My Write Hand

I recently made a startling discovery: I still have a write hand. As I mentioned in the last post, I’ve begun working through Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. Julia is adamant about the value of applying words directly to paper with digital dexterity. For at least a couple of years, this need to wrap my fingers around a stick full of ink has deterred me from setting out on this adventure. I spend so much time sitting at the keyboard that I’d become convinced my brain had a direct connection to my fingertips only when they were spread horizontally. Furthermore, I’d become convinced that my writing muscles had atrophied.

The good news is that those muscles endure. Perhaps they were a bit out of trim, but they have sprung back remarkably well. Like so many other things, it's rather like riding a bicycle. As I consider the situation, two things have eased this transition back into penmanship. The first is using a mechanical pencil or gel pen. It doesn’t matter which. Each glides almost effortlessly across the page, reducing drag and hand fatigue. The second is taking the time to be more deliberate about my writing. If I pace myself just a tad slower, I can write for long periods of time without tiring, and my writing remains legible. I have time to savor my words and thoughts.

To my amazement, writing by hand feels rewarding. Although I stubbornly resisted the possibility this could be true, it actually is pleasant to write by hand, and inspiration comes differently. It feels more intimate. I feel more connected with my words and thoughts. I am actually looking forward to getting up each day to write in my journal. Julia’s guidebook is helpful, but the writing is taking its own direction. Perhaps I’ll come back to parts of it later.

Who knows where this discovery may lead? Will I soon crack out my Crayolas®? Will I start writing stories ala SARK with juicy pens and thirsty paper? Will I do eBooks about how to use collage in journals? Will I begin writing old-fashioned letters that require a stamp and get collected in fabric covered boxes because they are so eloquent and amazing? Any of these are possible, but I know for sure that I’ll be using my pen or pencil and writing in my journal a lot more as time goes by.

Why not give it a try yourself?

Write now: pick up a slippery pen or pencil and some paper and spend ten minutes writing whatever comes to mind. Keep your hand relaxed and don’t press. Write slowly enough to savor the feel of forming the letters. If your mind goes blank, write about “My Write Hand.”

Focus

This is my second attempt at writing a blog post today. I intended to write about the insight I discovered as I wrote my Morning Pages. But as I began writing about “wild writing” or writing as a child does, I got sidetracked into a dissertation on Julia Cameron, originator of the Morning Pages process, and that spun off into a long list of her books.

Before long I had filled a page with blather that wouldn’t do Julia credit even as a catalog page and I had barely touched on the idea of ... I’d lost track of what I set out to do. I remembered wild writing and tried to get back to that, but the moment was lost.

Anyone who writes life stories is bound to run into this same problem. You begin writing about an event in your life, or a memory, and instead of talking about the taste of the turkey and what it meant to you, you’ve filled pages with descriptions of the family china, how Uncle Mark twitched his mustache when he laughed. and how that rotten cousin Tommy always set you up to get blamed for his stunts.

It’s not that the other material isn’t good and valuable, but the clutter obscures your point about the taste of the turkey. You need to crop this story, weed out the clutter, and keep the focus on the turkey. You may end up with a very short story, perhaps no more than a paragraph, but if that tiny story makes your point clear, it has achieved its purpose. More words do not a better story make.

With a little thought, you focus the story to begin with by clearly defining what you intend to write about before you start. Run through your message in your mind.Pick up an imaginary phone and explain this idea to a friend. With that clear mental image, you’ll find it easier to stick to the topic.

But you don’t always know at the outset what is important in a story. You may begin to write about one thing, and find the story is something else entirely. When you produce a rambling page, as I did this morning, ask yourself, “What is the story here? What’s the point?” Once you know what the point is, you can clear the clutter and sharpen the focus.

In my case, although I began writing about wild writing and escaping the Inner Censor, the more compelling story is about focus. I’ll get back to wild writing another day, and I’ll also write about Julia Cameron and Morning Pages another day.

Write now: about the difference in the way you feel when you are writing in focus and rambling. What makes the difference for you? State of mind? Distractions? Ambivalence? See where your writing takes you.

Ritergal's Favorite Free PDF Software

We’ve all read PDF files — you know, all those free eBooks, instruction manuals, reports and brochures that open in Adobe Reader. For several years the only way to create files like this was to use Adobe Acrobat, and that is indeed a high end product. The latest version of their “standard” version costs half as much as a new computer. Forget Adobe. Anyone can make PDF files now by downloading software that is absolutely free.

