Thanksgiving Memories--Write Your Own

 

I'm going to post a piece I wrote for my Family Memories Book about the month of November and especially Thanksgiving. Hopefully, this will trigger some of your own memories so you can write them for your Family Memories Book. Do now or soon after Thanksgiving before the next holiday craziness begins.

Thanksgiving Then and Now (written in 2013)

The crisp, sunny days of October somehow slid into damp, gray ones during November in the Chicago area where I grew up. The sun played hide-and-seek in the late autumn and winter months, mostly hiding. Wind swept across Lake Michigan, bringing a chill that seeped through warm, woolen jackets and into our bones. Un-raked leaves swirled around our feet with each new gust of wind, and naked tree branches dipped and swayed like ballerinas announcing that winter would soon begin. We walked faster on our way to and from school, and Mom often commented that we had roses in our cheeks when we came into the warm kitchen from outdoors.

 We accepted the chill and gloom of November because it heralded Thanksgiving. At school, we spent that month learning about Pilgrims and Squanto, the Indian who helped the settlers through that first tortuous winter. Teachers planned bulletin board displays with a Thanksgiving theme. Everyone celebrated this non-religious holiday. Rather strange since the Pilgrims came to this country seeking religious freedom.

Mom and my aunts prepared the dinner—turkey roasted to a golden brown and stuffed with a moist dressing redolent with sage, that teased for hours with its pervading aroma. Aunt Adeline made a second stuffing adding sausage, a recipe from the French side of the family. We had creamy mashed potatoes and rich gravy made from the turkey drippings, sweet potato casserole with a marshmallow topping, seasoned green beans, homemade yeast rolls, cranberry sauce, and the family favorite, Seafoam Salad, a mixture of lime jello, cream cheese, mashed pears and whipped cream.  Spicy pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream and apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream finished off our feast.

Dad’s two older sisters lived in the Chicago area, so we usually celebrated Thanksgiving with them, alternating homes from year to year.  We lived in a third-floor walk-up apartment but managed to fit all three families when it was our turn. The eight cousins, despite the wide range of ages, had a wonderful time together. After dinner, we got shooed outside to play. I suspect the adults sat around and drank more coffee, nibbled on the leftovers and did all they could to put off the dishwashing time.

No dishwashers in those days, so all the women pitched in and cleared the table, washed and dried the dishes, often with towels made from flour sacks. When my female cousins and I got older, we were drafted into the kitchen with chattering women and clattering dishes.  The men plunked themselves into chairs and listened to the radio or watched the small screen black and white TV when we finally had one.

After I married, I invited my parents and brothers to our home for Thanksgiving, even though I wondered if my mom would be hurt. She’d been the hostess ever since my aunts passed away. I needn’t have worried, for her answer was “Finally! I’ve been waiting to be invited out for Thanksgiving for years.”

Now, (2013) my children’s families make the trip home for Thanksgiving every other year. We use a few shortcuts in cooking, and we load the dishwasher instead of drying dishes, but the grandchildren revel in being with cousins just as I did. The faces around the table change, but the same warmth of a family gathering to give thanks remains. May it ever be so.

Writers Can Use a Helping Hand

 

Have you ever tried to help a toddler who stamps his foot and says "I do it myself."? He wants to be independent, and that's a blessing for his parents. What about writers who do the same? Shunning a helping hand with the attitude "I'll do this myself."? 

There are times when we can also use a bit of assistance. I've lost count of the number of times I've gone to another writer or writing group for a bit of help. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Sure, we all like to be independent, but there are times when even a tiny amount of help can send us straight into publication.

I've noted many a time when someone critiquing a submission in my writing group makes one small suggestion that can change a great deal, can make a good piece an excellent one. People who join writing critique groups are not afraid of asking for a helping hand. They're in the group to both receive and give assistance. 

What other helping hands can a writer find? How about that one writer friend who is willing to listen to whatever barricade you're facing and give some objective advice? Maybe over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in casual conversation. It need not be a formal 'ask for help' situation. 

Another helping hand is one a writer can use all alone. That's reading a reference book on our craft. New ones come out all the time, and there are many old ones that have a lot of information, as well. When I started writing, I was aiming at writing for children, so I went to my local library and checked out every book I could find on that topic. I learned a lot and found that there was more to this kind of writing than I'd ever thought. 

One more helping hand for writers is that many writing workshops and conferences that are offered all over the country, or even in foreign countries. It would be fun to go to one in an exotic place, but there are others that are within driving distance for most of us. 

Joining your local and state writers' organizations will be one more helping hand for you. A way to increase and refine your writing skill, as well as mingle and converse with other writers.

You're not marooned on a desert island with no one to offer you a helping hand. You'll find them wherever you live. They might not come up and smack you awake. You're the one who must reach out and find them. 

