Learning from Experience

Posted on June 22, 2007 by moonbridgebooks

“We learn not from our experiences, but from intelligent reflection upon those experiences.”

I found this bit of wisdom on the website of a lucky young man. Scott Ginsberg, a fellow Board member of a local publishing group I belong to, was just on 20/20 talking about being open and approachable to new people which can lead not just to a happier life but can open the doors to new and great experiences. Some would call it luck, but I think Scott would say it’s having a positive and friendly attitude. And Scott should know — at a mere 27 years old he is an international speaker on the power of approachability and has worn a name tag 24/7 for 5 years straight to encourage friendliness in a world of strangers.

Scott’s latest blog entry is all about learning from experience. He advises to write down your interesting experiences, good or bad, in order to better reflect on it. For those writing their memoirs, this is a great idea. So many of us have experiences that we and others can learn from, some really major events that may even have been terrible at the time but have helped form us into better people. More understanding people. Those who are smart will stop and learn from the past. Others will be like rabbits, on to the next thing, living on instinct (not to put down rabbits which actually are smarter than you think, but that’s another story).

Anyway, the point is to catch your experiences or your parents’ or grandparents’ experiences and be amazed, laugh, cry, get angry, but above all LEARN.

“Because that which goes unrecorded goes unmemorable. And because if you don’t write it down, it never happened.” -Scott Ginsberg

http://www.hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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What’s Your Story?

Posted on June 15, 2007 by moonbridgebooks

Last Sunday I visited Crosswinds Church, a young upstart in Plainfield, IL, led by a nuclear engineer and a juggler/entertainer (my brother-in-law: you can imagine the magical children’s sermons he does). Pastor John (the engineer) spoke about ways to pass on the message of Jesus in a sermon about evangelism, which can be defined as “one beggar telling another where to find bread.” The title of his sermon was “What’s Your Story?”

What’s your story? Is there a message in your life that would be of benefit to others? Some people have had life-changing experiences, or have persevered through or overcome great hurdles. Some people have experiences that would enlighten others to new perspectives and understanding. Pastor John stated that the Christian story is an important one to tell, but what really draws people to listen is the personal stories of how one’s life is affected by faith. I say that many people have stories, religious or not, that have important messages of faith, hope, and love that are important to share. Go, and spread the word.

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
Posted in sharing, storytelling | Comments Off on What’s Your Story?

Writing Your Family Legacy

Posted on June 7, 2007 by moonbridgebooks

Last week I had the pleasure of sitting in on a short workshop by Linda Weaver Clarke, who has written a series of books based on her family history. Melinda and the Wild West is the first to be released. Her idea of taking a true family story and embellishing it into a work of historical fiction is a fun idea for those who are infected with a creative writing bug. If you can catch one of Linda’s free workshops, she not only offers a flash-course in creative writing but has the short booklet Writing Your Family Legacy free with purchase of a Melinda book. I have just used my notes and the booklet to rake over the final editing of the Cherry Blossoms in Twilight second edition.

Being that I have a true autobiography written in my mother’s voice, I cannot embellish my story too much, however I was able to use Linda’s tips to create more interest by the careful choice of my words, particularly in the case of descriptions. I was also able to ask my mother some more pointed questions about how she felt in certain situations, which in turn provoked other interesting tidbits to come out.

For those interested in writing more in depth about their family stories, be sure to study up on writing techniques and read other memoirs to get a feel for how to go about writing yours. I will look forward to reading the exciting and romantic Melinda and the Wild West while paying attention to how Ms. Clarke crafted her story, especially since I am toying with the idea of writing an “autobiographical novel” of my own, weaving true characters and events with embellishments in the hopes of entertaining my own children and others.

See http://www.lindaweaverclarke.com/ for more about Linda and to see sample short stories.


Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
Posted in storytelling, writing skills | Comments Off on Writing Your Family Legacy