tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26572051731923676262024-03-06T09:49:05.705+10:00Your Real Life StoryUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-76063088830952021472014-02-24T09:09:00.004+10:002014-02-24T09:13:02.608+10:00Another Great Obit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have said that "everyone deserves an obit" - and I do enjoy reading one that is out of the ordinary.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Clearly, I did not know this man, but I have learned about him today. Apparently Peter Scott who died at 82 years of age was an interesting man - a "highly accomplished cat burglar" listed amongst his claims to fame. He was indeed by all accounts a crook - but his story in <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9949054/Peter-Scott.html">The Telegraph</a> is well worth a read.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I might also look for the movie about him.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JT23ahwHS68" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The movie was made in 1965 - with of course a much young than we know her now, Judy Dench.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pBjqjN9fgnI" width="420"></iframe></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-20912392116096712312014-02-17T09:36:00.000+10:002014-02-17T09:44:57.136+10:00Books, Movies and Newspapers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the past few weeks I have attended movies which were based on real life stories - two of the latest were Philomena and The Railway Man. Books were written and eventually movies. You can read more about them <a href="http://housesitdiary.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/movies-at-bribie-island.html">here.</a> I will at some stage endeavour to get the books so I can read the stories, but there is a link from that blog to the real story about Philomena. <br />
<br />
I am a great reader of Obituaries in newspapers too and for some time was comparing the numbers of male or female obits - clearly there is more written about men. I don't know the reason for this - other than in some circles it is thought that the men had more interesting lives. I guess if they were community leaders or similar, it could be seen that only these apparent "important" people are worth writing about after their deaths.<br />
<br />
I was pleased to read two stories in the Courier Mail on Saturday (15th February) - one of the stories was a double death event - the husband who was a World War II Veteran died just on two weeks after his wife passed away. The story said that hey had been inseparable for 66 years, and were both in their 90's.<br />
<br />
As it turns out there was another story - there are usually two obits on a Saturday, and this one was about a lady who had been a nurse, and when I read the story I recalled that I knew her. She was a Stomaltherapist and attended the World Stomaltherapy Conference in Perth in 1986, at the then Sheraton Hotel. There is more of that story here.<br />
<br />
I certainly love reading about their lives - though wishing too, that I would have had the opportunity to meet them.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-41000092950631859172014-02-03T17:05:00.001+10:002014-02-03T17:05:38.500+10:00When You are Gone ..... The Obituary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I know some folk think I have a morbid interest in "death" - which I would dispute. I have seen many people die - I have been with them in their last moments, and liken it to being at a birth. So many people after witnessing a birth - be it an animal or a baby, are often overwhelmed by the experience.<br />
<br />
As a nurse, I was initially afraid of death - perhaps feeling that we (doctors, nurses) etc had failed - but if one stands back a little, and sees that death is only one part of life, it is a lot more comforting. No one, even with all our marvellous medical and scientific research has been able to get anywhere close to finding how one can live for ever - and indeed, who would want to??? I had some amazing experiences as I sat with folk who were dying, and were prepared to talk and say goodbye as it all happened.<br />
<br />
We should indeed do everything we can to prolong a life which will be a quality life - I don't see the point of spending a huge amount of resources keeping someone alive well beyond their use-by date. Ooops, I am digressing, but since I am on the topic, just think about how long Mandela was kept alive in what we believe to be in a vegetative state. Recently there have been other press stories about similar events. I don't really see the point in it - and I certainly don't wish to be kept "alive" in a comatosed state for any length of time - having nurses and carers doing for me what I no longer can do for myself.<br />
<br />
This post wasn't really going to be about what I have said above - but darn, I have done it. I've had a rant on a topic that is one close to my heart.<br />
<br />
What I really wanted to talk about is the story that you leave behind. The Obituary perhaps.<br />
<br />
There's quite a history of Obituary writing - and anyone inclined to find out more can read about the history in Dr Nigel Starck's book <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books/about/Life_After_Death.html?id=EfvchwHafFsC&redir_esc=y">"The Art of Obituary"</a>. I did some research recently and found that most obituaries (certainly in our state's main newspaper were predominately about men. In fact in one month there were 21 obituaries of men, and 6 of women.<br />
<br />
I concluded that not many women (unless they are hugely famous or well known) have their story written. In fact I am quite sure if I extended my "research" to other newspapers, I would find that similar statistics. In speaking with women, they tend to by a little shy and consider their lives too "ordinary" and not worthy of documentation, in the way that many men see their stories.<br />
<br />
We have such amazing resources these days, that we should all be recording our history - and I know from experience that it is a tremendous adventure. <br />
<br />
I will be working this year to encourage more folk to write their own life story... which of course can be the basis for their obituary when the time comes.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-12663557327588642332014-01-31T15:06:00.001+10:002014-01-31T15:26:28.176+10:00Ultimate Blog Challenge Last Day<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I promised in an earlier post to make available my Word Document with clues on questions to ask, etc when one is writing their own or some one else's story. I have created a .pdf document, and as it is about 8 pages long, I think the only way to get it to folk is to ask you to leave a message in the comments with your email address and I will email it to you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As my comments are all moderated I won't publish those with your contact details, so your email address will be used to send the document and then will be deleted, and I will ask that you delete my email address too. I am not interested in playing card games, joining any mailing lists or doing any business, but if you have important information for you can always send a message via the comments section.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I set up this blog just to do the <a href="http://ultimateblogchallenge.com/">Ultimate Blog Challenge</a> - 31 days of posts and action. I have enjoyed the experience though I know I have not done all that was suggested, but I have posted about my blog and also visited many other blogs to read and comment. It has been an awesome experience.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have written a 1500 word story about my life - but as I have been going through the process of this blog I have been remembered some more things in my life story and will have to update at some time, but I am glad that I have done it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of the key points that I would like to make is that you start writing your story. You can add to/edit what you have done, but if there are no words about your life - then that's it. Zero, nothing. Even if it is in note form, or paragraphs of information, you can one day find it and "fix it up", or someone else can. If you have photos with details, certificates or other ephemera someone can piece together something of your life. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Find a box and add to it as you think of things. I have found doing this blog, and tidying up my boxes of "stuff" that my memory has been jogged and I have to continually add to my story - or at least my notes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Is there a "<a href="http://grammar.about.com/od/mo/g/memoirterm.htm">memoir</a>" waiting to be written? I have yet to publish my tome on my life as an <a href="http://theadventurelady.blogspot.com.au/">English Teacher in China and South Korea</a>. I have written most of it but one day I will sift through the entries in that blog to determine if there are any more stories to add.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Everyone's story is unique and there are millions of people who enjoy reading about the lives of others - it is a huge market, so there may be a best seller amongst us - but if nothing else your descendants can read about you. And learn what life was like.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Make a point to read biographies, autobiographies and memoirs and it will give you ideas on how to format your story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Enjoy the process, and have fun!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><u><span style="color: purple;">Reminder:</span></u></strong> If you do want my cheat sheet/ideas for writing a biography, leave a comment below with your email address and I will send it to you.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I will update from time to time - but am glad I don't have to do a daily post now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">A BIG THANK YOU to all those who visited this blog during the Challenge, and especially those that commented. It was much appreciated. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-58708462377092590732014-01-29T18:31:00.001+10:002014-01-29T18:31:03.141+10:00Don't Forget the Music<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Almost everyone has a story about Music in their lives. It may be that your subject learned/played an instrument, sang, or had some other connection with music. It may be a key part of your subject's story.</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/PHdU5sHigYQ" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My family laugh at my efforts at music, especially singing - but with three talented singers in the family there was just not enough singing-genes to go around, so my talents lie elsewhere.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I do have some stories about Music and Me. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<ol>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One that came to mind when I accidentally found the above video on YouTube. When I was nursing in Mount Gambier in South Australia in the early 1960's, Miss Winifred Atwell played at the Odeon Theatre - and I was one of the enthralled members of the audience.