Food For Thought

“Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back. That's part of what it means to be alive. But inside our heads - at least that's where I imagine it - there's a little room where we store those memories. A room like the stacks in this library. And to understand the workings of our own heart we have to keep on making new reference cards. We have to dust things off every once in awhile, let in fresh air, change the water in the flower vases. In other words, you'll live forever in your own private library.” 

                          --Haruki Murakami

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I saw the quote above on a Ladybug Whispers post on facebook. It intrigued me enough to find out more about the man who said it. Haruki Murakami is a contemporary Japanese author. He and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to memories. I decided to borrow the quote and lovely picture to share with you here. 

Like Murakami, I cherish memories and I think all writers need to do so in a big way. So much of what we write is drawn from our memories which are there because of our many experiences as we travel through our life journey. As the quote indicates, we keep adding new memories and every now and then, we need to sort through them and see which ones might be useful to us now.

I wrote a short essay years ago titled "Dust Off Those Holiday Memories."  It was published at a site called 2TheHeart and then I posted it later at Our Echo, a website where writers post their work for readers around the world. When I read the quote above this morning, I immediately thought of that essay, as it has similar threads, although it may not be said quite as eloquently. You can read the short piece here.

Read Murakami's quote a few times, let it soak in. It will give you food for thought for the rest of this day.

Old Friends--Material for Memoir Stories

Yesterday, an old friend and her husband stopped here for a visit on their way from Phoenix to northern Minnesota. Zoe and I hadn't seen one another for 12 years in person. We have kept in close touch through email, skype and phone calls over the years. It's kept our friendship alive. But seeing this friend who had been seriously ill last year was better than all the emails rolled into one. Being able to put my arms around her and hug her is something I've wanted to do for a long time. We had a wonderful visit all afternoon and into the evening, and then again at breakfast before they hit the road again.

This morning, I read a post at Our Echo website that told about reconnecting with a friend of long ago. Veronica Breen Hogle (one of the Guest Bloggers here a couple of months ago) wrote about a friend who found her after many years of no contact. You can read Veronica's story here.

We all have friends who have meant a lot to us at one time in our lives. Whether we've kept in touch through the years like Zoe and I have, or whether it was like Veronica and Bridget, it doesn't matter if the friendship was a good one. The memories of things you've done together are like precious gems and should be carefully kept. The memories of things we've done with special people, places we've gone with them, or difficutlties we've lived through with them are--all material for memoir writing.

You don't need to write a full memoir book. If it involves people in your past, it can be considered memoir. Write about the people who have meant something to you. Use your relationship and happenings wtih them as a part of your family stories that you leave for your children to read later. Or use it to illustrate a universal truth of some kind in an essay and send it out for possible publication.

Longtime friendships can be treasured, but they can also be shared in memoir pieces. Pick one friend and wirte about her/him today for a writing exercise.

Do You Have Favorite Writers?

Do you have favorite writers? I certainly do. I found a new story today posted at Our Echo website. The author is one who use to post her work regularly at this website where writers of all levels can contribute. No rejections here, just readers who appreciate good stories.

This particular woman is one of the best of the Our Echo family of writers. Whenever I see a new story of hers, I feel a little thrill because I know I'm in for a treat. Born in Ireland and now a US resident, she has a way of using sensory detail that takes the reader straight across the Atlantic and into the green hills of Ireland. Her stories feature her growing-up years and the various people who were a part of that period. But beyond the fine detail and character development, her nonfiction stories have an underlying message and/or lesson for all of us. I'm not going to name her yet, as I'm hoping she'll consent to being a guest blogger here.

I have favorite novelists, too. Catherine Cookson wrote book upon book about often poverty-stricken working class people in England and the aristocrats who lord it over them. Coal miners showed up often in her fine stories, and since my grandfather was a miner here in the  US but born in London of Irish parents, this is of great interest to me. Ms. Cookson was a master storyteller and a prolific writer with a long list of books to her credit.

Another novelist I especially like is Barbara Taylor Bradford. Her rags to riches stories are fell-good and entertaining ones. Rosamunde Pilcher, another British author, ranks among my favorites. Do I like any American authors? Of course, I do. Among them are Kristin Hannah, Taylor Caldwell, John Grisham and David Guterson. Some I've named are contemporary novelists while others have passed on, leaving their published works behind.

I have a few favorite nonfiction authors, too. Stephen Ambrose probably tops that list. His books on American History often read like novels.

My favorite authors and yours are probably totally different because we don't all like to read the same kind of thing. I like a good story, historical fiction, good creative nonfiction but I don't read fantasy or science fiction. Yet some people will rank authors of those genres high on their list of favorites. How about you? Who are your favorite authors?