In closing, I have one thought. Never, ever deny a helping hand. Reaching out and accepting them will be beneficial for you and your writing life. 

Description Is Important in Writing

Autumn Fun 

Our four seasons offer writers a great deal of material to use in their writing projects. Today's photo shows an autumn day with a tire swing hanging from the branch of a colorful tree. Study the photo for a while and consider what fun it might be to sit on that swing and pump your legs until you get to a good speed, then jump off into that pile of leaves. When you were a kid, you would have loved doing that, maybe even now. Or to show one of your children or grandchildren how to do so.

When we write stories, or even essays, description usually enters in. We describe a place where our characters or a situation is occurring. Why? Doing so brings the reader into the scene. We want them to experience some of what the characters are experiencing. What the colors of the season might be, how the weather is making them feel, what aromas might be in the air, how walking through those leaves in our photo would feel. And more. 

For an exercise use today's photo and write a descriptive paragraph. (or more) Make up the place, the characters, and the time, but concentrate on bringing your reader into the scene through description. 

A word of warning! Writing paragraph upon paragraph describing a place can lose your reader rather quickly. Make sure there is something happening along with your description. 

For a second exercise, try writing a poem using the photo as a springboard. Include a lot of description about this fall scene. Perhaps it will be a poem about a childhood memory, or one about what you saw while on a walk. Be creative. 

 

Writers and Patience

 

Many times, I have mentioned the two keywords in my writing life. One is patience and the other is perseverance. Today, let's concentrate on patience.

When did you first have the desire to become a writer? As a child? A college student? A young career person? After raising a family? Or maybe after you retired. Just because the desire takes root doesn't mean that is when you're going to give this craft a try. It may settle into your conscious or subconscious mind for a long time. For me, it was many, many years. 

Finally, you're ready to give writing a try. What's the first thing you do? Probably sit down and write a story that you've thought about a long time. You write it, then look at markets to decide where you'll send it. You find a magazine that seems to fit your kind of story, so off it goes. And then you wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, an email arrives telling you that the publication cannot use your submission. Suddenly, the realization comes that this business doesn't happen in a hurry. 

The person above probably made a lot of mistakes. After all, it's a first try. Here are just a few things this writer might have done wrong:

A. Wrote the story too fast

B.  Didn't edit the story before submitting

C.  Didn't let the story sit a few days before editing

D. Didn't study the markets well

E.  Expected to hear from the publication quickly

The writer was not patient. There are many steps in the writing process and they should be taken one by one. The list below gives a few suggestions for a new writer, and ones that seasoned writers should consider, as well: 

A.  Join a writing group 

B.  Take a class about writing and go to workshops at conferences

C.  Read, read, read about writing

D.  Join a critique group and take their advice to heart; learn that criticism is meant to help, not hurt

E.  Learn to accept rejection (not easy, but as time goes on, you can do it)

F.  Write on a regular basis, even if it is only 15 minutes a day

G.  The more you write, the better writer you can become

All the above requires patience. To be honest, I am not a patient person, but writing has helped me learn to be more patient than I have ever been. 

There is no magic number of months or years that will bring you success in writing. We're all unique people, all with different kinds of talents, all with hopes and dreams, but reaching the mountain top will take many roads and we will not all have to travel that road the same amount of time. Work on your patience while you also work on your writing skills. 

 

Wow Your Readers at the Beginning

 

Our quote for today tells us that 'The Beginning is the most important part of the work'. It's also one of the most difficult to get right! 

Consider what you must accomplish with the beginning of any works, be it fiction, flash fiction, essay, article, or poem. Your job here is to capture the attention and interest of the reader. 

Have you ever picked up a book and read pages before anything 'happened'? I find myself silently saying 'Get on with it.' Some who write novels choose to write many pages to set the scene. That may help the reader fix the place and time and more in their mind, but does it hold their interest? Are they wondering who the characters will be and what is happening to them? Quite possibly. It's alright to incorporate bits and pieces about the place, time etc as you move the story along. Once again, this is the writer's choice.

Starting out with a bang is going to make your reader want to turn the page to see what happens next. Make something happen in that first paragraph, something to pique the reader's interest.

When you begin a personal essay, you might pose a question, relate a vivid anecdote, introduce a character, or plant the seeds of an idea. But do it with gusto. 

That first paragraph or two, or first line of a poem, is your chance to hook your reader. Bore them then is to lose their interest quickly. 

Do a search for famous openings and see if you can find a common denominator. One we all know is the first sentence of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The many children's stories that start with 'Once upon a time...' tells children this story happened long ago and there is a tale to be told. 

As an exercise for today, go through your files of stories and essays. Look at the beginnings or the opening lines. What do you think? Can you revise it to something better? Or do you like the way you started your story? 

A reference book I often recommend for fiction writers is Beginnings, Middles, and Ends by Nancy Kress. It was published in 2011, but her advice is still pertinent.