I tried half a dozen free programs, and PrimoPDF stands head and shoulders above the pack. It’s the only completely free program I found that gives you the option of selecting your desired degree of compression and adding security settings. Whether you use PrimoPDF or something else, it serves as a virtual printer. You “print” pdf files rather than exporting them, and you can print to PDF from any program that uses a printer, not just word processing programs. If you need to edit a PDF file, you edit the source document, then reprint it, as you would with a paper document, so always save your source document as well as the PDF version.

When you select PrimoPDF as your printer, several seconds may pass before an options window pops up. Then you'll be able to select from four options, Screen, Print, eBook, and Prepress. These selections determine the resolution of your finished file, and the quality of hard copy if desired. You can also add a password and other security options. Finally, you can add more material to the end of an existing PDF file. This last option sets it head and shoulders above the pack. If you need help with these options, consult the online manual.

You may be wondering why I'm so excited about this freebie and writing about it in a blog about lifestory writing. The PDF file format is recommended by digital archivists as the best available format for long-term document storage. It embeds the fonts you select, and stabilizes format, so it will look the same on any computer, anywhere in the world, whether it's a PC, Apple, Linux, or whatever, and hard copies will print the same way from any printer. Your digital stories will remain accessible longer, perhaps decades longer, in PDF format than any other.

Microsoft Word is notorious for completely changing their format every few years and creating chaos. Most recently, word is out that they have rendered Word documents created with early versions of the program inoperable with the latest version, “because they may contain unsafe material.” That's scary! What if I want to view that story I wrote fifteen years ago? If you open a WordPerfect document from 1990 today (assuming you still have a copy of WordPerfect) I guarantee you it won't look like it did when you created it. Whatever program you use, if you format a document with the Jester font, almost nobody will have that font if you send them the story, so it won't look exactly the way you intend. PDF files embed the font, so it's as stable as hard copy.

I nearly always convert documents to PDF format before I e-mail them to other people or post them on the Internet. Aside from the size advantage and font consistency, there is an inherent element of security in any PDF file. Since you can't directly edit these files, nobody will be able to interject another point of view.

Another advantage of having a PDF printer is the option it gives you to store records on disk rather than in a file cabinet. When I place an online order for anything from books to plane tickets, I “print” the receipt as a PDF file rather than hard copy. I've scanned in oodles of old family history documents like report cards, immigration documents, etc. With the Append feature in PrimoPDF, I can “bind” all those jpg graphics files into a single PDF document for easy reading, compact storage, and simple retrieval.

I strongly urge you to download PrimoPDF and start using it! Even if you are already using OpenOffice (my office suite of choice), the robust PDF generator built into that program only works within the suite. PrimoPDF will do the heavy lifting with website printing, graphics programs and more.

Write now: about all the ways you'd use a PDF printer if you had one, and then surf over to PrimoPDF.com and download your very own copy.

The Frito Pie Cult

Last week I read Linda Ellerbee’s latest memoir, Take Big Bites. I loved this book and found much to think about, starting with the story she relates in the first chapter about Frito Pie.

I sat up and saluted that story. The chile-onion-garlicy aroma of Frito Pie still hung in the air and the taste lingered on my lips as I read. I’ve been making Frito Pie for twenty years, though I had no idea what it was. I got the recipe from my grandmother, who lived in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and the title on it was Chile Chip Casserole. Her eccentric concoctions were legendary. I assumed this was another one of them, though it seemed less bizarre than usual for her, and she seldom wrote recipes down. I assumed she had made it up, because when I was growing up in New Mexico, Mexican food was a staple in our family’s diet. Although we generally stuck to the traditional New Mexico red chile and cheese stacked enchiladas or rolled tacos, we did innovate in later years.

Perhaps I’ve innovated the most. Though this recipe was an instant hit from the first time I made it, I probably never did follow it to the letter. I use whatever tortilla chips I have on hand, because I can’t even remember the last time I purchased Fritos, a mainstay of my childhood diet.

One mention of Frito Pie could pass from memory in a flash. But a couple of days later I say it again, probably in a blog, and again somewhere else the day after. Today in a blog update post from RssFwd (new owner of Blogarithm), I saw a link to redRavine and Ybonesy’s story, The Cult of Frito Pie.

In this storm of stories about Frito Pie that has hit with such strength and focus, it has grown obvious that Frito Pie is indeed a cult; one I didn’t realize I belonged to. Part of the cult ritual is posting your own Frito Pie recipe, or in my case, Chile Chip Pie. Though I’ve never included a recipe in this blog, there’s a first time for everything, and recipe-story combinations make delicious reading. You see my well-worn copy of her recipe below. I scanned it rather than typing because there is something special about saving it in her handwriting.