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2008 in China on International Women's Day we had a full day of tours, speeches, and performances and much later a wonderful banquet, but the last performance was a group of Chinese dancers who invited members of the audience to join them in their dance at the end. No one would do it. I certainly didn't want to - as I was not dressed for dancing - jeans, heavy coat, sneakers etc, but in the end, as no one else would, I did so. I couldn't manage the steps so "invented" my own - much to the amusement of all present, and huge embarrassment for me. However, the best was to come! Apparently it appeared on television that night!! And the MC -a Chinese government official who I was later to meet on a regular basis for a short time, always wrote to me "Dear Blonde Disco Dancer......."</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2010 for International Women's Day, and again in China one of my friends and I were invited to perform. How funny - we made it to the stage and sang "I am Australian".</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I love classical music and jazz. Oh, how I love Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck and many more. I still have my collection of LP's from the 60's!!!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am including a list of 5 - 10 of my favourite pieces of music in my story - and hope that if there is a memorial service for me that some of them will be played.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qDQpZT3GhDg" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, when you are writing about someone, don't forget the music.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-81755072309344805232014-01-28T16:01:00.001+10:002014-01-28T16:01:07.811+10:00Food, Recipes, Stories.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When writing someone's story - don't forget food. Food plays a great role in the lives of many people in some way. It might be a migrant who continues to create the dishes of their home country, it might be that someone has created a family story about some food. These are often an important part of someone's story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are a few of my food stories.....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Story One</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Years ago when I was little, we had a wonderful garden and my parents grew fruit trees, vegetables, berries and lots more. This was in the 1950's (ok, now you know I am a senior!) and post war it was not uncommon for folk to grow much of their own food. This story relates to a day when my mother was "preserving" rhubarb in the oven. The rhubarb was in glass jars with lids, but for some reason, when mother took them from the oven, several exploded not only cutting her badly on the face, but rhubarb and broken glass covered every wall, cupboard, bench etc in the kitchen with a red gooey messy sludge. Luckily my father was home, so he took charge and sent my sister and I outside of the house. I may have been about 8 years old, and my sister was 4 years younger. We wandered to neighbours and told them the story, and my sister kept crying that maybe mother would be dead. I tried to console her, but what I said was reported back to our parents. Apparently I said "Don't worry, if mummy dies, daddy will get married again and we might get a better mummy." Luckily mother survived, and dad eventually remove the sludge from the walls, ceilings etc and repainted the kitchen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Story Two</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I brought a young man home to meet my parents (we were later married), my mother put on a special dinner for us - my parents, my boyfriend and me. She cooked a special spicy dish which three of us enjoyed without any trouble, but the boyfriend was not used to chili and soon became red faced and breathless. We managed to "save" him - but it has always been a funny story as we claim mother was trying to get rid of him. (Shame, I was married to him for a long time - but then left him)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Story Three</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My daughter has never been particularly interested in food and cooking and even now we tease her as her skills are mediocre at best, although, to be fair, in recent years she has had poor cooking facilities, but a new oven is making a difference.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On this occasion she was in her early teens, and I was very ill in bed. When she came home after school she decided to bake a cake, using one of my treasured recipe books. I heard the mixmaster whirring briefly, then screaming, and I leapt from my sick bed and rushed to the kitchen as best I could, to be greeted with a daughter and every square inch of my kitchen covered with flour!!! Her face and clothes were all white - and when she opened her eyes she looked like some strange ghost! She had the mixmaster running while she "added the flour" which with the power of the beaters was scattered in every direction, making it look like a major snow storm in the kitchen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><em>Story Four</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was fortunate in that my mother, despite a couple of memorable events (see Story Two) taught me to preserve fruit and other foods. In summer school holidays, the apricots, peaches, plums, and nearly every other fruit in our garden was harvested and preserved. She had quite a collection preserved items. All sorts of preserves and jams. That is where I learned to preserve and later on I was an enthusiastic jam maker, though I am not a great eater of it. I was for a number of years the Convenor of the Jam and Pickle Stall at the annual school fete.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have also made Lilly Pilly Jam - the <a href="http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/2000/archives/2000?p=1728">Lilly Pilly</a> is a fruit native to Australia and some parts of Asia and for the most part the fruit falls to the ground (if the possums and bats don't get them) and go to waste. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XdbQJ-Ih9S1_2OU8cMFhti-El9Vzf_yhXhaN0u8q0h1j_HRuX4ghyphenhyphenufXbqDWmamz6u54wItdRzmZ4IrVz3CQryztft9nW118bv-6Wr4g754p0EL53Iz-Bkn3aEvNCbWbWsObMA5vMlbl/s1600/IMG_1680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XdbQJ-Ih9S1_2OU8cMFhti-El9Vzf_yhXhaN0u8q0h1j_HRuX4ghyphenhyphenufXbqDWmamz6u54wItdRzmZ4IrVz3CQryztft9nW118bv-6Wr4g754p0EL53Iz-Bkn3aEvNCbWbWsObMA5vMlbl/s1600/IMG_1680.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">An idea - why not create a book with your mother/grandmother/aunt's story along with her favourite recipes.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-77763903162599568752014-01-27T17:06:00.002+10:002014-01-27T17:07:49.058+10:00Make a Book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Why not create a book about your parents' life? Or the life of someone special. Technology has changed printing so much that it is possible to create a hard copy book with text and colour photos for little cost.<br />
<br />
There are so many organisations now that will do it - and you should be able to purchase a small number at reasonable price.<br />
<br />
Have a look at the various online options. There are many - but I suggest that first of all you create the text you want and choose a range of photos. I am familiar with <a href="http://www.blurb.com/">Blurb</a> - but confess I have not done one yet. I actually have one almost ready to print. <a href="http://www.snapfish.com/">Snapfish</a> is another program that you can use. Have a look and check the costs.<br />
<br />
This is an ideal way to create that special book for a anniversary or special event. <br />
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1gOlAFwUQnI" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
You can use text, photos, artwork - whatever you wish. <br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-71339679248286868892014-01-26T17:58:00.001+10:002014-01-26T17:58:44.998+10:00Write your Own Eulogy?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I came across his quite by accident today (January 25th) and couldn't help but link to it. It fits my proposition that we should all write our own life story and advanced obituary, but this guy who was in the position of facing his impending death, that he made a video which was played at his funeral/memorial service.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It will take a few minutes to read it </span><a href="http://iwrotethose.com/2014/01/25/the-eulogy/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here.</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This video is supposedly "the best eulogy ever." What do you think?</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/REkW47jp4Lk" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The following is a 12 minute video which gives advice on how to give a eulogy at a funeral. If anyone has the task of writing one for a loved one - it is wonderful easy to comprehend instructions.</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/wG98VwyJPfo" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Personally, I like the idea of writing/filming one's own story for a funeral - but I guess you really need a little warning about your impending demise. However, to call it a "eulogy" can be confusing as the definition of a eulogy is "<div data-dobid="dfn" style="display: inline;">
<span><em><strong>a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, especially a tribute to someone who has just died.</strong>" </em>To me a eulogy is best presented by someone who knew the deceased well, and is prepared to speak in high praise or tribute to him/her.</span></div>
<br />
<div data-dobid="dfn" style="display: inline;">
<span></span> </div>
<br />
<div data-dobid="dfn" style="display: inline;">
<span>I can feel a video coming on.......</span></div>
<br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-84273833816745519192014-01-25T08:25:00.000+10:002014-01-25T08:25:28.357+10:00What a Disaster!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
With the Internet and other media we are kept informed with natural disasters around the world - often we can watch the disaster unfold LIVE on our televisions or computers. It is quite amazing - something my grandparents would have no concept of (even if they were alive).<br />
<br />
Does your story (or your subject's story) involve any disasters?<br />
<br />
I think of this as (a) we celebrate Australia Day tomorrow (January 26th) and we acknowledge that it is (b) the anniversary of some major disasters in our Queensland history. (Queensland is the state of Australia on the north east coast of our great country!).<br />
<br />
Fortunately for me, I have not personally been involved/directly affected by these disasters, but I have stories around them.<br />
<br />
For example, in 1974 when the city of Brisbane was flooded, I was not living in Queensland - but in Sydney, but my husband had received notification that we would be moving to Brisbane for him to take up a new position. I had never been to Brisbane - and watched in awe as the city that was to be our new home was flooded. You can read about it<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_Brisbane_flood"> here</a>. As it turns out, as the city was recovering, I was sent to Brisbane on my own in order to find a house for us to move into. My recollection of the floods was seeing the devastation at the mouth of the Brisbane River as the plane flew over in preparation for landing at the airport which is on the northern border of the river. Houses, debris, old cars, trash, trees etc scattered the landscape below - it made one hold one's breath!<br />
<br />
