Memoir Helps All Writers Reap New Ideas

Just had to share some photos from a Memoir Workshop with Ann Metlay on Friday, May 1, 2015 held at the Camp Verde Library.

Ann Metlay, poet, writer, reader, life-long teacher of writing, is the author of the short story collection It Happened in the Cottonwood Library Parking Lot offered a rollicking memoir writing workshop for writers, and for those who don’t label themselves as writers, but want to record memories, memorable moments, and family stories. An introduction to memoir with writing exercises with writing prompts to spur memories with opportunities for optional sharing.

Writers who write fiction, non-fiction and other serious words often need to reap their memories for ideas.  

Libraries and Writers

Back in August I did an interview on The Library as Incubator Project blog. Their mission is to promote and facilitate creative collaboration between libraries and artists of all types, and to advocate for libraries as incubators of the arts.Their website features artists, writers, performers and libraries who exemplify the “library as incubator” idea as well as highlight resources that may be of particular use to artists and writers and provides ideas for art education opportunities in libraries with our program kit collection and practical how-to’s for artists and librarians.

Needless to say, their questions were not the usual ones bloggers ask. Thanks to them I needed to rethink the relationship between libraries and writers. Here's an excerpt from that interview -

Please tell us a bit about yourself (who you are, where you’re from, the type of work you did).
My first library job was in my fifth grade school library in Wisconsin. After I received my MLS from UW-Madison I worked in public, special, and university libraries all over the country and for library service companies building online catalogs and providing contract services. I’ve seen a lot of libraries from the inside.

What is/has been your relationship to libraries – as a reader, worker, and writer!
As a reader, writer, and researcher I’ve found each library a treasure of function and beauty. Now, as a full time writer and yoga teacher, I’ve become a library volunteer in a small town library and appreciate what a library building without a million volumes can offer.

Your book series, “The Shapeshifters’ Library” is set in/around a small public library in the midwest. Can you talk about how the library factors in to the series, and what inspired you to integrate the library so fully in to the story?

I wanted to write about libraries and tell a little about what goes on behind the scenes. And make it fun. In imagining The Shapeshifters’ Library series, I created two libraries, like Downton Abby, upstairs and downstairs.

The upstairs library is an appealing small town library, remodeled from an abandoned academy. Filled with brass, wood, and sculpture, the antique domed Shipsfeather Public Library also contains all the latest technology to serve the town. With a vampire look-alike YA librarian, a New Age chanting children’s librarian, and more, the community loves the staff and SPL does pretty well despite the town being run by library-hating bureaucrats.

In the levels below, traditional scholarly research librarians work tirelessly to discover clues to break the curse that locks them in. What makes these librarians a little unusual is that they are dog-shifters, descendants from an ancient race that have loyally worked as librarians and protected knowledge from their distant book-burning werewolf cousins. Though captive, they’ve created Zoogle an internet company bigger than Goggle, and a library services company able to install RFID codes that can track a book for miles.

I wanted to portray librarians as smart, resourceful, exciting, human, and most all dedicated. Notice, some dog-like characteristics. The werewolves, of course, are the villains. That’s my world and here’s my favorite quote:

Throughout history, just as many dog-shifter families are librarians, certain werewolf families destroy libraries. In whatever ways they can… Liberty [Cutter]’s eyes widened … She thought of all the negative librarians with minds closed to providing good service. “You mean every cranky, indolent, and downright nasty person who works in a library is a werewolf? That teacher in library school who turned every concept into an equation, the student assistant who mis-shelved the most popular books on purpose, and catalogers who create obscure subject headings? Bureaucrats who cut library budgets and hours? Parents who object to books containing any ideas not already in their own heads?”  (Released, 2012)

From a writer’s perspective, how do you think libraries can serve artists/writers even more effectively in their creative work?
All creatives need support, inspiration, and a venue. Libraries are in a perfect position to passively and actively supply all three. I am passionate about public art and feel permanent and temporary displays are needed in every library in some form. Passively, all libraries provide the research materials and media to explore creativity and support artists’ research needs. Actively, public libraries can provide a place for exhibits and invite artists into the library to offer programs to inspire children, teens, and adults to stimulate their creative souls. Programs by and for writers are a natural partnership. Also, I think the performing arts can have an exciting place in public library programing, especially in communities with limited cultural opportunities.

Writers often need “another place” to write. A place that’s not their home or a Starbucks’ corner. A place with comfortable chairs, quiet, wi-fi, and passable coffee. writers need access to the specialized worlds of research that the internet does not offer. And books. Art and history books and a depth of literary works, media, and databases unfold the heritage of the past and provoke dreams for the future. And staff to open all the doors.

As a writer, what would your ideal library look or be like?
My ideal library would have the quiet charm of an English manor house library (with more comfortable chairs), plus the excitement of a street fair, while providing the latest in technological access. It would have both an espresso machine and an Expresso Book Machine (for POD books), and an in-house café serving low cost healthy gourmet treats.

Amber Polo is the author of two Arizona romances, Relaxing the Writer (a book with lots of tips to help artists, readers, and even librarians relax), and a CD to teach anyone to relax and fall asleep faster than a boring book. Her award-winning Shapeshifters’ Library series is a cozy fantasy for dog lovers and library aficionados. Book 1: Released, Book 2: Retrieved, and  Book 3: Recovered.
Visit her website http://www.amberpolo.com/  to see floor plans of her imaginary library and find links to bios of some of her imaginary librarians.

Bess McBride- The Truth About Writing in an RV

Welcome Bess McBride, romance author and chronic traveler. I've been trying to catch up to you for a long time.

Now that I've got you here, tell me what it was like to write while living in an RV?

