Is it time to write your memoir, life story or history?
I'm Kiwi writer, publisher and newspaper owner Charlotte Squire and I'd love to help
Kia ora lovely human, How’s 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 ‘one small things’ daily, and watch what happens. So let's talk about …
Kia ora lovely, how’s that story of yours coming along this week? Remember, the first draft needs to be messy, because creativity isn’t tidy. It’s gloriously expressive. So let it out, and go easy on yourself ❤️ 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, I’ve 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 they’re in the place they most want to be. It’s a hot day but I have my bowl of cool …
Kia ora dear one, I’ve got good news for you. You can’t 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 who’s the expert on that particular subject? 100% you! This bodes well for those of you …
Kia Ora dear memoir writer 👋 How are you and how is your story coming along? This week I’m enamoured with memoir writer Mike Brown’s 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, How’s your story coming along? I’d 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 couldn’t 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 Tākaka Hill for a night when eight landslides closed it! But I’m aware that many didn’t …
Kia ora!How are you?We’ve had an intense week of rain here in Golden Bay, including one day with no internet or cell phone reception! It was very 1980s.We’ve just nudged over the halfway mark of 2025, and this week I thought I’d remind you what you could achieve by the end of the year, if …
Kia ora lovely, I’ve 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 … it’s up to …
Kia ora lovely, how’s your story going this week? I write to you from the Dangerous Kitchen cafe, Tākaka, 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 you’re writing about a chapter of your life that …
Continue reading "How to keep going when you hit a roadblock in your story"
Kia Ora 👋🏼 Before you even start writing your story, it’s good to know who you’re writing it for. This will clarify what you do and don’t share as you write. You may not want to share sensitive and personal family information in a book beyond your family. I’ve just finished a life story and …
Kia ora, It’s great to beam into your world from my rainy one, this Wednesday. Today I’d like to share five reasons with you, that now’s a great time to start recording your memoirs, life story or family history. For all the bad rap it gets, AI is actually making it easier and easier to …
Continue reading "Five reasons you’re ready to start your memoir now"
Kia Ora, Are you mid-way through writing your story but struggling to finish it? I know some of you are, because it was the top problem you told me about, when I asked you what the hardest thing was about writing your memoir a few weeks ago. So! Here are three habits I’ve learned to …
The longer I’m a mother, the more I appreciate mine. As you know, they come in all shapes and sizes, and motherly approaches. Some love to do it; some do it because they should; and others just don’t feel cut out for it. Some are not biological mothers, but they willingly take on the mother …
Kia Ora, I write to you from my COVID bed (it’s not tooo bad), the morning sun streaming in. A group of people just cycled past our house singing. I love that! I recently asked you what was hard about writing your memoir, life story or family history, and you had a lot to stay. …
Kia ora! If you’re new to this blog, welcome aboard! If you’ve been around for a while, thanks for being part of my mid-week connection with a lovely, growing community community of Kiwi and Aussie memoir writers This week I want to talk about enjoying the process of writing your memoir, life story or family …
Is it time to write your memoir, life story or history? 