Brisbane does not get cyclones, though has been affected from time to time by cyclones further north - and I can remember several times when we were fearful of the horrific winds, and the floods, but as I said earlier I have not been close to the action.<br />
<br />
In 2011 Brisbane was hammered with a major flood, and I was house sitting at the time. As the rains lashed the city I did have my two grandchildren with me and we drove in the rain, which was not heavy when we set out to go to a Bead Shop, but by the time we wanted to return, it was rather scary finding our way home avoiding flooded roads. I took them to their home, and my daughter wanted me to stay with her - but I insisted on driving to my house sit, despite the challenges. But I had no clothes, no anything with me and the idea of living in the same clothes and without my computer for a few days did not appeal. Luckily I made my way safely to the house sit, but I did have to cope with limited food (the supermarkets were emptied by panic buying and could not get restocked). I went to the river and took photos of some of the dramas - high water levels, much household items washing down the river etc. and took photos. <br />
<br />
As I write this, there are warnings of a new cyclone forming in the Coral Sea, which has the potential to cause problems to us - but so far I have been safe.<br />
<br />
At Christmas 1974 Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin in the Northern Territory. As it turns out my family and I were in Mount Gambier in South Australia - we had driven south to spend Christmas with my parents, and as it was Christmas Day and we were so buys enjoying our Christmas we had no idea until Boxing Day of the devastation that the cyclone caused on that day.<br />
<br />
We have been flooded in from time to time - but no event is particularly significant. It is just part of living in the sub-tropics.<br />
<br />
In 2001 when the terrorist attack in New York occurred we watched the events over and over again, in awe, but luckily for us, no one we knew was in New York. But I think everyone remembers where they were when they first saw/heard the news!!<br />
<br />
As you can see, I have not yet (and hopefully never will) been affected by a natural disaster - but many have. It is a question worth asking when you are talking with someone about their life story.<br />
<br />
Many people have fascinating stories that could/should form part of their Life Story.<br />
<br />
Don't forget to ask....<br />
<br />
(Have you been involved in a major natural or other disaster?)<br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-66860501716317550402014-01-24T12:27:00.003+10:002014-01-24T12:27:46.161+10:00Every Life - there is a story.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
“My wish has always been to write my own story, to create a life that’s worth writing about. But is a story worth anything at all if I have no one to tell it to?” <br />― <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7056690.Charlotte_Eriksson">Charlotte Eriksson</a>, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/24944198">Empty Roads & Broken Bottles; in search for The Great Perhaps</a> </i><br />
<em></em><br />
<div align="right">
</div>
<div align="right">
<em>from Good Reads Quotes on Life Stories</em></div>
<div align="right">
</div>
<div align="right">
<a href="http://good%20reads/">Good Reads</a></div>
<br />
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2v0RhvZ3lvY" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
This says it so well!!!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-66571792117985756072014-01-23T15:15:00.000+10:002014-01-23T15:22:39.403+10:00Fake Memoirs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There is quite a list of "fake memoirs" - actually fiction, but sold to publishers and the public as "Memoir" and there is always quite a lot of publicity after the book is published.<br />
<br />
I remember reading one - "Forbidden Love" written by Norma Khouri who was living at the time in Queensland, Australia and it received a lot of publicity here. According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_Khouri">Wikipedia</a>, it was a Sydney journalist who revealed that Norma was not living in Jordan at the time she is reported to have been in writing the story. The book became a best seller <br />
<br />
I bought the book and enjoyed it - it was indeed a good read, but when it was revealed that it was a "fake memoir" the publishing company offered to refund everyone who bought the book. I kept my copy, though somehow it is lost. I haven't found it yet in the boxes of my papers and memorabilia I have retrieved from my family home after my marriage breakup.<br />
<br />
There is a wonderful article about her, which was in <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/30/1091080433708.html">The Age Newspaper</a>, which records details of Norma's apparently troubled life. At the time her book was published she was living on Bribie Island, the island not far from where I live. Bribie Island is in Moreton Bay.<br />
<br />
The following is a trailer on a documentary about Norma Khouri - again interesting.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/e0emT5t9aLE" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
There is more here in this YouTube Video.<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/-kl4rjsAiuY" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Fake Memoirs or "literary forgeries" are not uncommon - you can find quite a list of recent ones listed <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fake_memoirs">here on Wikipedia.</a><br />
<br />
As a reader, do you mind if the good story is "literary forgery" - please respond in the poll to the right.<br />
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-12411756805444972462014-01-22T14:05:00.000+10:002014-01-22T14:09:00.340+10:00Write about Grandparents.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last year I was invited to the school of one of my grandchildren for "Grandparents Day" - where all manner of stories were told at the school assembly. It was a precious day, and the children made lovely gifts earlier which they gave to grandparents. It inspired me to write to all my four grandchildren with stories about MY grandparents - folk that they never met, and to be fair, I had very little recollection about as I was very young when two passed away.<br />
<br />
My grandmother Minnie died when I was four, and her husband Wally, whom I remember well died in the 1960's. My grandfather on the other side of the family died when I was ten, and his wife Nanna, aged 89, died in 1975. I spent quite a bit of time on research and write two pages about them.<br />
<br />
(I named my two new goldfish Minnie and Wally, but Minnie died - so I have Minnietoo now)<br />
<br />
I actually like to inspire my grandchildren to write to me - as I am a great letter writer. (Two of my grandchildren are staying with me and when they saw me using my fountain pen, they were puzzled as they had never seen a pen and ink before!!!) <br />
<br />
While I did the long epistle about my grandparents on the computer and printed it - I hand wrote the accompanying letter. Master - (11 years old) claims that it is too hard to write - his hand gets tired. I think his hand is exhausted from continual tapping on his iPhone!!!<br />
<br />
Still, it is a good exercise to write as much as you can remember about YOUR grandparents, or even great grandparents if you can - and leave the story (a) for your family and (b) maybe put it on a blog or something. It is probably an easier exercise for young people as they probably know their grandparents or the stories are familiar, but if one is in their 60's or 70's writing about grandparents is a greater challenge.<br />
<br />
Perhaps I should have a blog collecting grandparents stories from readers..... no, just do it yourself and save it somewhere or post to grandchildren or other family members.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVW5sZXe042uEjB1IHHlsb4Q9fCMV6mvYbvap2ETCmVYbihSdJ-hzJVxKiQ6hfIiI8D3vQdbgEYuWbF882vrlIMSMjARf3dfjukS-TMemrU57D5iTDJ5aDuTTJ9omh9INbiDp92QcXi38T/s1600/img030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVW5sZXe042uEjB1IHHlsb4Q9fCMV6mvYbvap2ETCmVYbihSdJ-hzJVxKiQ6hfIiI8D3vQdbgEYuWbF882vrlIMSMjARf3dfjukS-TMemrU57D5iTDJ5aDuTTJ9omh9INbiDp92QcXi38T/s1600/img030.jpg" height="320" width="184" /></a></div>
<br />
<div align="center">
Minnie and Wally and baby me.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-24114810638579143082014-01-21T14:50:00.002+10:002014-01-21T14:50:23.313+10:00Biographies - The Fodder of the Film Industry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What current top movies are based on real life stories??? I am sure there are heaps - but several come to mind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Saving Mr Banks" starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson is based on the biography/life story of PL Travers. You can read her life story </span><a href="http://www.biography.com/people/pl-travers-21358293"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here.</span></a><br />
<br />
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/16MdSZH6I4o" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Film makers do change many things in a film - often related to cost, or to make a long story fit into around 2 hours so that the movie does not become too long and boring.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If you go to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_actual_events#2013">this website</a> you will find an amazing list of films based on true stories.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 2013, there was Captain Phillips (The film is a biopic of merchant mariner Captain Richard Phillips, who was taken hostage by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean during the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maersk_Alabama_hijacking" title="Maersk Alabama hijacking"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Maersk Alabama hijacking</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> in 2009 led by Abduwali Muse.) Wikipedia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Diana - based on the last few years of the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and of course, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One of my favourites from a couple of years ago was "We Bought a Zoo" though the film was set in the US, the actual story happened in the UK.</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OuHFEhpxFPM" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So perhaps if you write a good biography it is worth promoting your story to movie makers!!! Good luck.</span>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-73697678522057541552014-01-20T21:08:00.003+10:002014-01-20T21:19:34.229+10:00Drama and Humour in Life Stories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It is always interesting to find out dramatic or humourous situations that might brighten a story when you are writing about someone. We all have stories of interest and the longer we live and the more we do, the more stories we have to tell.<br />
<br />
I will share some of mine today. I wrote about my visit to a brothel in Kalgoorlie in another blog - and yesterday I reminisced as I was at the brothel 12 months ago. You can read about it <a href="http://housesitdiary.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/my-brothel-visit-12-months-ago.html">here.</a> <br />
<br />
As you can imagine I had many adventures while travelling around Australia, but for the most part there were no "dramas" worth writing about.<br />
<br />
Most of my very funny stories relate to my time as an English teacher in China, and later in South Korea. I am ever the story teller - and two stories that I share (and sometimes asked to repeat!!!) are these.<br />