I have no idea how that page got so yellowed and stained. It isn’t like I pull it out to cook from! In fact, I generally make this from left-over chile by stirring in “enough” onion, cheese and tortilla chips, and who needs a recipe for that? But that's exactly what she urges in her closing comment: “You can vary this to use what you have on hand —”

Here is my “from scratch” version as I make it for company:

Enchilada Casserole

One pound ground beef
One large chopped onion
Two or three cloves garlic, minced and smashed
1 tsp. cumin
Chile powder to taste (amount varies on personal preference and type of chile)
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups drained, cooked pinto beans (home-cooked are best)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (longhorn is traditional, mild or medium cheddar, colby or Monterey jack also work)
1 cup sliced black olives
2 cups crushed tortilla chips (plain or flavored)
Shredded lettuce (optional)
Chopped fresh tomato (optional)

Brown beef, half the onion, and garlic in large skillet over medium heat. Add cumin, chile powder and flour. Cook and stir to mix flour and chile well. Add tomato sauce and stir as it thickens. Add water as necessary to make medium sauce (not runny).

Transfer mixture to large mixing bowl. Stir in beans, remaining onion, olives, and cheese. Add crushed tortilla chips. Place in two-quart casserole. Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Optional: top with shredded lettuce and fresh tomato to serve.

If I had a reliable local source of tasty canned enchilada sauce, I’d use that instead of the seasonings and tomato sauce. Unfortunately I live in one of the last places in America to lack a full offering of Mexican food ingredients.

Oh, my, I have some beans in the refrigerator, hamburger in the freezer ... I'm hungry!

Write now: about a cult recipe or traditional family favorite you’ve enjoyed through the years. Include your version of the recipe, the history of it, and how you came to start making it.

Calling All Life Writers

There is good news for anyone who would like to hang out with other people who write life stories, memoir, journals, personal essays, or other forms of recording their lives in writing. Whatever your reason for writing about your life, the newly formed Life Writers Forum is a great place to ask questions, share thoughts, post short stories or excerpts from longer works, and generally shoot the breeze about writing.

I am hosting this new YahooGroup together with Jerry Waxler, author of the Memory Writers Network blog. Jerry and I have started Life Writers Forum because there is no similar gathering place in Cyberspace for those who are involved with life writing. With people getting busier than ever and energy costs soaring, the time is right for joining something you can squeeze into your already tight schedules any time you have a few minutes. You don't have to drive to any meetings, and best of all, there are no membership fees.

Whether you are still wondering about the difference between autobiography and memoir or have several memoirs published, this is the place for you. Everyone knows that beginners benefit from the advice of seasoned mentors, but it isn't so well known that newbies' ideas can help veterans keep our writing fresh and our minds open.

We hope you'll join us to generate lots of lively discussion about various aspects of writing. Below are examples of topics we love:

• Writers block busters
  
• How to add punch to stories
• Sorting memories and them together
• How to handle touchy topics—without getting sued!
  
• Posting short pieces for feedback
  
• Markets for stories
• Working with agents and publishers
• Self-publishing vs. commercial
• Overcoming writers block
• Reviews and recommendations of published memoirs and books on writing
• Classes, workshops and retreats for life writers

These are only suggestions to get you thinking. Hopefully you'll add lots more to the mix. One of the great things about virtual groups is the diversity of view points they generate, and the support they can offer.

There are two ways to join. You can go to the homepage for the group and join from there, or send a blank e-mail to lifewritersforum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (no human eyes will see this, so don't waste your time composing a message). Although you can join by e-mail without one, if you already have a Yahoo ID (as in Yahoo e-mail address), you can read previous messages in the message archives on the group website. If you don't have one, it's worth setting one up. You can use any name you want (as long as nobody else is using it), so make it fun if you wish.

Writing Over Hills and Valleys

About twenty-five years ago I had the privilege of attending a two-day management training seminar conducted by Helen Reynolds, a noted author and speaker of the time who specialized in helping women develop their leadership skills. This lively grandmother refused to carry anything but a toothbrush and wallet aboard a plane, and she spent the first day clad in her elegant raincoat, asking questions and lecturing off-the-cuff while she waited for the arrival of her lost suitcase and her brain-in-a-box: a steamer trunk full of immaculately organized overhead slides. On day two, she seemingly pulled overheads forth at random as the conversation continued. Somehow this casual approach worked to inspire, instruct, and generate four-star evaluations. Aside from my astonishment at the success of her apparent lack of organization, I remember only one thing — a story she told.

“All I know about life, is that at times it is compact and tidy,” she said, holding an imaginary globe just a little bigger than a softball. “When it’s like that, everything goes according to plan, neat and tidy and right on schedule. I feel in control and on top of things, like I could do anything. When it’s like that,” she continued, “I know only one thing. Sooner or later it will go Poof!” Her hands flew apart.

