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
Hello lovely ๐๐ผ This is a very short post for those of you in who live in or near Nelson, New Zealand, to say that my course โWrite Your Memoir in One Year - Nelsonโ is due to start this Saturday, in Nelson City. If youโve been thinking of joining, nowโs the time. The important …
Continue reading "Nelson ‘Write Your Memoir in One Year’ course starts this Saturday"
Hello lovely human ๐๐ผ 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 motherโs book had been a โGodsendโ, mentioning …
Continue reading "Deirdre’s wood chopping & two generations of memoirs"
Kia ora! How are you getting on with your story this week? Iโm in the final stages of pulling a book together for a family, about their beloved father. Weโre ticking off the very last details and Iโm feeling an excited pull towards the finish line, so we can get the book into their hands …
Kia ora, I write this a week on from ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Day here in Aotearoa New Zealand. I spent that morning on the brink of tears. First there were the โTฤkaka Mounted Riflesโ, a group of people on horseback, in military uniform. They also brought a riderless horse, in honour of …
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 Tฤkaka or Motueka library talks I recently enjoyed giving, or you found me here online via Aunty Google. Itโs good to beam into your world, from mine, here in Golden Bay on a blue skied morning. This week Iโm …
Continue reading "Mike the ’10 pound pom’s bonfire story – from his memoir"
Charlotte Squire Kia ora, Howโs life today? In my world, the peaches have mostly fallen off our trees, the cabbages have been harvested and Iโm wearing merino wool in the mornings. This week I want to remind you: if you like to write, youโre a writer. And I have this new idea - would you …
Itโs 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 Tฤkaka 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 ๐๐ผ 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 doesnโt want to write a family history, but wants to share significant experiences and moments, from birth onwards. And of course …
Continue reading "What happened before you were 20 memoir writer?"
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 youโve put into it. If youโve managed to get more organised - well done ๐๐ผ If youโve managed to do some research - good work ๐๐ผ If …
Continue reading "Celebrate how far you’ve come dear writer! ๐๐ผ"
Every single book Iโve 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 youโre at …
Me, just hanging at the beach, telling people how to start writing memoirs. As you do. Kia ora! Charlotte here, tuning in from Tฤkaka, Aotearoa, New Zealand. Do you want to write your memoir but have absolutely no idea where to start? Firstly, you are so not alone. Many people tell me they have years …
Continue reading "Want to write your memoir but no idea where to start?"