<br />
When I started work at the university in South Korea I had 29 students - and five guys whose ages ranged between 52 and 28. I think it was the first week that the five fellows came to me with a story about a Korean custom about having sex with an older woman, and they spoke about the way it was to happen. Me? Sex with five men? I took the cautious approach and asked a few questions - apparently they would take me out to dinner, ply me with alcohol, and then the "event" would happen.<br />
<br />
Should I run? Lock myself in my apartment? Or just wait and see..... <br />
<br />
The following week I went with all the students to a night out - strange events at a <br />
<span dir="auto"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makgeolli">Makgeolli</a> Bar where we drank this strange drink - or at least THEY did. Then on to a Karaoke bar - and they kept giving me more to drink, but as they drank heavily they didn't notice that my drinks were "donated" to a huge pot plant in the room. Eventually we went to another Karaoke place where clearly the students were all worse for wear. Around 3 am and being probably the only sober member of the group I departed, as strangely and unknowingly they had chosen a bar almost adjacent to my apartment and I felt safe walking the few metres to my door!!! Nothing was ever said about the group sex event that was supposed to occur even though I stayed on a further 3 months! </span><br />
<br />
In over 18 months in China, and with limited ability with my Chinese language skills, we had many eventful "adventures" - I could go on and on about them!!! Which one is worth telling? I have a sense of humour, so events that might have stressed some folk, were just events that I could add to my raft of stories!<br />
<span dir="auto"></span><br />
<span dir="auto">On one occasion two other Australian teachers and I planned to visit an ancient town, not far from the university where we were all teachers. "V" had been in China for several years and spoke a little Chinese, but "S" and I had very limited Chinese language skills. V made all the arrangements about the bus to Old Anchung, and we enthusiastically set off early on the Saturday morning. V checked at the bus station and was told that we were on the right bus - but as the journey went on and on, we became concerned and V asked the bus conductor if the bus was going to Anchung. She indicated no, it wasn't, or perhaps, she meant no, this was not the Anchung stop. Fearing we were going deep into the Chinese wilderness, we got off at the next stop. Big mistake.</span><br />
<br />
The small village was devoid of English speakers and the three of us raomd around the village trying to find someone we could communicate with and find our way to Anchung. We wpoke with children who had a little English, who told us to wait at a bus stop, and we did, but in an hour no bus came so we set off again on foot. We eventually went back to the bus stop where we had alighted from the bus, and luckily found a young man in a strange three wheeled vehicle with a tiny "cabin" on the back. <br />
<br />
Somehow V managed to negotiate a ride to Anchung and we three ample ladies squeezed into the tiny cabin. He took us on a wild ride through the village, up over a hill, a grand tour of the huge rubbish tip, down the hill and through rice fields until we came to an other village. He stopped abruptly, said "Anchung" and asked for his money. We paid, but were not sure initially that we had successfully arrived at our wanted destination.<br />
<br />
We walked along the road for a short distance before we came to the tourist area - at last!!! However, we were hungry and looked for a restaurant or food shop. Eventually we found a lovely little restaurant and were warmly welcomed but as the folk in the shop didn't speak English, they asked us into the kitchen and we pointed to chicken and vegetables and soon had a fabulous Chinese meal in front of us!!!<br />
<br />
After a wonderful lunch we set off for a wander around this amazing village that was unchanged in thousands of years. There were drying fish, chicken and ducks in racks everywhere (and I note a cat tied up, so as to protect the drying food which was being prepared for the Spring Festival.) The little shops hugged the edge of the canal, where old men paddled past in traditional wooden boats (we might call them sampans). Most folk just watched us as we walked past taking photos and looking at the extra ordinary scenery in this amazing place. We found a gay man in a women's fashion store who was quite an entertainment, and then suddenly I hear my name being called out. It was one of my former students who had set up business in the village - her very own wine shop, selling traditional Chinese Rice wine in extra ordinary ceramic jars.<br />
<br />
<br />
Our next task was to find our way home - so when we saw a taxi we hailed it, and showed him our university card which had the address in Chinese. We climbed in but after about 15 minutes he stopped, asked us for the money and then told us to get out of the car. Luckily, as we walking along the road, as the sun was setting and the smog was much to our surprise she spoke quite good English and happily returned us to the university<br />
<br />
We certainly needed a few glasses of wine to unwind and relive our amazing day!!!<br />
<br />
When you are chatting with someone about their life - ask about amusing experiences, or dramatic events in their lives. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://theadventurelady.blogspot.com.au/">This is the blog about some of my time in China.</a><br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-12263401372651196482014-01-19T20:13:00.001+10:002014-01-19T20:14:07.070+10:00The Sound Recording<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have used a digital recorder to assist me when I interviewed folk - I use it to check my notes mostly, but I am about to trial a new idea for me - with a structured interview.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I drove around Australia I spent a lot of time on my own in my car - I drove some 30,000 kms so I had plenty of time to listen to my favourite music and radio programs, and one of my special pleasures was to download to by memory stick, the various recordings by <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/classic/program/midday/">Margaret Throsby on the ABC</a> (Australian Broadcasting Commission) Classic Radio- a radio station that is devoid f advertising. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each weekday after the midday news, is a special interview with an interesting person - musicians, writers, medical people, and other interesting people. It is a structure interview, with each interviewee providing 5 pieces of their favourite music, which is interspersed with the voice interview.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have missed it over the holiday period and pleased to know that Margaret's program will return on January 27th, 2014. Her holiday is over!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Margaret says "<em>Each weekday at midday I'll bring you an interview with a guest who shares their life stories and a selection of music that means the most to them."</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What is special for me is that, I rarely hear it on the radio - and prefer to download the podcast to my memory stick, and listen to it as I drive. Each program lasts about 55 minutes - the drive from the home to the city is around 50 minutes so I can enjoy listening without interruption, or if I need to interrupt I can catch up easily. It has been my habit to go to the website, check on the past interviews, download the ones I want, and away I go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So why not "copy" this format with those people I meet. I have the ability to edit the recording - and I can give a copy to the person I have interviewed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have done "practice" recordings with family members - and I have a set of questions that I would ask. It would be a good idea to discuss the story with the person first - and I find that if I sit at a table, with my notes, and the recorder on, we can chat comfortably.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have also done video recording - interviewing my mother. I find using a camera somewhat "intrusive" and found with my mother that using a "tablet" it was a lot easier to ask questions and she answered them without being intimidated by the "camera". </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Perhaps if I set up a video camera on a tripod - or ideally have someone with photography skills to manage the camera it would be good. I am still thinking about how I would manage that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The main issue is that I have an interesting story recorded - easy to listen to and for a family they can at any time "revisit" the family member. (I tend to interview senior members of the community!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I know that "oral historians" record their interview with the subject and then type it out. My father was interviewed for his local historical society.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I actually like to watch the video of my mother talking about her childhood. She has dementia, and sometimes does not make sense, but it is nice to hear and see her talk the way I like to remember her.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-37859606489892052182014-01-18T12:29:00.000+10:002014-01-18T12:40:58.118+10:00Edit, Edit, and Edit Again.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wrote an </span><a href="http://yourreallifestory.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/more-on-your-story.html"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">earlier post</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> about a lady I met, who was featured in a collection of stories about local women. She had briefly read the work which she was asked to edit about herself, and confesses that she didn't. She would have changed quite a few things, she said, and at the time, just couldn't do it, so it went to press with the story not quite to her liking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The book was known to me - I recall some local publicity about its launch last year, but that was all I knew about it, so after my meeting with the lady concerned, I ordered the book from the Library and collected it on Thursday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was indeed a wonderful collection of stories of local women, but there were many errors. Some were in the formatting, some clearly were spelling or typos. One story told of the subject's early life in "Wynum" - this is an (almost) unforgiveable error as it is a suburb not 50 kms from the town which was the focus of the story - and the correct spelling is "Wynnum" - two 'n's.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The story of my new found friend was particularly interesting. I can't know the detail of her life, but it was interesting reading, particularly as our paths had (almost) crossed some years ago. She had been a student, and later a teacher at the same school my daughter attended for seven years, and where I was the editor of the school newsletter. In the story it spoke of the headmistress of the time this lady was a student - a lady who was "famous" locally as the first headmistress of the school - which had opened in 1931. When my daughter was there, in the 1990's, there had only been two headmistresses in all that time. I digress - the point I was making is that the name of the first headmistress was spelled incorrectly in the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a strong urge as I read through the book of interesting stories to make marks on page where I found errors (ever the word police as my family call me) - some were quite hilarious.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"Editing" is always a big issue for writers. One can do read their work over and over again, correcting, and still miss errors. It is difficult that a writer spends hours at their work, and generally gets very little money if any, but to get a quality editor costs a small fortune, which is why many writers take short cuts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I was studying at university we were encouraged to have "Critical Friends" - other people who were writers but with the talent to be able to "critique" one's work. I now have several of these! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can ask a friend, or a family member to read through your manuscript, but you need someone with expertise in writing, grammar, etc. I have heard so many writers say that they asked their son, daughter, sister etc to "check" their work, and I am sure a few errors are identified, but one needs a <strong><em>qualified and quality editor and proofreader.</em></strong></span><br />
