Writer and musician
Kia ora, I thought Iโd show you a short video about Mike Brownโs new book today. Heโs currently in Christchurch excitedly delivering it to his grandkids. How cool is that? Mike had been working on his book for 20 years off and on until he stumbled upon a free memoir course I was giving at …
Kia ora, Howโs that memoir of yours coming along this week? I get so inspired by the people Iโm guiding to write their stories. Yesterday I took a monthly community memoir class and one person shared a funny, surprising, moving story that was built around her love of the humble banana box. Through a series …
Continue reading "Crafting the extraordinary around the ordinary"
Kia ora lovely human, I think the time has come ๐ Yes, letโs dust off those Christmas memories of yours and share them with readers of our memoir writing community. Would you like to email me half a page (about 200 words) about a favourite Christmas memory of yours? Donโt hold back. Be it strange, …
Kia ora dear writer, How are you on this fine Thursday? Did you manage to work on your memoir this week? I hope so. Iโm neck deep in editing Mikeโs book, researching the history (or should I say โher-storyโ) of a hydro power station, and helping Jodie produce the second edition of her dadโs book …
Kia Ora, well hello there ๐ I write to you from stormy Tฤkaka. Howโs that book of yours coming along this week? Iโll tell you whatโs on my mind as I write and edit this week: loose ends. Theyโre everywhere in life, and memoirs and histories are no exception. When you reach the later stages …
Kia ora lovely human, Howโs your story coming along? Did you do any work on it today? Do me a favour and arrange to do one small thing on it before the end of the day, OR tomorrow. And then keep doing more โone small thingsโ daily, and watch what happens. So let's talk about …
Kia ora lovely, howโs that story of yours coming along this week? Remember, the first draft needs to be messy, because creativity isnโt tidy. Itโs gloriously expressive. So let it out, and go easy on yourself โค๏ธ there will be plenty of time to tidy it up later, during your second, third and fourth drafts! …
Continue reading "Josephine’s hair experiment (+ last few days to join new memoir programme)"
Kia ora, Iโve got a photo in the garage somewhere of me, aged two, sitting in my favourite bowl, wearing my favourite (and only) beaded necklace. I am beaming in the way children do when theyโre in the place they most want to be. Itโs a hot day but I have my bowl of cool …
Kia ora dear one, Iโve got good news for you. You canโt go wrong with your book, really. Because at a very basic level, people will read it to learn your story and get a sense of you. And whoโs the expert on that particular subject? 100% you! This bodes well for those of you …
Kia Ora dear memoir writer ๐ How are you and how is your story coming along? This week Iโm enamoured with memoir writer Mike Brownโs first ever book cover and I wanted to show you! You may or may not know that as well as teaching people to write their memoirs (including Mike) my team …
Kia Ora dear memoir writer, Howโs your story coming along? Iโd love to know. I bumped into a student on my memoir course a few days ago, and she asked me if it mattered that she couldnโt remember exact dates that events happened. Great question. It depends. Some writers seek to be as accurate as …
Kia ora from the rain drenched top of the South Island, New Zealand! My family came through the weather events safely, with only a few leaks here and there, plus I got stuck on the other side of the Tฤkaka Hill for a night when eight landslides closed it! But Iโm aware that many didnโt …
Kia ora!How are you?Weโve had an intense week of rain here in Golden Bay, including one day with no internet or cell phone reception! It was very 1980s.Weโve just nudged over the halfway mark of 2025, and this week I thought Iโd remind you what you could achieve by the end of the year, if …
Kia ora lovely, Iโve been thinking about the many different ways you can write memoirs. They can be themed, held together by a thread that has run through your life. They can be about one chapter of your life. You might like to focus on your career, your travels, your family โฆ itโs up to …
Kia ora lovely, howโs your story going this week? I write to you from the Dangerous Kitchen cafe, Tฤkaka, where they have the best smoked salmon pizza in all of the world. Have you hit a roadblock in your story? Perhaps you need more information. Maybe youโre writing about a chapter of your life that …
Continue reading "How to keep going when you hit a roadblock in your story"
Kia Ora ๐๐ผ Before you even start writing your story, itโs good to know who youโre writing it for. This will clarify what you do and donโt share as you write. You may not want to share sensitive and personal family information in a book beyond your family. Iโve just finished a life story and …
Charlotte Squire 