“When that happens, life is big and scattered and chaotic, and I have no idea how I’ll get through the days.” She holds an imaginary beach ball as big as a small moon.

“But when life is like that, I know only one thing. Sooner or later, things will settle down, and fall back in order,” her hands slowly compress, “and before long, it will be tidy and orderly again.” Her hands have returned to softball size.

I understood the truth of those words as she spoke them. More than a quarter of a century has passed since then, and today they seem even more true than when I heard them. Yen and Yang, life cycles, hills and valleys, call it what you will. You know what I mean. But wouldn’t life be boring if the road were flat!

This principle seems to apply to all areas of life, writing no less than others. On unpredictable occasions, my writing is lucid and flowing, seeming to come from fountains of wisdom far beyond anything I could summon forth on purpose. More often it is work. I start a story or a blog post, get it half written and realize it isn’t going where I want to go. I may start half a dozen times. Then I cut and paste and snip, and only with great effort do I arrive at something that says what I intend.

Sure, I could just sit here and wait for my muse Sarabelle to come drifting by, but I’ve found that she’s more likely to visit when she knows I’m trying. The hard times are the workouts my fingers need to keep them limber for the times she does visit.

Besides, anyone who goes to the gym regularly knows that feeling of satisfaction that comes from a good workout. It isn’t easy to start, to form the habit, but once it’s formed, the work feels good, It generates a sense of satisfaction and well-being. Writing is no different.

So even if you struggle, even if it seems as if you’ll never get the words down just the way you’d like, keep on writing. If you’re stuck on one story, write another. And another. At the very least, you’ll leave behind lots of drafts, and as I’ve said so often,

Any lifestory you write
is better than writing nothing.

Write now: about times when you felt the most blocked in your writing. What did you do to free up your fingers? How do you cope during these times/ Then write about a time when you felt words flowing forth as if by magic. Or imagine such a scene and write about it. How does it feel?

Tag! You're It!

“Tag! You're it!” Remember playing tag when you were young? Sometimes we played on the school playground, but more often we played with the neighbor kids. When we first moved to Los Alamos, our house was on a mesa top two lots deep, with a steep grassy slope down to the street. The front yards didn't have much flat space, so the game got interesting as we scrambled up and down the slope in chase or eluding pursuit. I don't even remember all the varieties. I just remember plain old tag and freeze tag, and the details of the latter elude me.

All these years later, I've discovered that the blogging community plays tag too, and the playing field may be as narrow and sloping as the one on Walnut Street. Pat from Pat's Place tagged me in a game of Name Your Quirks tag. According to the rules, I'm supposed to

• Link to the person who tagged me.
• Mention the rules in my blog.
• Talk about six unspectacular quirks of mine.
• Tag a new set of six bloggers by linking to them.

When I first discovered I'd been tagged, I didn't see how disclosing my own quirks fit with the purpose and focus of a blog on lifestory writing. But ... a tag is a tag, and as I thought about it, I saw a path between the rocks and down that hill! Each quirk carries the germ of a story, but you don't need to get that involved — you can cache quirks in corners of random stories. Any story will become more personal and juicy if you work in a quirk or two of your own or someone else's. Let me load my list, and then I'll show you how.

• I love chili peppers, the hotter, the better.
• Our ticking grandfather clock makes me crazy, but I miss it when it runs down.
• I dislike making phone calls but love getting them.
• I prefer assymetrical balance.
• I use recycled glass jars for storying leftovers in the refrigerator.
• I hate the words “fridge” and “nuke” (as in use a microwave).

So, if I'm writing a story that has a scene in the kitchen, I can make it glow with personal presence by sliding in a reference to putting those leftovers in an old salsa jar to stick in the refrigerator. Or, I may have a little dialog in that scene where I cringe at hearing someone else talk about the fridge or nuking the frozen peas.

You don't have to stick to your own quirks. To add depth and make other people in your stories seem more real, tell how your uncle's mustache glistened with droplets of his spluttering when he got excited, or how your sister always twirled her hair while she watched television. Few things add color the way quirks do, and it's not nearly as complicated to add a few as it may seem.

Now I hope to read about quirks from Linda at Cherry Blossom Memories, Ybonesy and QuoinMonkey at red Ravine, Janet at Riehl Life, Tara at Soul Blessings, Susan at Sue's Muse, and Rev at Your Neighborhood Reverend.

Write now: about six or more of your own quirks. If you remember, tell how they originated. Explain how they shape your life, and what impact they have on you. Have you ever tried to change or drop a quirk? What happened? Have you ever been teased about a quirk? Write a couple of practice sentences for each that includes the quirk as a form of personal description. Or, write about playing tag. Who did you play with? When and where did you play? What were the rules?