<strong><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></em></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When you are ready to print - get just one printed at first so that you can examine the "finished" piece - in the book that I mentioned above there were quite a few formatting problems. Sentences and paragraphs not sitting on the page correctly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another friend of mine announced at a writing group, that she had published her novel, so I bought it for my </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Ereader-ebook-reader/dp/B007HCCNJU"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kindle</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, and was aghast when I started to read it. The errors were everywhere. I phoned her and went to her home to help her. Apparently she had done a Spellcheck with the Word document but it appears she did not SAVE it, so the original-full-of-errors-document was posted to </span><a href="http://www.smashwords.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Smashwords</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> We spent some time checking it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Internet is providing much more help and one site that should be of help is </span><a href="http://www.grammarly.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Grammarly -</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> but just doing a Google search should help with place names and even people's names. I searched for the college that was mentioned in the story of my friend and found, of course, the correct spelling of the headmistress of the time. Not too difficult to do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(ps <strong> I know I need good editing!!!!)</strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I am posting on another Blog <a href="http://housesitdiary.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/norseman-12-months-ago.html">here</a> reminiscing about my round Australia drive in 2012-13. </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-68143085485538209722014-01-17T17:02:00.002+10:002014-01-17T18:41:27.400+10:00Guest Blogger - Frances Cahill<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was keen to introduce a Guest Blogger on my blog and who better to ask than Frances Cahill, who did commence the <a href="http://www.ultimateblogchallenge.com/">Ultimate Blog Challenge</a>, but after nearly two weeks doing well, changed circumstances (she's moving house) caused her to focus on family issues, but she graciously accepted by invitation to be my guest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I met Frances a number of years ago - we have some special shared friends. When I heard that Frances had written her mother's life story, I asked her several questions about the task. Sadly, Frances's mother passed away in 2013.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Introducing Frances Cahill, who currently resides on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJzqoaKM9O3TtmVCdBwyHtJsemKtPrlCQkgzhyphenhyphenVBZFy3hEAe8ER1KNCtEjIqWQBdNDWLpSsEArHBHRbURCIcGj0pZ3LUkvpNJn-yqiaKW2Yo6fQumInaRtELfmmvAimtKsOrbPQ5HtvUX/s1600/unnamed%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJzqoaKM9O3TtmVCdBwyHtJsemKtPrlCQkgzhyphenhyphenVBZFy3hEAe8ER1KNCtEjIqWQBdNDWLpSsEArHBHRbURCIcGj0pZ3LUkvpNJn-yqiaKW2Yo6fQumInaRtELfmmvAimtKsOrbPQ5HtvUX/s1600/unnamed%5B1%5D.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Frances Cahill</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<u></u><em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><u></u> You wrote your mother’s story recently – how long did you take to write it?</span></em></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span></em><u></u><u></u> </div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Actually Di my mother wrote it herself. She wrote it in two volumes – Vol 1 was her early life and the years leading up to her marriage and Vol 2 were the years after that up to the time she entered an assisted living facility.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a project that she set herself after being encouraged by my sister. It was a lovely way for her to engage her mind<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span>and gave her much pleasure to present each of her five children with a copy.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></span> </div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It took a period of around four years altogether. I edited her work.</span> </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><u></u><u></u></span> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<u></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><u></u><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">How many words did you have in the finished piece (roughly)?</span></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></i></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><u></u><u></u></span> </div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Final word count would have been around 20,000 for both volumes – along with some absolutely precious photographs.<u></u></span><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><u></u> <u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<u></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><u></u><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Did you publish it? Where? If not, do you intend to publish it somewhere?</span></i></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><u></u><u></u></span> </div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It hasn’t been published it was truly a labour of great love by my Mum. She typed it all herself on her computer. I haven’t considered publishing it anywhere yet. Her death is too recent.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But as I have mentioned to you previously – this task of writing the stories of our older generation must be seen as important and give into safe and respectful hands.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></span> </div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Their histories are the platform we built our lives on – they have a message to give us – always.</span> <u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><u></u> <u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<u></u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><u></u><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">What help did you have from family members, ephemera etc?</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"></span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><u></u><u></u></span> </div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Family members of Mum’s generation gave some photos to Mum to illustrate her early life – walking a cow from the railway station in what is now suburban Brisbane! But she had so many beautiful memories stored in her own extensive photo albums.</span> <u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><u></u> <u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-right: 0cm;">
<u></u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><em><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><u></u>Any particular challenges while writing this?<u></u><u></u></em></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The challenge was being objective with Mum’s writing – correcting the very few grammatical errors was one thing. Keeping an impartial view of the content – impossible. <u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am so glad I had the opportunity to do this work for her. It means so much more now. The scene she describes when my father died in her arms from a heart attack at 51 came back vividly at her funeral and now as I write.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My eldest brother paid tribute in her eulogy that she simply ‘got on with it’ in the face of huge obstacles – widowed at 41 with 5 children aged 7-17. We have all learned from her and we do simply get on with it without wailing or drama.<u></u><u></u></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">I has always loved my mother but after reading the books again (rather than editing them) - I came to a place of admiration for her courage and strength in the face of tough obstacles</span>.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XJJEzKqx1Vdu0AozysfwQgctuKf89RkZ7fc7Kepon62mVUcGeOdbpC-Wg09dGYCtugaCCtHoDDCEegA-maPQkPbgEwy983dtRZij55es64uBIWXMnyTqCej_D0e-f4zPi-4xOAGCGwLj/s1600/doreen+and+fran.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5XJJEzKqx1Vdu0AozysfwQgctuKf89RkZ7fc7Kepon62mVUcGeOdbpC-Wg09dGYCtugaCCtHoDDCEegA-maPQkPbgEwy983dtRZij55es64uBIWXMnyTqCej_D0e-f4zPi-4xOAGCGwLj/s1600/doreen+and+fran.jpeg" height="215" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Doreen (left) with Frances</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL9NZWGmkooBQtI6cw5Xg-CnH9N7sNdiJXsQwEQMtPpRx-grSBUL2rQl0KKIyTePcPNicZi58AHCnv6F_Vf5HGpvcFTjEfsStbdQkh4ZX2qV4kcqah_2FB9LQbnrpPaRAYXlGtv2BL5HP/s1600/wedding+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxL9NZWGmkooBQtI6cw5Xg-CnH9N7sNdiJXsQwEQMtPpRx-grSBUL2rQl0KKIyTePcPNicZi58AHCnv6F_Vf5HGpvcFTjEfsStbdQkh4ZX2qV4kcqah_2FB9LQbnrpPaRAYXlGtv2BL5HP/s1600/wedding+photo.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><u></u><u></u></span> Family Wedding Photo</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; text-align: left;">
Visit Fran's website/blog <a href="http://www.askauntem.com.au/">here</a> <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><a href="http://www.askauntem.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.askauntem.com.au</span></a><u></u><u></u></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; text-align: left;">
Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/desk.of.aunt.em">here</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; text-align: left;">
Helen O'Grady Drama Academy <a href="http://www.helenogrady.com.au/">here</a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; text-align: left;">
Helen O'Grady Drama Academy Sunshine Coast Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HODASunshineCoast">here</a></div>
<div align="left" style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm;">
