Love to Write

Are you interested in a face-to-face, six-week class in Orlando where you will: attend two-hour classes for six consecutive weeks (day of week and afternoon/early evening sessions, depending upon class members' schedules) participate in a fun and lively class open to only six or seven members where you receive lots of personal attention receive one copy…

Fall is upon us. The season brings us autumn colors, holidays, and happy memories. One thing that also comes with fall—school. It may seem like such a long time ago or recent, but we all went to school and we all have stories from our experience there. What is your favorite memory about school? Who was…

I work with such wonderful people who have exciting stories to tell. This week, I want to introduce Terry Neuman to our readers; she is working on a fun collection of stories for her family. WYL: Can you tell our readers about your project? I finally completed the umpteenth draft of my memoir, Growing Up Schwartz. And why did I…

I work with many writers hoping to one day see their work in print, and I see how hard they strive to perfect their craft. If this is you, Writing Your Life would like to help. This week, focus on writing a short blurb of no more than 750 words and email it to patricia@writingyourlife.org so…

Genealogy connects loved ones to another in surprising ways, and this week, I want to share with you a story about the possibilities family history research provides. Gil Smith is a close family friend of Catheryne, my assistant. Earlier this year, Gil and his wife Karen purchased an Ancestry DNA kit, and their results were astounding.…

Patience is the ability to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset. As best-selling author, Joy Meyer, writes in her book Battlefield of the Mind: Winning the Battle in Your Mind, “Patience is not the ability to wait but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. “ That’s easy…

Last week's newsletter broadly explained some differences between my trusty sixteenth edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and the seventeenth edition that arrives in September. I thought I'd mention a few specific updates in subsequent newsletters, starting with the singular they. This CMOS Shop Talk Article discusses the singular they updates in depth, so I thought I'd share them with you. We…

I recently read a wonderful article about efforts made to maintain literacy during the Great Depression. For younger readers, it might be hard to imagine the need to preserve the ability to read, especially in today's information age. During the Great Depression, however, great heroes in The Pack Horse Library Initiative, traveled to rural locations to…

I recently read a fun article about jobs that no longer exist, and it got me thinking about the continued value of the work of writing. The article reminds all of us how we preserve history and memories through our stories. What would happen if we didn't write stories about the past? Would we forget how far…

Join me at the 21st Annual Central Florida Family History Conference on Saturday, November 4th, 2017, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. for one of the largest family history conferences on the East Coast of the United States. This regional event at Olympia High School in Orlando brings world-class speakers from all over the country to…