This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises to practice noticing and remembering.

GO FIND SOMETHING ORDINARY AND TELL US ABOUT IT.

Look around you. What is something ‘ordinary’ that you really haven’t given two thoughts about. Give it two thoughts-or three. Notice something that never gets noticed.

This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises to practice the skill of noticing and remembering.

What have you tried to repair? Go.

I realized I really haven’t had to repair much in my life (and clearly am not very successful). Perhaps that’s a result of our ‘throw-away’ society and the availability of inexpensive electronics and other products. Easier to toss things out and buy a new one. I bet if I asked this question of my parents or grandparents they would have many more memories and experiences. HAVE YOU TRIED TO REPAIR ANYTHING LATELY?

This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises.

We all come from someplace.      Where do you come from?    How did you escape? Go for ten.

This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises.

I was asked by a slicer why I chose to write out my slices and share the notebook pages. Here are my thoughts on that.

I want to write out my memories by hand. I find my thought process is very different when I do that. I think the slowness of it (compared to my typing speed) invites me to linger/envision a bit more and a bit longer and I am more immersed in the memories. I can often type at the speed of memory, but the handwriting puts it all in slow motion, which if you think about it in videos and movies, brings importance, nostalgia, and, focus to the moment. I would encourage everyone to reflect on how your tools shape your writing and your remembering.

What have you waited a long time for? Go. Ten minutes

This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises.

EASILY OFFENDED? Skip my slice today and come back tomorrow. My religion memories are from a child’s perspective and probably bordering on blasphemy. 😉

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This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises.

Name 3 times when it came to you clearly that you wanted to write memoir. 10 Minutes.  I noticed a pattern of emotional events when I took the time to think about it.

This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises.

Today’s spark from Natalie: “Tell me about how you drink coffee. When? Where?…A whole world exists in coffee. Glean those details…Go. Ten minutes.” Here is my ten minute slice.

Do you drink coffee? Tea? Hot cocoa?  What’s your ritual. What details do you think of?

This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises.

In this writing SPARK, Golberg asks us us to tell her, “What will you miss when you die?” I gave myself 5 minutes, because I wanted to see what would bubble up first-my life has been so wonderful I could write a tome on what I’d miss if I gave myself enough time.

What will you miss when you die?

This March I will be participating in the month-long Slice of Life Challenge. Each day I will be posting a ‘slice’ from my life. This year I am using Natalie Goldberg’s book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir to provide my sparks for memoir writing. Each post will be a quick write using one of Natalie’s exercises.

In this memoir SPARK, I have 2 to 3 minutes to respond to each memory prompt.

See what Natalie is teaching us about? Using our senses when we write. Sound, taste, touch, sight, and smell.  What do you remember when you lean on your senses for memories?