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-54007426256912787412014-01-16T17:22:00.001+10:002014-01-16T17:22:43.880+10:00Handwriting - The Lost Art!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Are you old enough to remember the inkwell in the school desk, and the pen with nib that you had to dip in regularly to get enough ink colour to write the words? Do you remember when Biro's were first in use for the general public?<br />
<br />
Yes, I am old enough to remember those times - and find it sad that in this modern age school students focus on what can be achieved with the keyboard on a computer or tablet, or even "smart" phone. I note now that young people do not know how to "read" hand writing and I am not talking about the smudgy writing of a doctor - actually they don't "write" now - their prescriptions are printed from the computer/printer.<br />
<br />
Do you remember when young people wrote letters to "Pen pal" - someone that they seldom had met, and may never meet, but exchanged regular letters sometimes to and from other parts of the world. I had a penfriend in the UK, in the Philippines, and in another Australian state and kept up the communication for many years, though it petered out in my early 20's.<br />
<br />
All those letters, and the letters I exchanged with my parents over a 50 year period were written by hand, though in the last ten years of his life my father learned to type on a small portable typewriter.<br />
<br />
I have many of the letters that my parents sent to me, even a rare one from my sister who was not a letter writer, and the "love letters" from my husband - though we are no longer together. Current folk using their computers, the Internet, or their phones to communicate will not have this legacy to show their offspring.<br />
<br />
When I moved into my new home last year, I had to unpack several boxes and many of them contain "ephemera" - letters, certificates, photographs, badges, and other items that I can't bear to part with. I doubt my family will have the same interest in it all when I am gone - but for now they are my treasures.<br />
<br />
I wonder how valuable hand written letters will become in the future. Also recipes - hand written.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XKMxFv5STYoLfXIXwlm1ObhukIh9a4XiLU04KhIqdOn6jrkKeJR6KFJnnkqbopVzYXm0Wp34eHOjbHLufEE5sm-8V19irAcvYAsVgHSuVBgMmPm1FdGCYlYCGveN-xch0REALrx1XplC/s1600/IMG_0581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XKMxFv5STYoLfXIXwlm1ObhukIh9a4XiLU04KhIqdOn6jrkKeJR6KFJnnkqbopVzYXm0Wp34eHOjbHLufEE5sm-8V19irAcvYAsVgHSuVBgMmPm1FdGCYlYCGveN-xch0REALrx1XplC/s1600/IMG_0581.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
One of my special pieces of hand written items is a page of recipes. I have several of these and I will treasure them.<br />
<br />
Something I am planning to do is write a letter to my son, daughter, grandchildren and my sister - and will put them in sealed envelopes within a larger envelop - thanking them, telling them I love them, and so forth, so that when I go they will have something special from me. I will do in in handwriting - in a card that I have made with my own hand, perhaps something made with my home made paper (yes, I can and do make my own paper at times).<br />
<br />
I am fortunate in that I still love handwriting - and I love writing using my computer too - but all special letters are written in hand with one of my collection of <a href="http://www.sheaffer.com/en/writing-instruments">Sheaffer fountain pens.</a> <br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-49133718413148628102014-01-15T10:48:00.002+10:002014-01-15T10:48:59.716+10:00Photographs - Beware of Copyright!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I moved into my new home seven months ago, but only a few days ago did some furniture arrive for me, which I had been long hanging out for. It is a book shelf that my daughter has been using - and it was quite an effort for her husband to bring it and my fern house the 45 kms to my place on a trailer on the back of their car.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last night I completed the task of filling the bookshelves - and now it stands with all those items that had been languishing in boxes in my spare room. I am keen to get the room emptied as I have house guests coming soon, and need both bedrooms.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My house looks like I have had a burglar through it - but hopefully by this afternoon I will have it completed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Two of my huge boxes contained photos and photo albums and I have quite a task ahead of me to sort them out - and discard many photos that are of no interest/value to me any more. I was going to write about photos today anyway, but an article on </span><a href="http://www.blogher.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BlogHer</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> interested me very much - and it is on the topic of photographs and copyright. It is a particular risky area for those of us who write life stories as we cannot always know who took the photos, especially of our clients. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am fortunate as I am and have been a "camera addict" and use most of my own photos. <strong><span style="font-size: large;">If you are using photos that do not belong to you, that you have not taken, you must beware!!!</span></strong></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">If you are putting these photos in a book, for publication, it would be wise to discuss with the "owner" of the photographs, who took the photographs and if possible get the person who owned/took the photo to sign a declaration, with witness signature, that he/she is happy for you to use the photographs for the purpose indicated. (There are legal wordings that you might use - so discuss this with someone with legal expertise).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><a href="http://www.blogher.com/bloggers-beware-you-can-get-sued-using-photos-your-blog-my-story?page=0,0&from=pop">In this article on BlogHer</a> the writer explains the trouble that one blogger got into - and the expense for happily using any images from the internet. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This is another good reason for writing on the back of any photographs not only the detail (who, where, when) but who took the photograph. Most commercial photographs are printed on the back with the photographer's studio details. You must endeavour to track them down, even if it is a long time since the photo was taken.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Beware!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtT14DI2cVHBVsnesvutQWkI91fshGK9xiV9Tmlga9nT1EvfbL-NEj5L49nLWLt1l8NwuT-sk72DnGYyc4q9oQGbopsLXtsi9oCB43wPxe-yz4eo3zPTdNUgDAc8pfiSmeiKRErOnAq57i/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtT14DI2cVHBVsnesvutQWkI91fshGK9xiV9Tmlga9nT1EvfbL-NEj5L49nLWLt1l8NwuT-sk72DnGYyc4q9oQGbopsLXtsi9oCB43wPxe-yz4eo3zPTdNUgDAc8pfiSmeiKRErOnAq57i/s320/034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong><br />
<strong>This photo I took myself in a bamboo property near Kenilworth in Queensland - my good friend Bev holds the cat. I should also ask her if it is ok if I use her photo in a public arena, but I know she knows I do this and it is ok with her!</strong></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-48180444969250166272014-01-14T17:04:00.002+10:002014-01-14T17:07:37.627+10:00More on YOUR story.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Read no history--nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47030.Benjamin_Disraeli"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Benjamin Disraeli</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was talking to a lady yesterday, who is a significant member of our community, a was one of the women written about in a recent collection of stories on local women. I had heard about the book - it was published in 2013 I understand, but somehow I had not seen it anywhere.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The lady with whom I was speaking was critical of the story about herself. She was interviewed for the book, and I understand was offered the article to make comment, changes etc, but she confesses she didn't. Like a lot of people, she found it difficult to read about herself, and she made the critical error of not correcting some errors. When she attended the launch of the book and opened the pages to read about herself, she was shocked and embarrassed. When I asked if I could see it, she refused.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have ordered it from the library - so hope to see it for myself.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is not uncommon for someone to not "see" themselves as others see them, and it is not uncommon for the subject to want to suggest some changes to the story as they see it.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">As the writer of the life story, particularly if your subject is alive and well, you do need to ensure that you get the story right - and if possible that the subject of the story is "happy" with what is written. It is a fine line - and when writing life stories where others are involved, it pay to be particularly careful with all the information at hand.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">In fact, often it is wise to get a legal person, a lawyer with knowledge of book writing/publishing to check your work. The very last thing you want is the drama of someone suing you because they are unhappy by the way you have portrayed them in a book. Indeed if anyone, even unnamed, thinks they recognise themselves in the book, and they feel aggrieved in some way, there might be a costly legal battle, or the book might be scuttled.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Somewhere in my book collection I had a copy of a book which received high praise a number of years ago - purporting to be the story of a girl's experience. Now, for legal reasons I will not say more here, but will say that some time after the book had been on the market for some time, it was found that the story was FICTION and not a true story. The publisher recalled the books - the writer was disgraced, and there was much drama about it. I do think I still have my copy of the book - as much as anything to me the book had a special story. In my many moves it may be lost, but I still have about 4 boxes to go through.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">The writer has to be honest - and if you write a story and have to use your own imagination about some aspects of the story you need to ensure that the reader is aware of this.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have been trying to fictionalise a true story - for a particular project and know that I have to create detail, colour, conversations, moods, expressions, even in some parts create the scenery. It is not easy to do. It is a project that will forever haunt me.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I have "finished" my life story now - a story that in the event of my demise, will give my family information about me that they would not have known, particularly about my childhood, schooling etc, and they can feel free to use it as an obituary if needed. I managed 1400 words - and I am happy with it, though, just like any writer, I might return to it in a few weeks, or months, and make some changes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It really pleases me that I have done it. I have walked my talk!!! Done!!! It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">One book that I have read recently, from cover to cover, was "the book of Women" - 300 Notable Women History Passed By." by Lynne Griffin & Kelly McCann. The writers have captured the essence of their stories in little more than a paragraph.