Last week I gave presentations at a week-long adult education conference sponsored by Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. Held annually the third week of August since 1922, Campus Education Week attracts around 20,000 attendees from all over the world, though primarily from the Western United States. It’s an incredible undertaking for the event planners, with over a thousand classes offered on an array of topics.

I taught a three-hour class on the first day of the conference focused on family history writing, then partnered with my husband to present one-hour presentations on personal history writing the four remaining days of the event.

This is my eighth year teaching at Education Week. I always come away from the experience touched and inspired by the many wonderful people I’ve met who are fired with a sense of mission to write their personal and family stories. I regret that I can’t spend more time with them, for  I understand the magnitude of the task they’ve set for themselves and know the days, months, and years ahead will be fraught with all the questions, frustrations, and self-doubt that go with the territory.

As I talked with people before and after my classes, I was reminded of the universal nature of the concerns we all face when we contemplate writing our stories:

• Are our lives worth writing about? Will anyone read our stories and find them interesting? (Yes, and yes…more than you’ll ever realize.)
• Do I have the ability to write an interesting story? (Yes. Everyone’s life is interesting. Just tell your story in your voice. You want to sound like yourself. Remember to make it personal. Share your thoughts and feelings. Let readers know how events affected you. Don’t just write what you DID; explain who you ARE.)
• How do I handle all the sensitive, sometimes dark, issues in my life? How much should I tell? (Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer to this question, but we all have to grapple with this problem and find a solution we can live with. Your solution will depend on balancing a variety of competing concerns: your purpose for writing, the relevance of your sensitive issues to your life, your audience/readers, your commitment to the truth, and your tone. I think tone is key. You can say the same thing in different ways. A tone of compassion, fairness, and forgiveness allows you more room to tell your truth with less offense. This may seem like a simplistic answer, but your decision will come down to striking a balance between these factors.)

When I finished teaching my last class on Friday afternoon, I felt a bit like my parents must have felt when they dropped me off at BYU as a college freshman years ago. As they drove away in their yellow Chevrolet Impala from the Helaman Halls dorms where they left me, I’m sure it wasn’t long before one of them said, “Well, we’ve done what we could. She’s on her own now.”

It was true…to an extent. But I had classes and books and mentors to inspire and teach me how to proceed on my own. It’s my hope that those of you who attend my conference presentations will seek out writing classes at your community college or adult education center to keep you motivated to write. If you can’t find a class, start a writing group with other like-minded people. Writing is such a solitary pursuit, it’s vital that you find some way to keep yourself motivated. Finally, read published memoirs to learn how other people have written about their lives. I’ve posted a list of excellent memoirs in the “Reading Resources” section of this blog.

Good luck to all of you…and keep plugging!

If you live in the Salt Lake City area, or are looking for another excuse to head that way to do some genealogy research, you should plan your schedule to take in an excellent conference, “Saving Lives, One Story at at Time,” sponsored by the Utah Chapter of the Association of Personal Historians, on October 15 at Westminster College.   Twelve workshop options will be offered between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., presented by professional personal historians. In addition to the workshops, the conference will include a Video and Readers Theater featuring polished sample stories, panel discussions, product displays and more. The keynote address will be given by Jeanne Archer, past president of the Association of Personal Historians. The cost is $65. Drop by the conference website, personalhistory conference.com, for more information and where you’ll find a great article by Rainey Christofferson titled “Ten Tips to Help You Jump-Start Your Family History Project.”

Utah APH is a chapter of the Association of Personal Historians, a not-for-profit international trade association dedicated to helping individuals, organizations, and communities preserve their histories, memories, and stories. APH provides personal history resources to the public and education, training, and networking opportunities to professional personal historians. I have been a member of this organization for several years. It’s a great resource for people looking for a professional to ghostwrite, edit, scan and edit photos, create family history videos, and create beautiful keepsake family books.

I am excited to be  giving two presentations at the conference and was interviewed recently by Deseret News, one of the two primary Utah newspapers, because of my participation. My interview was published in yesterday’s edition of the Deseret News. You can read it here.

My husband and I had the great opportunity last week to teach four days at a week-long adult education event called Campus Education Week, sponsored by Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The university has been hosting this program for years, always the third week in August, and it draws folks from all over the country looking to get away from home for a while to learn something new or find that proverbial shot in the arm they need to meet a challenge or pursue a dream.

This year’s 20,000 attendees could choose from the more than 1000 classes taught from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. Many stay in the university dorms, likely resurrecting memories of the good old days when their bones better weathered those thin dorm-room mattresses. Provo’s many hotels offer more comfort and privacy and run at full capacity all week.

I’ve attended this event a few times as a student some years ago, and have taught classes there on numerous occasions.  When I teach, I always attend other classes when I’ve finishing my own presentations. I always come away from the week invigorated, my head full of things I’ve learned, brimming with ideas and goals for self-improvement. It’s a great program.

My husband and I enjoy the opportunity to teach together. Two heads are better than one, and we learn from each other. I believe our students enjoy hearing our two perspectives. This year we focused on the following concepts, one taught each day:

• Who Am I?—Revealing Yourself through Your Story
• Putting Your Readers in Your World—It’s All in the Details
• Making It Real—Showing vs. Telling
• Writing Honestly about Sensitive Issues—Telling Your Emotional Truth

While a few of the 350 people who attended our class had heard us speak before, the majority had not. I enjoy presenting our writing techniques to new people, many who have not thought about using scenes and dialogue in their personal histories or know the difference between “showing and telling.” When I first introduce these concepts, I sometimes perceive some reticence in the faces of my listeners. I’ve been at it long enough that I generally know what they want to say to me: “I can’t write lile this”; “I don’t want to write like this because it’s imbellishing the truth.” I know, though, that if they hear me out and consider the various examples I show them, they’ll generally come around…which is what happened again this week. The energy and enthusiasm I observed by week’s end told me my husband and I had expanded their vision of what they could do with their stories.

