There’s an old saw horse sitting under our feijoa trees. It’s rickety and scarred. Kinda like the man who used to use it. Actually, he probably would have taken exception with the word ‘rickety,’ dying before he could match that description, but he had some impressive scars, including one from a bullet, on his forehead. …
Writing your memoir can be hard.
There will probably be moments when you have no idea why you started writing your story. Keep writing. There will be times when you ask yourself ‘does that make any sense at all?’ Keep writing. You may wonder if anyone will ever read your story. Keep writing. You may tell yourself ‘I am a terrible …
How to deal with information overload when writing your memoir or family history
Kia ora, I write to you bleary eyed after a night of tending to a coughing eight year old. Because I felt tired when I woke up this morning, and I have a long list of tasks I want to cross off my list (I’m such a list person), I could have felt overwhelmed initially. …
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Bring your senses into your memoir
Kia Ora 👋 This week I want to talk about helping readers understand what you experienced, by encouraging you to share what you sensed, in your story. What did you see, hear, feel, smell and taste? When you can bring in even one of your senses, do, because it brings so much more depth of …
Keep writing
Keep writing. For me, writing is nourishment. When I make the time to write, I’m amazed at what comes out of me! It’s almost like I’m reading it as I write it, I never know quite what’s going to come out. I’m working on my second novel right now, it’s going to take me a …
An easy tool you can use to start recording your story now
Kia ora! This is Charlotte, reaching out from Golden Bay after a weekend of talking memoirs at libraries on the West Coast of the South Island. Welcome to my (mostly) weekly coaching session Coasters! Today I have an offering for both those who don’t feel comfortable writing and those who want to record ideas as …
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Introducing The Great Senior Kiwi Write Up!
Could this be the year you write your life story, memoir or family history? You can do it! And I have something for you, totally free, to help you get started. https://youtu.be/yOicMXgmB6E I’m Charlotte Squire, I live in Golden Bay, Aotearoa, New Zealand, and I’ve been a writer for over 20 years. During that time …
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Five interesting things you can include in your memoir, life story or history.
Kia ora, hello! Charlotte here, tuning in from Tākaka, New Zealand, where dark and broody clouds have been hovering in the mountains, threatening to arrive all day. Today I want to tell you about the cool things you can include in your memoir, life story or history. The rule is: if you can scan it, …
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The power of the sexy first paragraph!
Want to keep people engaged in reading your memoir? Behold! The power of the sexy first paragraph!
Who are you writing your memoir for?
Charlotte Squire It’s an easy question to overlook when you’re writing your memoir, life story or history, but it’s an important one. Before you start writing it’s useful to be clear about who this book is for. Is it for your family? If it is, you might include more personal family information such as family …
Why Queen has inspired me to tell you to write a messy first draft of your memoir
Kia ora,Over the past week I’ve been watching The Crown on Netflix as the world adjusts to a world without Queen Elizabeth. I was more upset then I expected to be. She was always there, a matriarch. Although I live literally on the other side of the planet, she’s everywhere in our little commonwealth country …
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Stuck at home? How to finally write your life story
Writing your memoirs or life story is one of those really important things many people mean to do, but never get around to. Or, in my father’s case, he couldn’t see the point in sharing the details of his very ‘normal’ life. My father was a child of WW2 who went onto become a soldier …
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Charlotte Squire 