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4M88CWFr6lHk3LGAGJR7AbU758YtiPuQ2pcx6y7T1Wal_uvnyYSYPkC0A872lyNqYS38yPeyLZWE5bMvj5T4uAs2AA_4rBR2GV5ZfRKK2jCOrzTlVQWfZO-qq_wtddcL2Y4GH-Xl0sbY/s1600/SAM_0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4M88CWFr6lHk3LGAGJR7AbU758YtiPuQ2pcx6y7T1Wal_uvnyYSYPkC0A872lyNqYS38yPeyLZWE5bMvj5T4uAs2AA_4rBR2GV5ZfRKK2jCOrzTlVQWfZO-qq_wtddcL2Y4GH-Xl0sbY/s320/SAM_0327.JPG" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The book of Women -<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Women-Notable-History/dp/1558501061"> at Amazon</a>. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">On the other hand, author Suzanna de Vries, has written much more about the women in her project - that is what Suzanna does. She is a wonderful writer of stories of women in history - mainly Australian women.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYmuf01PgX7S7os1TxiYIsXK6v5fuV3dP-VJDtf1ju5rJ-WWRogmkmi4ur5mNf46ciLp-BK5iWPVe7zF1cHbbHw6n_WdlsIMt0CtnVpJ4j0ZFtnyOKMooHxY2-85UzLnMcuf7DTwHhTZf/s1600/Book+of+Women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilYmuf01PgX7S7os1TxiYIsXK6v5fuV3dP-VJDtf1ju5rJ-WWRogmkmi4ur5mNf46ciLp-BK5iWPVe7zF1cHbbHw6n_WdlsIMt0CtnVpJ4j0ZFtnyOKMooHxY2-85UzLnMcuf7DTwHhTZf/s1600/Book+of+Women.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Complete Book of Great Australian Women at <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/the-complete-book-of-great-australian-women">ABC Bookshop</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">You need to spend some time reading other books - visit some libraries and see how other writers have done it. Work out your POINT OF DIFFERENCE - see if you can do something different. Good luck.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;">A good reason to write your own life story is that you know YOUR STORY better than anyone else.</span></strong> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div align="left" style="text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-7842261948032397402014-01-13T13:52:00.001+10:002014-01-13T14:20:55.317+10:00Can you write 1500 words about your life?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">“Always live your life with your biography in mind.” <br />― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2362.Marisha_Pessl"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Marisha Pessl</span></a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/910619">Special Topics in Calamity Physics</a> </i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Quote from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/biography">Good Reads</a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I remember a few years ago conducting a workshop, at rather short notice, when I spoke about the value of writing one's own life story and obituary, and in the time that we had remaining I asked those present to write their own obituary. I was greeted with a range of strange facial expressions, and most went on to do the exercise. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had explained the difference between a death notice, funeral notice and obituary, but I do recall one of those present created her own death notice which was rather freaky.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A number of years ago I set out to create my own obit, but to be honest I didn't finish it and it is somewhere in a host of back up files or in an old computer, but I am "getting on" as they say, and decided, especially as I am trying to encourage others to write their own life story or advanced obituary, decided to do my own. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now I know lot of people seem to think it is rather freaky - but in reality I wrote 1300 words about me. Some things no one else would have written - even if they do know me. And if it is to be my obituary - the last paragraph has to remain undone until I do "pass on", for it will say that I died on a certain date, perhaps the cause of death, and what family members "survived" me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It doesn't feel like doom is pending, and I had a lot of fun doing it. I have chosen not to share it with anyone, and will load it on a CD, with some other material, including all my passwords, bank account details, my last will and testament, and other instructions - for I know I will not live forever, and there is certain satisfaction in knowing that I have completed all these documents, which I will put in a sealed envelope to be opened on my demise - be it death, or near death. There will be some surprises too! My lips are sealed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Just before Christmas I was aghast to see a death notice of someone with the same name as me. It shocked me - and I was quite "rattled" for a few hours. I had not known the person, but felt that some people might have read it and thought it <strong>was</strong> me, especially as I had spent some months living in the same suburb, so I went on Facebook I reported that I was still alive and well!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Can you write your life story in around 1500 words? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: large;">If you read this, could you please respond to the poll on the right had side of this post? Please?</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-48407956847624774252014-01-12T07:36:00.001+10:002014-01-12T12:16:47.908+10:00What do you think of this Obituary?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">“I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is
trying to please everyone.” <br />
― </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3537.Bill_Cosby"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Bill Cosby</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, I don't think it is the Greatest Obituary of all time - but it is an interesting story, none the less as this guy confesses after his death to some very strange events that occurred during his life.</span><br />
<br />
</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/E8PHIK6sepQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I doubt it is the greatest obituary of all time - it is not uncommon for folk to "confess" something on their deathbed, and I guess one could feel that he did the right thing by "confessing" in his obituary, but I believe the description of it to be in poor taste.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It could however, be an opportunity to tell the truth in one's self written obituary - but I would hasten to add that there could be ramifications for someone left behind. The information could be extremely hurtful and there would be no way of repairing or undoing the damage.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">There's no doubt that obituaries are taking on a new life - with rather irreverent stories, and great humour. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This story is one labelled <a href="http://gawker.com/new-greatest-obituary-ever-means-obituaries-are-a-thing-1329635201">"New Greatest Obituary Ever"</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-67325720977921718392014-01-11T16:50:00.000+10:002014-01-13T13:58:17.437+10:00Humour in Obituaries? Who would have thought?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I have mentioned in an earlier post obituaries are not depressing narratives about the dearly departed - some are full of humour. In fact there is much humour surrounding obituaries. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can you imagine reading your own obituary when it is announced that you have already died - and clearly you haven't. While the there may be some anger or confusion at such an event it is not uncommon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Alfred Nobel (yes, the Nobel Prize was named after him) read of his own demise, when in fact it was his brother who had passed on.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The creation of the Nobel Prizes came about through a chance event. When Nobel's brother died, a newspaper ran a long obituary of Alfred Nobel, believing that it was he who had passed away. Thus, Nobel had an opportunity granted few people: to read his obituary while alive. What he read horrified him: The newspaper described him as a man who had made it possible to kill more people more quickly than anyone else who had ever lived.</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At that moment, Nobel realized two things: that this was how he was going to be remembered, and that this was not how he wanted to be remembered. Shortly thereafter, he established the awards. Today, because of his doing so, everyone is familiar with the Nobel Prize, while relatively few people know how Nobel made his fortune. Shakespeare's Mark Antony was wrong: the good we do lives after us. For most of us, it is the most important thing that we leave behind."</span></em><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can read the whole story </span><a href="http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/271383/jewish/The-Man-who-Changed-his-Life.htm"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here.</span></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Harry Weathersby Stamps died in March 2013, and his daughter
wrote the obituary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Y</span>ou can read the whole obituary </span><a href="http://grammar.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=grammar&cdn=education&tm=52&f=11&su=p284.13.342.ip_&tt=8&bt=2&bts=45&zu=http%3A//www.legacy.com/obituaries/sunherald/obituary.aspx%3Fn%3Dharry-stamps%26pid%3D163538353%26fhid%3D4025%23fbLoggedOut"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. His obituary went "viral" and has been read with amusement by thousands of people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The funniest obituary for 2013, apparently, is the obituary for Antonia W. “Toni” Larroux who died from a curious list of ailments. " lupus, rickets, scurvy, kidney disease and feline leukemia." Read the full story </span><a href="http://www.heavy.com/social/2013/05/waffle-house-customer-obituary-antonia-larroux/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> here</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found online an article about obits - quite a long one - but the headline took my fancy "Funny Obits bring new life to a dying art." Read the article </span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/06/living/viral-obits/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> It is well worth a read. Not all obits are in the papers - I have a collection of books and these days many are recorded in websites. </span></div>
<div id="stcpDiv" style="left: -1988px; position: absolute; top: -1999px;">
The women in his life were numerous. He particularly fancied smart women. He loved his mom Wilma Hartzog (deceased), who with the help of her sisters and cousins in New Hebron reared Harry after his father Walter's death when Harry was 12. He worshipped his older sister Lynn Stamps Garner (deceased), a character in her own right, and her daughter Lynda Lightsey of Hattiesburg. He married his main squeeze Ann Moore, a home economics teacher, almost 50 years ago, with whom they had two girls Amanda Lewis of Dallas, and Alison of Starkville. He taught them to fish, to select a quality hammer, to love nature, and to just be thankful. He took great pride in stocking their tool boxes. One of his regrets was not seeing his girl, Hillary Clinton, elected President. He had a life-long love affair with deviled eggs, Lane cakes, boiled peanuts, Vienna [Vi-e-na] sausages on saltines, his homemade canned fig preserves, pork chops, turnip greens, and buttermilk served in martini glasses garnished with cornbread. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sunherald/obituary.aspx?n=harry-stamps&pid=163538353&fhid=4025#fbLoggedOut</div>
