Writer and musician
Kia ora, hello there 👋🏼 How are you? And how is your precious story? Last night award winning author Gerard Hindmarsh spoke to members of our Write Your Memoir course and I wanted to pass on something he said that inspired me. He said: ‘get your blood moving’ before you write. He likes to cut …
Kia ora, Warm welcome to you if you’re new here, and good to see you if you’ve been on this journey with me for a while. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it’s ok for the first draft of your story to be messy and imperfect. In fact, it’s kind of hard …
Kia ora, hello from a beautiful mild winter’s day here in Tākaka, New Zealand 👋🏼 My mother and I have just walked a five year old, a nine year old and one prancy dog home from school. And speaking of steps, this week I was reminded of the value of them. I’m starting an exciting …
Hello lovely 👋 This is Charlotte tuning in from Tākaka, Nee Zealand. How are you on this fine day? How’s that story of yours? Today I want to share one thing with you that I talk about in module four of my online course Write Your Memoir - it’s about photo captions. Most people I …
Continue reading "Four things to include in your photo captions"
Hello lovely human 👋🏼 This week I had the delightful experience of welcoming a new student to my memoir course, who turned out to be the daughter of one of the first people I ever wrote a memoir for. I remember writing about her childhood. She said her mother’s book had been a “Godsend”, mentioning …
Continue reading "Deirdre’s wood chopping & two generations of memoirs"
Whitford Wharf - photo from Natalie Birch's personal collection Mōrena/Good morning from chilly Tākaka, How is your story coming along this week? Remember to keep taking small, imperfect steps towards your goal. I have a glimpse into memoir writer Natalie Birch’s world to share with you today, including the photo (above) of Whitford Wharf that …
Continue reading "Eel watching from Whitford Wharf & Nelson course starts soon soon"
That's me - Charlotte Squire - on a mission to get more Kiwi elders writing their life stories, memoirs and family histories. Kia ora! I'm really excited to tell those of you who live in the top of the South Island that I'm running two in-person year long courses, one in Nelson (starting end of …
Continue reading "Write Your Memoir in One Year courses – Nelson and Golden Bay, New Zealand"
Kia Ora! Warm welcome to those who have just joined this blog! Perhaps you came via Tākaka or Motueka library talks I recently enjoyed giving, or you found me here online via Aunty Google. It’s good to beam into your world, from mine, here in Golden Bay on a blue skied morning. This week I’m …
Continue reading "Mike the ’10 pound pom’s bonfire story – from his memoir"
Kia ora dear writer, How are you? How is your story coming along this week? This week I have another snippet of a memoir from people in our memoir community. This one’s from a student on my course Write Your Memoir. Her name is Rach Hunt and I feel a tug in my heart, a …
Continue reading "Read Rach’s poignant story + imperfection"
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 …
Continue reading "5 unexpected things you can include in 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! 👏🏼"
Kia ora! People often ask me if they have to write their memoir life story or family history from beginning to end. And my answer is: nope! You could start mid-point, like one of my memoir students is, at a moment when, on one snowy day in a Kiwi national park, she and her friends …
Hey there memoir writer, How’s your story coming along this week? Over the weekend I got to write another page or two of my novel, ahhh it was so fun! I’m at that busy stage of life raising children and working full time. Once a month our local writers group meet and I dive back …
Kia ora, Today I have two questions about your life story, memoir or family history, for you. Firstly - what do you think you could realistically achieve in 90 days? This needs to be something you feel confident that you could do in three months. And your goal needs to be very clear and specific. …
Kia ora, This week I want to remind you that without exception, each person’s story matters. Your story is part of our social fabric and connects us to our past. If you take the time to record it today, one day someone might read it and piece together some important clues about their own past. …
Continue reading "Your words are valuable breadcrumbs for future generations"
It’s a question I hear often. Are you feeling overwhelmed with ideas and paperwork, yet yearning to write your life story, memoir or family history? Do you have absolutely no idea how to get this party started, so to speak? Ok, as my 15 year old recently said to me “I’ve got you.” Here’s where …
Continue reading "Where to start with your memoir, life story or family history?"
Charlotte Squire 