandpa’s weak old voice blessing the food before the feast. Listen carefully and jot down Thanksgiving’s sounds now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

What are the tastes of Thanksgiving? Cranberry sauce. Green bean casserole. Pumpkin pie. Mincemeat pie. Pay close attention and jot down Thanksgiving’s tastes now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

What are the sights of Thanksgiving? Autumn leaves. Frost on the shrubs and trees outside. Aunt Sue with flour on her apron. Uncle John’s face lighting up when he walks in the door. Family members hugging each other. The way Grandma’s eyes light up when her great-grandchildren run in the front door. Pay close attention and jot down Thanksgiving sights now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

What are the feels of Thanksgiving? The feel of your cousin’s coarse wool sweater when you give him a hug. The feel of Grandma’s fine linen napkins. The feel of a warm mug full of hot spiced cider. The feel of a full stomach. Pay close attention and jot down Thanksgiving textures and feels now so you can include them later in your memoir.

 

Sensory details: smell, sound, taste, sight, and touch. Take note of your Thanksgiving’s sensory details now so you can write them into your memoir later.

 

There you have it: Your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And remember:

 

“Give God a standing ovation every day. . . . 

We won’t be happy until 

we can forget our problems long enough 

to look up to heaven and be stunned 

into heartfelt thanks 

for a life overflowing with goodness.”  

Mike Mason, Champagne for the Soul

 

Tuesday Tidbit: Remind yourself of all the reasons to keep writing

Writing a memoir is a lot of work—a lot of work!

 

Because of that, sometimes it’s easy to get discouraged.

 

But take heart!

 

Remind yourself of all the reasons to keep writing.

 

You want to bless your readers in any number of ways—you want to leave a spiritual legacy, you want your story to inspire others in their own lives:

 

• to never give up, never quit fighting, and always hope
• to make good choices and be trustworthy people of integrity
• to speak up when something’s not right
• to always love, always forgive, and always extend grace
• to grow in their faith

 

The list goes on and on.

 

So: Inspire your readers to be courageous.

 

Inspire them to pray.

 

Offer them solutions.

 

Encourage them to laugh and love—to love God and others.

 

Be of good cheer,

all you memoir-writers out there!

 

Your story is important.

 

Remember the words of Jeff Goins:

“Never, ever, ever underestimate

the power your words can have.”

 

Keep writing!

 

God can use your life and your stories

to help others and to honor Him!

 

There you have it:

your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

Tuesday Tidbit: Write your memoir, even if you start small

Have you started writing your memoir yet?

 

If not, may this Bible verse inspire you to begin.

And if you have begun writing but know you still have a lot of work ahead, you can identify with those words, “small beginnings.” If that term describes you, may this Bible verse comfort you, too.

 

Take heart. We all start small—and that’s okay!

 

In fact, it’s good. Look at the rest of that verse. “The Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”

 

Now, doesn’t that make you smile? Give you hope? Inspiration? Encouragement? A desire to keep at it?

 

I hope so. 

 

Take joy in your writing. 

You have no idea how many people your story will touch.

 

There you have it: your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

 

Tuesday Tidbit: “I’ve failed dreadfully if you have to read a sentence twice to figure out what I meant.”

 

Continuing with your need to strive for clarity in your writing. . . .

 

After you’ve set aside your rough draft for a while, read it with fresh eyes, checking for ways to make your wording perfectly clear for readers.

 

One of your most important goals

is communicating effectively with your readers.

 

Here’s one way to do that:

Aim your writing at an eighth-grade audience.

 

You might be asking: “What?!?”

 

You read that correctly.

 

Years ago, when I studied journalism, instructors taught us to aim our writing at eighth graders—that is, to write in a way eighth-grade students could easily understand.

Recently I saw the same advice so it must still be the best practice.

 

What’s true for journalists is true for memoirists: Aim at an eighth-grade audience.

 

Ken Follett, Welsh author, says his goal is to make his prose “utterly easy to understand.” He calls it “transparent prose.”

 

“I’ve failed dreadfully,” Follet says, “if you have to read a sentence twice to figure out what I meant.”

 

You know what Follett means.

You have had the unpleasant experience

of reading a sentence or a paragraph

two or three times

before you could figure out the writer’s message.

Don’t be that kind of writer!

 

Revise your sentences and paragraphs

and chapters until they are

“utterly easy to understand.”

 

And remember,

“revision is not punishment”

(Donald Murray)

 

There you have it:

your Tuesday Tidbit.

 

Writer’s block? No problem. You can still work on your memoir.

 

Writer’s block: You know how to write. You want to write. But for some reason, you can’t write.

 

Take heart. Everyone gets stuck from time to time. Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charlie Schultz, and Mark Twain struggled with writer’s block, too.

 

If “writer’s block” describes you today, don’t despair!

 

I have good news for you:

 

Writer’s block is temporary.

 

And here’s more good news: You can still make progress on your memoir.

 

This is your opportunity to spiff up your already-written segments, those chapters still in rough draft form, those beautiful stories that will someday—soon, we hope!—be compiled as your memoir.

 

By “spiff up” I mean to tinker, to rearrange, to polish—to revise.

 

“Revision is not punishment,” says veteran writer Donald M.Murray in The Craft of Revision.

 

“Writing evolves from a sequence of drafts,” Murray says. “Scientists . . . experiment . . . . Actors and musicians rehearse. Retailers test markets, politicians take polls, manufacturers try pilot runs. They all revise, and so do writers. Writing is rewriting.”

 

Professional writers know the benefits of revision.

 

So . . . Be like the pros: If you’re stuck with writer’s block, use this time to revise the chapters you’ve already written.

 

Revision, Murray says, is “re-seeing the entire piece of writing.” That’s so important.

 

This is your opportunity to re-see what you’ve written. Re-seeing will show you where, specifically, to revise.

 

Revision involves checking punctuation, grammar, spelling, diction (word choice), sentence length, rhythm, conciseness, organizing, and so on. I suggest you consider each separately as you evaluate your rough draft.  

 

If you’re stuck in writer’s block,

this is a perfect time to revise because

distance and time are a writer’s friends:

They do wonders for objectivity.

The fresher the story is in your memory,

the harder it is to catch things you need to change.

 

Today, let’s consider clarity.

 

“Clarity depends . . . on your ability to put information together so that readers know at every point where they are, where they’ve been, and where they seem to be going,” writes Peter P. Jacobi.

 

“When we read, our minds work in linear fashion. We cannot grasp jumps and jerks or even the sudden shifts of scene. . . .” Jacobi continues. “We [readers] have to be moved carefully, smoothly, through the [story].”

 

Donald Murray encourages a writer

to read a rough draft the first time

as the maker of that piece,

and then read it again as a stranger—

as someone reading the piece for the first time.

Good advice, Don!

 

So, put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Does your vignette or chapter make sense, or does it cause confusion?

 

Does your story have “jumps and jerks or . . . sudden shifts of scene”?

 

Look for gaps:

Did you leave out information

readers need to know?

If so, they’ll have trouble grasping

your story’s message.

 

Remember, it’s not in your story

until it’s in black and white on your page.

 

Strive for clarity.

 

Also remember: “Revision is not punishment.”

 

Enjoy making your revisions!