<div style="color: black; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 10pt/normal sans-serif; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-transform: none; width: 1px;">
<br />
Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sunherald/obituary.aspx?n=harry-stamps&pid=163538353&fhid=4025#fbLoggedOut#storylink=cpy</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-37119820088030447042014-01-10T09:30:00.002+10:002014-01-10T09:30:24.132+10:00Write Your Own Life Story and…….. Your Obituary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Some years ago I became fascinated by obituaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I tell anyone, I get several
reactions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some will gasp in horror – as
if they imagine I am playing around somehow with the dead or nearly dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others are fascinated and will listen to my
explanation of the value of an obituary, and I gain a supporter though somewhat
sceptical at the same time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">But let me tell you a few things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s quite a history about obituaries –
and much is written in <a href="http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/staff/Homepage.asp?Name=nigel.starck">Dr Nigel Starck’s</a> book – Life After Death – The Art of
the Obituary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I came across it
accidentally as I researched obituaries when I was studying at university, and read
it from cover to cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I learned
that he lived and worked in my home town, I went to meet him, and our 15 minute
cup of coffee turned into nearly three hours of enthusiastic conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the time I discovered that there was an
International Society for Obituary Writers, which I did become associated with
for a time, though the organisation has morphed into something else.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/20554640" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/20554640">Obituaries Q&A with Dr Nigel Starck</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user5310813">Dan Masoliver</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Why would I be interested in obituaries, you might ask?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have a short bio of someone and then
they die, you have the bones for the obituary. In fact it is not uncommon for
those in the know to write their own obituaries with instructions to someone
who can finish the last paragraph.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> <span style="font-family: Arial;">As an Australian I am more familiar with the Australian
obituary scene – and I can tell you it is interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not all newspapers publish obituaries on a
regular basis, though some are serious about this community service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I live in Queensland, and our daily paper
publishes at least one obituary each week day towards the back of the paper
adjacent to the births, deaths, and marriages section – and I have done some
research about this section of the paper, which I will write more about in a
later post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Saturdays there are
usually three obituaries, and Sunday there are none.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Western Australia
the obituaries are a (famous) feature of the daily paper The West Australian,
and I have a wonderful collection of some of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Apparently up until World Wars they were a feature of most
newspapers, but there were so many deaths at those times that newspapers felt reluctant
to publish volumes of depressing news, and it was some time before they came
back into popularity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regional
newspapers will often publish obituaries as a regular feature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">These days many obituaries are featured on websites –
designed to be a long lasting honour to the dead, but of course, as readers
might imagine there are probably less than 1% of all deaths recorded in this
way, and you may guess, mostly they are about men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Few women have an obituary published about
their lives – something I’d like to change.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Recently, I read an obituary in the Courier Mail, Queensland’s
newspaper, about a former journalist and obituary writer who told his family
that he had written his own obituary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
it turned out, when he died, at age 89, his family could not find the piece and
his two daughters wrote it. (Note to self – make sure my family know where my
self written obit is kept!!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Another reason why you can create your own, is that often at the time of someone's death, people are too traumatised/busy to think clearly, and often the mini biography or advanced obituary (the name of the writing of an obituary before death.)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I love reading obituaries – there are several great books
written by awesome obituary writers, which I will detail in a later post. Obituary writing is certainly not a deathly experience - it is a wonderful journey through the life of someone.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Would you write your own obit?</span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2657205173192367626.post-60143644362286259992014-01-09T06:42:00.002+10:002014-01-09T09:05:24.197+10:00How Big? How Many Words?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">There are a myriad of ways to write a life story – there is the one that most folk think about when we talk about life story writing – a long tome that documents many of the events and stories in the life of the individual – this work is often done for or by a family member.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A fellow I knew well – he had been my son’s school teacher and later we met and worked together in a community organisation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This man had an interesting life – quite awesome in fact with amazing stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He told me he was writing his story, and subsequently I bought his book and I was hugely disappointed. It was an expensive self-published tome with a lot of errors – I had thought he would have done better – especially as he wife had done the editing (I thought that she had been a school teacher, but I am not sure of that.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">It was written in chronological order with lots and lots of (to me) useless information, and with many (too many) photographs which made it quite an expensive book to produce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am sure even if all of his friends bought a copy that he would never have recouped the cost of its production.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The book was written more for himself I think – certainly would not have been a popular read – and even though I knew him and some of his story, I found it boring, too long and I had better things to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The point of this is – that you don’t have to write the story, blow by blow and include every little boring detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though of course it depends of why you are writing the story and who the expected audience is. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">In my collection I have a book “<strong>the book of Women</strong>” – <strong>300 Notable Women History Passed</strong> By written by Lynne Griffin and Kelly McCann.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a very interesting collection of short stories – in fact some are little more than a paragraph, but the story is told succinctly and is a great read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> It is a</span>mazing how many women were so overlooked in history and the MAN given credit when it should have been the WOMAN who did. I guess many women suspect this!!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
You can buy a copy of the book at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Women-Notable-History/dp/1558501061">Amazon</a> or you can download a copy for free <a href="http://www.muebooks.com/the-book-of-women-300-notable-women-history-passed-by-PDF-389860/">here.</a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">A couple of the stories really stood out for me – one was about <strong>Anne Bonny</strong> – and there is a small black and white sketch of her on the page.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her story reads <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“A legendary pirate /bonny was definitely not to be trifled with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When her father disinherited her in 1715, she burned down his plantation and fled to the present-day Bahamas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As she attempted to disembark, a one-eared sailor attempted to block her way, demanding that she have a drink with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She drew her pistol and blasted off the other ear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crew stared at the scene, amazed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“By God,” Bonny howled, “is that a head? I thought I was shooting the handle off a mug.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I am quite sure there must be more written about her, but that paragraph tells a lot about Anne Bonny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The following is in the book as well, and though it is not a “life story” as such, it tells the story of an important event which started in 1917, and which we still celebrate in 2014!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No doubt we women will celebrate this date for ever. Would you have known that International Women's Day resulted from action of three women in Russia?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG48RrEUdreooAV0Wr9aB9R0nGxg56TJpmo74tH5ygQLtRUVUD9NWE_Vn8F_F1C5b0I-jSyC6_hIl0wW12vlf_EmEawBIP_e1rUaSFLpTK3CQqiGdpbIysmWCR8IrGCLeIvnbmhE8CodFy/s1600/img049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG48RrEUdreooAV0Wr9aB9R0nGxg56TJpmo74tH5ygQLtRUVUD9NWE_Vn8F_F1C5b0I-jSyC6_hIl0wW12vlf_EmEawBIP_e1rUaSFLpTK3CQqiGdpbIysmWCR8IrGCLeIvnbmhE8CodFy/s1600/img049.jpg" height="320" width="302" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">The point I am trying to make is that sometimes “short is sweet”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no need to record all nitty gritty details, and certainly not in a book destined for the general public and bookshelves.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You need to know why you are writing the story, and who your audience is. Sometimes a "mini-biography" is adequate to tell the story. There's a lot of work even in a mini biography!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0