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The Mayfield Book: Then & Now
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Clark
& Kline's Memoirs Tips
Elaine: Make an appointment with yourself-and keep it! Set aside 15-20 minutes a day or an hour or two once a week at a specific time. You will be surprised at how much you can write in just 15-20 minutes. The important thing is to make a commitment. You don't have to do it all at once; remember the saying, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Sherry: Ask yourself these questions: Who are you writing your memoirs for? What do you want them to know? Then write to that person/those people. Elaine: Consider writing a short "letter" to your grandchildren for special occasions. My uncle, Ernie Evans, wrote a letter to his grandchildren one Christmas just telling how the children of his day entertained themselves without television. (I was lucky enough to receive a copy since he knew I liked stories like that.) My mother-in-law, Gladys Clark, wrote her memoirs as a gift to her children on her 90th birthday. My uncle did it as a surprise for his children one Christmas. Sherry: Start out small. One story, a few photographs, and that's a start. Books can be any size, from one story and a few photographs to hundreds of pages and photographs. It's your story. When they read it, your family will appreciate your efforts. Be sure to add photographs to your memory books; they make the story come alive. Elaine: Consider putting them in a notebook or theme binder until you are ready to make a more permanent copy. You may prefer to keep it as a "work in progress." Do what works for you. Sherry: Visit with family members; ask questions, and write down all of their memories. Getting a small group together often triggers long-forgotten memories, and something one person says may jog someone else's memory. Elaine: Take a tape recorder (or video) to the next family get-together. One Christmas we asked everyone to share a few memories of "Christmas at Grandpa and Grandma's house." My great-aunt had a different set of grandparents, and we learned a lot. My grandparents had lived several different places, so cousins of different ages had different memories. The stories were fantastic! Sherry: Don't worry if you can't remember everything, just write what you can remember. What you can remember is more than they will know if you DON't write it down. Elaine: If you think of too many stories to write about them all at once, write down a list of words and phrases to jog your memory later. Write about one story each time you sit down to write, but don't let yourself feel overwhelmed. Sherry: Don't worry about using perfect grammar. Just write it down the way you or your family members talk. Your family wants to hear it the way you say it. Elaine: Amen and Amen! Tell people that they can ask someone to proof-read and correct if it really bothers them. If they really don't like to write, have them write "I remember---" like my uncle did, and let someone else do the writing. Sherry: Remember the five senses. Describe the sights, sounds, touches, tastes, and smells of your childhood. How did Grandma's house smell when she was baking bread, how did the grass around the pond feel beneath your feet, how soft were the baby chicks you used to play with, how blue was the sky over your home, What was it like walking to school, or riding the school bus. Sherry: Carry a small notebook to write down your memories when you first think of them, before they are lost! Elaine: Pull out the notebook when you are stuck in a construction zone waiting for the pilot car, at the doctor's office, or while you wait for your child to get out of soccer, football, dance, music lesson, etc.. Use spare minutes to think of stories you need to write or jot notes for ones you are ready to work on. Sherry: Take along photographs to family gatherings. Photographs are great memory triggers, and often bring back long-forgotten memories and great stories. You can also use question books, heirlooms, and other memory games as aids when interviewing family members. Elaine: When you use "Grandmother remembers" books, etc. to help you with questions on your memoirs, if you can't answer a question, maybe someone else in the family can, so leave a space, and write yourself a note to ask Aunt Sally or Uncle Hiram. That might get them interested in helping with your project or to begin writing their own memoirs. Elaine: For items that are too large to put in a book, take a picture. If there is heirloom furniture or the trunk that came across the ocean with the first settler, take a picture so everyone can have a copy, and be sure to get as much of the "story" behind the heirloom as you can. Sherry & Elaine: If you don't know what to write about, many how-to-write memoir books have question lists to help jog your memory. Many of them have great question lists, and you will be surprised at what you do remember. There are also "Grandmother/Grandfather Remembers Books, Your Life Story Books, and calendars with questions to help you get started. IMPORTANT: Check, change, or charge the batteries in your tape recorders, cameras, video cameras or laptop before starting a family history session. Take along extra film, tapes, and batteries. Nothing is more upsetting than to get started reminiscing with your family, and have the tape recorder "die", cameras run out of film or tape, or the laptop stop.
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Sherry Kline |
Elaine Clark |
Last updated 04 Jan. 2004 ----- Sherry Kline