Writer and musician
Charlotte Squire Kia ora, How’s life today? In my world, the peaches have mostly fallen off our trees, the cabbages have been harvested and I’m wearing merino wool in the mornings. This week I want to remind you: if you like to write, you’re a writer. And I have this new idea - would you …
It’s interesting the way each of us experience significant life events differently We put them through our filters, defined by our personalities, upbringings, attitudes and attach different meanings to them. The way I respond to my (fictional) Aunt Joan dying might be totally different to the way my brother responds. To me she was a …
Autumn arrived here in Tākaka over the last few days. There are cool mornings to accompany the fresh apples, peaches, zucchinis and even (heaven) grapes growing at our house. Today I want to tell you about five cool images, some possibly unexpected, that you can include in your memoir, life story or history. This is …
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Kia ora 👋🏼 Back in my journalism days I often found that the first paragraph of a news article was the hardest to write, because I knew it was the most important. In those first few sentences I needed to clarify the key angle of my story, in a way that inspired people to keep …
Continue reading "How to lure them to read a chapter of your memoir"
Kia ora dear writer, I spoke to a younger student of my memoir course this week who reminded me that we can live a lot of life before we even reach 20. This person doesn’t want to write a family history, but wants to share significant experiences and moments, from birth onwards. And of course …
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Today I would like to honour a lady named Jill. I met her when I was giving a free online memoir talk at an Auckland library. She shared honestly with the group that she had lost her beloved husband Phil to Alzheimers. She wanted to write a book about it. She felt he had been …
Continue reading "1st book emerges from my online memoir – Jill’s story"
I’m celebrating my Aunty Joyce this week, who has just died She left Devon to come to New Zealand in the sixties to join her feisty big sister Jean in Christchurch. She was only young when she caught one of the first flights to New Zealand, and I’d love to hear the in depth story …
Everytime I meet someone who is busy writing their memoir, life story or family history I feel so happy. Regardless of whether they’re on my memoir writing course or not, it feels like good historic house-work is being done. When I learn that people are recording those details, I know members of their families will …
Continue reading "Questions they’ll wish they asked you – for your memoir"
Kia ora, Do me a favour today and look back over your work on your memoir or story so far, and take a moment to appreciate the work you’ve put into it. If you’ve managed to get more organised - well done 👏🏼 If you’ve managed to do some research - good work 👍🏼 If …
Continue reading "Celebrate how far you’ve come dear writer! 👏🏼"
Every single book I’ve worked on, or supported someone to write, has been different. No one writes their life story or family history in the same way, because each of our lives are so different. And I like it this way. Some people start at the end of their life stories and work back. Some …
Continue reading "If there was just one thing you were careful of as you write your memoir"
Well hello to you dear writer, A warm January welcome to those of you who are new to my weekly email. This is Charlotte, writer/writing teacher/musician/mum/wife, reaching out to you from beautiful Golden Bay, New Zealand. The first thing I want to say to you this year is: keep going. No matter where you’re at …
Tis the season 🎄 What’s Christmas for you? For me it’s all about family. Oh and food, so much food. My siblings and their families will be gathering at my house, where my mother lives too, and we’ll be spending precious time together. The kids will bounce on the tramp, there may be water pistols. …
Kia ora, I write with a brown dog resting on my slippered feet. Today I want to talk to you about lifting the hood on why you are who you are. One of my students is a great orator. He can spin a yarn and hold his audience captivated with stories of his interesting life. …
Kia Ora, Today I’m thinking about this handsome fellow - my Dad Ken. This pic was taken years before I came along, apparently as he was just arriving in New Zealand. By the time I did appear, he was quite an old Dad and he stayed home and raised us while our mother worked as …
Continue reading "He didn’t think his story mattered, but it did"
Kia ora, wherever you are, Charlotte here. I returned from a full trip to Wellington and Palmerston North on Monday with some amazing memories … and COVID! So I’ve been isolating all week, not a bad thing considering I’m always looking for a reason to spend more time in my cosy bed reading. Warm welcome …
Continue reading "Weaving the threads together and last day for 30% off memoir course"
Kia ora and welcome to those of you who are new to my (mostly) weekly blogs about memoir writing! I also send these out via my newsletter, which you're welcome to join here. I write to you from Tākaka, after a day of packing to head north to Wellington where I’ll be singing music at …
Charlotte Squire 