http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog Hundreds of Essays and Interviews to Help You Read and Write Memoirs Tue, 15 May 2012 12:09:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 2006-2007 jerrywaxler@yahoo.com (Jerry Waxler) jerrywaxler@yahoo.com (Jerry Waxler) Self-help 1440 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/LearnMemoirCoverFront-small.jpg http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog 144 144 Reading and writing memoirs. Record the Stories of Your Life, tips, how-to, memoir book reviews, by Jerry Waxler memoir, writers, self-help, book-reviews, essays Jerry Waxler Jerry Waxler jerrywaxler@yahoo.com no no http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/interviewing-alzheimers/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/interviewing-alzheimers/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 11:39:36 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/?p=499 Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/interviewing-alzheimers/feed/ 3 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/stories-wisdom-aging/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/stories-wisdom-aging/#comments Thu, 07 May 2009 12:36:12 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/?p=490 Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/stories-wisdom-aging/feed/ 2 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/senior-adult-storyteller/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/senior-adult-storyteller/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:10:10 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/?p=466 Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/senior-adult-storyteller/feed/ 8 0:07:08 When I see wrinkles, around my own eyes or someone else's, I think of all the experiences hidden behind them, decades of life now strewn throughout the vast tundra of the mind. If only I could know those memories, they might teach me important lesso[...] When I see wrinkles, around my own eyes or someone else's, I think of all the experiences hidden behind them, decades of life now strewn throughout the vast tundra of the mind. If only I could know those memories, they might teach me important lessons and they certainly would bring deeper appreciation for the journey. What had those eyes seen? But memories are unknowable in their scattered and disorganized state, and until recently, I was one of the multitudes who had no inkling of how to convert a lifetime of memories into a story. Now, as I scan my life, I think I see the reason. Aging, Family Jerry Waxler no no http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/harry-bernstein-memoir-dream/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/harry-bernstein-memoir-dream/#comments Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:07:58 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/?p=286 Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/harry-bernstein-memoir-dream/feed/ 1 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/hair-in-the-melting-pot/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/hair-in-the-melting-pot/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:15:21 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/?p=137 Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/hair-in-the-melting-pot/feed/ 14 0:00:01 My dark brown hair grew longer, and curled into a tangle that looked vaguely like an Afro. Home from the University of Wisconsin that first summer of 1966, my great-uncle Ben, with whom I had always got along, said "I didn't know we had anything lik[...] My dark brown hair grew longer, and curled into a tangle that looked vaguely like an Afro. Home from the University of Wisconsin that first summer of 1966, my great-uncle Ben, with whom I had always got along, said "I didn't know we had anything like that in the family." We never spoke civilly to each other again. Back at school in Madison, Wisconsin the following year, some boys drove to campus to beat up kids who looked like me. They jumped out of their car, threw me to the ground and kicked me for a while to let me know that long hair was against the American way. Aging Jerry Waxler no no http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/story-extends-my-optimism-to-infinity/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/story-extends-my-optimism-to-infinity/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2008 13:41:47 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/story-extends-my-optimism-to-infinity/ Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/story-extends-my-optimism-to-infinity/feed/ 4 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-is-a-step-along-my-spiritual-journey/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-is-a-step-along-my-spiritual-journey/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:19:36 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-is-a-step-along-my-spiritual-journey/ Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-is-a-step-along-my-spiritual-journey/feed/ 4 0:00:01 by Jerry Waxler (Listen to the podcast using the player control at the bottom of this post. You can also download it using iTunes.) Now that I’m 60, I am facing an age when the end of the story seems to be shimmering out there on the horizon. [...] by Jerry Waxler (Listen to the podcast using the player control at the bottom of this post. You can also download it using iTunes.) Now that I’m 60, I am facing an age when the end of the story seems to be shimmering out there on the horizon. I’ve always been obsessed with who I am and where I’m going, and now I feel like I have a deadline. People often talk about the urgency of living each day as if it’s their last. This perspective is especially compelling when someone we know has recently departed. I too find a desire to live each day to its fullest. But my pressure arises from a slightly different reason. I ask, “What if I’m here until I’m 90? How will I live a meaningful life for another 30 years?” That’s a daunting task. And it turns out that memoir writing has become the center piece of my plan. By delving into the inner journey of who I’ve been, I’m learning more and more lessons about where I’m going. I recently gave a talk at a gathering at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethlehem Pennsylvania about using life stories to build a sense of purpose at any age. I didn’t give the talk during a worship service, and I’m not a preacher. This was an open meeting before the service, when people from the community come to listen to guest speakers talk about all sorts of topics. It was a perfect audience for my eclectic views on life, on memory, and on meaning. And during the three months I spent preparing the talk, I developed a neat way to explain how my life journey makes more sense than ever. It was ambitious of me to try to explain the meaning of life in 20 minutes, but I think I did a decent job. I’ll post the written version later. For now, I’m attaching the audio version. I’d be delighted to know what you think. — To see the written version of the talk I gave about how memoir writing enhances my faith in the future, see my blog entry by clicking here. To listen to it, click on the podcast link below. Podcast version click the player control below: Aging, Idealism/Meaning Jerry Waxler no no http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/help-my-aging-dad-tell-his-story/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/help-my-aging-dad-tell-his-story/#comments Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:47:36 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/help-my-aging-dad-tell-his-story/ Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/help-my-aging-dad-tell-his-story/feed/ 6 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/creative-brain-jam-in-philly-ties-it-all-together/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/creative-brain-jam-in-philly-ties-it-all-together/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2007 10:56:22 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/creative-brain-jam-in-philly-ties-it-all-together/ Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/creative-brain-jam-in-philly-ties-it-all-together/feed/ 3 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/wisdom-evolves-as-you-live-your-memoir/ http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/wisdom-evolves-as-you-live-your-memoir/#comments Tue, 18 Sep 2007 10:39:33 +0000 jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/wisdom-evolves-as-you-live-your-memoir/ Continue reading →]]> http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/wisdom-evolves-as-you-live-your-memoir/feed/ 1