![]() In this issue
Welcome ![]() New eBook AvailableMy new ebook Memoir Writing as a Healing Journey is available for instant download when you join NAMW. Find out more about writing to heal, the value of writing stories and going beyond journaling, and follow the writing invitations to begin your memoir today. ![]() Begin Your Memoir TodayYou’ll receive our weekly newsletter and our free report: Begin Your Memoir Today! ![]() Membership BenefitsFind out what you’ll receive as members of the NAMW website. ![]() Resources/EventsWriting Your Spiritual Memoir: WorkshopJune 8, 2008 East of Eden Writing ConferenceSeptember 5-7, 2008 NAWW 2008 TelesummitMy good friend Sheri McConnell, founder of the National Association of Women Writers, is hosting her 7th Annual Event on April 23rd and 24th. This year’s event is focused on helping you Create Your Very Own Passionate Writing Life! This event is completely free and even if you can’t attend, make sure you sign up for the free audio files and our downloadable 2008 TeleSummit Workbook. To register for this event, please visit this link. The NAWW 2008 Telesummit features: Sandy Grayson on Secrets to Getting Celebrity Endorsements, How To Get Fabulous Celebrity Endorsements for Your Business, Your Book and Your Products Sheila Bender on Hire Your Very Own Journal Keeper for Expanding Your Creative Voice Larina Kase on Standing Ovation-How to Own the Platform Renée L. Duff, Esq. on Copyright and Your Creativity Linda Joy Myers on Creating Your Memoir Marcia Yudkin on Creativity on Call-Become a More Productive Writer To register for this event, please visit this link. Once you register, you’ll also receive their free workbook that features great handouts and information from the speakers. Hope to see you at the event! ![]() NAMW Archives
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“The roofs are shining from the rain, Yet the back yards are bare and brown Welcome to all new members and sign-ups this week! In talking with memoir writers I work with in person and on the phone, I hear a lot about the need to heal. People talk to me about the desire to find a way to live easier in their own skins, a way to get past a feeling of shame and the burdens of the past. I thought I would address this subject now, especially because on May 8 AT 11 AM PDT
If you join us before May 1, you will get to hear this terrific teleseminar live and join us on the call. You can ask her your own questions about how you can use her techniques to help you heal your life. Writing to Heal: From Structure to Freewrite Kay Adams, author, therapist, and founder of Journaltherapy.com will talk about how to use writing as a healing tool. She will discuss the special techniques she’s developed over the years using writing to help heal trauma, explore memories, and put the past in perspective. You will learn how to choose what you write to help you with certain feelings and issues, and get tips on how to develop your writing skills to include more of the “hot” stories that are the most healing. Kay has planned and organized a terrific conference for this June in Denver. You can read more about her and the conference–I will be speaking there!–at www.journaltherapy.com
“This is the first day of the rest of your life!” Do you remember this saying that popped up in posters and cards in the sixties? It’s a call to action, a call to take this one day and make a difference in your life. It sounds too simple, doesn’t it? Or you say, “I’m not a writer; I don’t have time for this.” It’s interesting–we are trained in school to learn math, history, English, and science. At home, our training is whatever emotional or philosophical nuggets our parents are able to share. But most people learn through family, school, and society to suppress their feelings. I’m not talking about just letting them loose all over other people, but finding an appropriate way to release negative feelings. We are taught to be nice, polite, suppress and repress feelings that get tangled up inside us, with no model for how to solve them. We pass our math exam, but end up with our feelings making us sick. Feelings are fleeting, they need an outlet that doesn’t hurt anyone. We can’t fly off at the boss, we are supposed to treat our parents with respect. But what about the way the boss gave another person a raise instead of you? What about parents who don’t play fair, have favorites, refuse to discuss issues that come up in the family? What about a spouses or partners who don’t know how to resolve issues, and who don’t consider therapy an option? What about forgiveness that has not happened yet, or the desire to reconnect with a long lost friend. What about memories that sustain you and special times that you remember? These jewels are important to gather and value. Your pen and paper, or your computer, can be your best friend, your witness, your guide into peace of mind, and a greater sense of connectedness and bliss. This is how you do it:
It is important to know yourself and your feelings. You can feel better in twenty minutes. Write like this every day. This is the first day of the rest of your healthy life.
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We offer inspiration, connection, and support Stay tuned for our teleseminar series, Be Brave–Write Your Story! Weekly Memoir Vignette Prompts
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