mishmont wrote:

I woke up afraid Ellie would never speak to me again after this review.

Are you kidding? I woke up thinking how much I love that we have this smaller group and how grateful I am. I work Saturdays from 3-11 pm at a group home, the same one I mentioned in Up home Again. I quit in July 2004, but went back in August 2006. So I wasn't on the site late yesterday. I checked my account this morning, but haven't been awake enough to respond. I'll catch up later in the day, but for now THANK YOU.

Ok, I'm awake now. I am placing graphs 3, 4, 5, & 6 of the prologue in a much later chapter about senior college where I take a course on memoir. I truly appreciate that we have formed a group where I can ask a question or seek help. I think that it is this group that has me going forward. Thank you again.

I am a minimalist when it comes to memoir characters.  I want depth on a few characters, rather than breadth on the many people in the author's life.  But I think both are valid ways to go.

Sleep, dear Ellie, and come back to us with open bronchia and a new chapter!

I'll weigh in on William's comment however late. I think we all get a little hung up on the word was around here. My favorite authors aren't afraid to use it so I have just been kind of letting my words flow lately. If was is included then so be it. If I try to get around it sometimes it sounds stilted.

Ellie be sure to let us know when you post another chapter. I don't always check the read and review. I left a review on the last one, I think, and I don't really have any more to add.

Nancy

Hope you're up and feeling better soon Ellie!

EllieO wrote:

Here is my thread - finally. Lately I have been very busy not getting much done. I currently have four major projects.

1. Up Home Again - this is my memoir and my major project right now. Blurb:Up Home Again is the story of a woman who makes her peace with a haunting childhood in a beautiful place when she returns to Maine to resolve her current personal dilemmas.

2. Red Right Returning - fiction about a woman named Nell who returns to the Maine coast after years away. She reconnects with some people she knew and sees women and girls that remind her of herself in various stages of her life. Fiction, honest.

3.Stories of Freedom - a collection of short stories from my youth. Vignettes of my life in Freedom, Maine.

4. Writing Thru It - my self designed course and my blog. I am passionate about the transformative power of writing. Besides this I am also working on a course about personal mythology with a friend of mine who is a Jungian therapist.

I have not been getting much done in the last few weeks, but now at least I feel more organized having laid this out for my thread. I am excited that we have this group started because I've wanted a creative non fiction area on the site. It's good to have someplace where we don't have to explain that we are not writing fiction. Maybe we should have a motto like "Prologues Allowed". Well maybe better than that.

I'm outta here - on retreat - where I will, in one week, finish all the things quoted above. yeah. Talk to you next week.

Makes sense to me.  I don't know if reviewers can comment in the forums, but if so, drop by from time to time.  Though I have a feeling this particular group has pretty well broken up.

Though funny, I was thinking I am going to try to get back to reviewing and of course your memoir is on the list.

Enjoy your productivity, see you at Barnes and Noble!