I thought it would be much easier than it actually was. When I first began writing, I had a house and an office of my own...with a door.  But when we sold the house, moved into the RV and hit the road, I found that I still felt the need for a "desk" to stay organized, so I used the dining table that is common in most RVs. However, that's not a particularly moveable item of furniture in a small space, so that meant I had to write in the living/dining/kitchen area. And I discovered I was only able to write when I was alone. What I did end up doing was scheduling my writing time for when I was alone and late at night after my significant other had gone to bed.

How long were you on the road?

I thought we were going to be on the road forever...that certainly was my plan. But in the second year of living and traveling on the road, the economy took a dive, and my significant other found it difficult to find work. Since neither of us is of a retirement age, I decided to give up the life, settle down again for a while and return to work full time, which I have. It's actually much, much more relaxing though I have little time for writing and promoting.

Since you worked as well as traveled, how did you balance your work, writing life, and promotion?

As part of the traveling life, I wanted to work for the National Park Service in a summer seasonal capacity and then "hang out" in a warm lovely climate near the beach in the winter. During my summer seasons at Glacier National Park, I took the late shift...that is...from 1 pm to 9 pm, and I was able to write in the mornings and late at night after my significant other went to bed. And I was able to write on my days off which were not the same as his.  It didn't do much for my love life, but I got a lot of writing done!  :-)  In the winters when I didn't need to work, I had all day to write and promote while my significant other worked his 40 hours a week. However, now that I've returned to a 40 hour, Monday through Friday work week myself, I am struggling for time.  :-)

What did you like best about being a traveling writer?

All the new experiences and places I saw that I was able to incorporate into my writing. Traveling keeps me from being stagnant.  I've traveled all my life, and I love traveling, though I'm thinking several trips a year should be enough for me!

What was a lot harder in an RV?

I wasn't able to write while we were actually on the road from one place to another. Just checking routes, looking for overnight accommodations, gas and food, and settling the pets every night was taxing enough.  I was exhausted at night, plus we like to go out and eat somewhere in the area we were in and drive around in our car for a bit to see the local sights.

On the road, did you do all your research online or did you have a "library?

One of the most important rules of traveling in an RV is to travel light to keep gas prices down and stay within the maximum weight limits of the RV. I stored most of my books, even those on writing, in storage. I did have some books with me, but not as many as I would like.  And in an RV, there really isn't any spare space for a bookshelf. I did most of my research on line, and in fact, I still do. My only writing books are generally "how to write" books.

What's your advice for writers who want to take off in an RV for a life of writing?

The most important thing to know is that unless a writer is already successful (which means different things to different people), but in this case, I'll define it as able to pay their bills and rent and gas and insurance with their advances and royalties, I would suggest that they have another way to make a living. I've only met a few people who traveled and wrote, and those folks were retired and had independent incomes. I have a small income as a retired military member, so that allowed me to pay my bills.

The other thing to know is that internet coverage is spotty on the road. Many RV parks may not even offer wireless connections, and if they do, I found they often were unreliable.  I always had a back-up modem on my phone to tether my computer to, although it is dial up. I've had to use it many, many times during my RV traveling days.
 
I'm settled in an apartment now and enjoying the thrill of flushing a toilet and an office of my own.I might tackle RV living again in the future when I make more in retirement, but until then, a cruise to the Caribbean or a tour of Europe might just be what I need to keep my traveling toes warmed up!

Thank you so much for the interview, Amber!!!

Bess McBride was born in Aruba to American parents and lived in Venezuela until her family returned to the United States when she was 12. She couldn't fight the global travel bug within her and joined the U.S. Air Force at 18 to "see the world." After 21 wonderful and fulfilling years traveling the world and gaining one beautiful daughter, she pursued her dream of finally getting a college education. Armed and over-educated, the gypsy in her took over once again, and she embarked on a full-time journey in a recreational vehicle to look for new adventures and place settings for her writing. She is the author of On a Warm Sea of Love, A Train through Time, A Sigh of Love, Caribbean Dreams of Love, and A Trail of Love. A Penny for Your Thoughts is due out in 2010.

See all of Bess McBride's books

Visit Bess McBride's website
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On a Warm Sea of Love!

Write Yourself Thin?

The Writing Diet: Write Yourself Right Size by Julia Cameron. (Penguin, 2007)

Julia Cameron, guru author of The Artist's Way and other books on creativity has transformed lives for 25 years. With this book she turns her inspirational style to the artist’s battle with weight.

The Writing Diet proposes writing as a weight loss tool to metabolize life. If overeating blocks creativity and feelings, writing wakes up consciousness and returns clarity and productivity.
Her tools will work for anyone with food relationship issues.

She doesn’t mention research that shows meditation and yoga aid weight loss, but Morning Pages must achieve results for the same reasons. Slowing the mind creates better choices for the body.

Not just for writers, artists, and musicians, Ms. Cameron says many things other books have told you, but does it exceptionally well. If writing is your natural response to life or not, her sensible, clean eating plan may make more sense than most popular diets.

What can a writer learn about writing from The Writing Diet (besides how to deal with weight and food)?
Select an important topic and a great title
Write a book that is a joy to read
Make the book beautiful, not imposing or intimidating
Create interesting, easy to read short chapters
Give practical advice and don’t talk down to your reader
Illustrate points with interesting, powerful examples
Add one meaningful exercise per chapter
Write as if you were an understanding fellow traveler
Convince your reader you're a supportive friend who went from a size 16 to 10 in one year
For twenty five years Julia Cameron has taught creativity using Morning Pages, Journaling, Writer’s Dates, and Walking. The Writing Diet adds the delightful Culinary Artist Date to the list.

Amber Polo
www.amberpolo.com