partsofspeaking

I heard writer Delia Ephron say today on NPR, We write to get to another place."  I like that. I have a plaque that says, "Why do writers write?  Because it isn't there."  That's trying to be too clever, but I like it, also.  We believe that what we write, no matter how much it uses one of the basic plot lines, "wasn't there before." I have heard friends say that they write because there are characters trying to get out of their head, characters who drive around with them in the back seat of the car, holding conversations, and the writers eavesdrop. I can relate to all of these.  I like to take bits and pieces of life I see or hear or experience and weave them into something new, so to me it's like knitting or weaving, whereas others might use a building or a cooking metaphor. I also write because stories are important and stories matter.  It is interesting to me that the Bible is so full of stories but the Qu'ran is not.  What does ...

I have a chapter in this book.  I am excited for my friend Amber as her dream is coming to fruition. In Project Keepsake, Amber Lanier Nagle shares fifty-five stories behind the objects people gather and display proudly on shelves or stow away in dark closets—a bluebird paperweight, a pocket watch, a quilt, a locket, a piece of furniture, a cake pan, a scrap of paper, and other sacred items. Each story breathes life into the inanimate objects. A few years ago, Nagle began writing stories about her own keepsakes to preserve the histories surrounding special items in her home. She encouraged friends and family members to write stories about their keepsakes, too, and they did. And so, the project was born. Her book, Project Keepsake, has three simple goals: to prompt aspiring writers to put their pens to paper and try their hands at writing, to cultivate a renewed interest in storytelling, and to record the many stories associated with keepsakes and mementoes. She hopes t...