People are always concerned about addressing those difficult issues all families experience: people who have hurt them; personal failings; relatives who are difficult to be around but who have played a major role in their lives. How do you write honestly about these thorny problems? We saved this lecture for the last day, but invited students to let us know in advance what topics were giving them trouble. Many took us up on our invitation, providing us with plenty of material to discuss in Friday’s class.

Friday came, and as my husband and I discussed the problems and the various issues people need to consider, we assured them that there is no right or wrong answer. Sometimes we had different opinions, creating kind of a “He Said/She Said” scenario that our audience found entertaining and, hopefully, educational. We needed twice as much time as we were allotted to address these sticky, sometimes painful, issues—which means we have something left to teach next year.

Writing is a difficult, lonely occupation, one that resurrects all kinds of insecurities. Is our writing any good, or are we just laboring under some self-delusion? Do we have anything interesting to say? Does the world need one more book? Surely our time be better spent doing something else…anything else. I have these thoughts, and I know my students struggle with with similar issues.

Even professional writers who have every reason to feel confident wrestle with niggling doubts. I read an interview of award-winning novelist Ivan Doig in today’s Salt Lake Tribune. (I’m in Utah this month presenting some seminars.)  Doig has recently published his latest book, Work Song. After Doig explains that he hits the keyboard by 6:30 each morning and tries to write a “couple of hundred words a day,” the interviewer says, “[Y]ou’ve been publishing books for more than 30 years. Does it get any easier?” Doig answers simply, “No. I wish.” Hmmmm.

I write all this as background for sharing the recent accomplishments of some of my students who have garnered accolades in writing competitions. I encourage them to submit their stories to contests because it motivates them to polish their pieces and gives them something to shoot for. Most of my students are of retirement age. Entering a contest is therapeutic, a good way to show the world (and themselves) that they still have something to contribute. Besides all the psychological benefits, entering contests is just plain fun.

Marta Sarkissian, a talented writer who attends my classes, explained her participation in contests this way:  I think these two prizes have given me validation as a writer and helped me to believe I am a writer. When I think I am, then it become ok to spend more time at it. I have stopped worrying about taking time from my writing for contests, for I realize that the added scrutiny and effort make a better piece of writing….it is an exercise. I have been surprised and delighted by the warm reception I have received.

I take pride in the fact that my students have done well in past competitions. A year or so ago, several students took nearly all the top prizes in the Southern California Genealogy Society writing competition, a prestigious contest that draws submissions from all over the world. I’ve been informed of more awards recently and couldn’t be happier for these students. I know what this recognition means to them and to their confidence as writers, and I’m certain that this recognition will spur them on to further achievement. I tip my hat to the following students for accomplishments of various kinds:

• Marta Sarkissian, who won second place for her story ”Love Demands” in the Soul Making Literary Competition sponsored by Washington, D.C.’s National League of American Pen Women this spring, AND third prize in Sheila Bender’s Writing It Real contest for her story ”Searching for Mother in the Cochise Stronghold.” You can read her award-winning “Searching”story HERE.  Marta had this to say about her participation in writing contests:  “I think these two prizes have given me validation as a writer and helped me to believe I am a writer. When I think I am, then it becomes ok to spend more time at it. I have stopped worrying about taking time from my writing for contests, for I realize that the added scrutiny and effort make a better piece of writing….it is an exercise. I have been surprised and delighted by the warm reception I have received.”
• Carol Enos, who garnered TWO prizes in the 2009 Southern California Genealogy Society Writing Competition: third place for her story, “The Hessians,” and honorable mention for her story, “The Cursed War.” I posted Carol’s “The Hessians”on my blog earlier HERE.
• Mary (Betty) Nelson, who received an honorable mention award by the Southern California Genealogy Society for her story, “Acceptance,” published earlier on my blog HERE.
• Diana Kightlinger, who received an honorable mention award for her story “My Dad, Sam,” in the Sheila Bender “Righting it Real” essay competition.
• Jean Lechner, who had her story “Spring Cleaning” published in the quarterly journal of the Story Circle Network.
• Linda Missouri, who was selected “member of the month” in June by the National Association of Memoir Writers. Read her insightful NAMW interview HERE.
• Students, if I missed anyone, please let me know.

FYI, I have several workshop scheduled in the next few months. I will be giving a four-day seminar at Brigham Young University from August 16 to 20. You can find more information about this seminar HERE.

On Saturday, September 18 I’ll be presenting at the Chino Valley Family History and Genealogy Seminar in Chino Hills, California. For more information about this worthwhile, all-day event, go HERE.

Those who live in the Salt Lake City area should be aware of the fine all-day conference sponsored by the Utah chapter of the Association of Personal Historians, held at Westminster College on Friday, October 15. The conference is titled “Saving Lives, One Story at a Time.” I will teach two classes that day, joining many other instructors who will cover various aspects of writing, interviewing, publishing, creating family history videos, and more. You’ll find more information about this conference HERE.

Finally, the National Association of Memoir Writers honored me as “Member of the Month” for July. Check out my interview HERE.

I just returned from a dynamite conference for female memoir writers hosted by the highly esteemed Story Circle Network in Austin, Texas. I have been a member of SCN for about a year and have been impressed by the excellent online resources the organization provides to life story writers of all kinds. It offers online writing classes, online writing groups, editing services, book reviews, and much more, besides providing a variety of publications that teach and motivate.  I’ve occasionally asked myself, “Where do these women find the time to do all they do for this organization?” Most of it comes free with an amazingly reasonable annual membership fee. The women who run this organization are experienced writers who generously share their time to encourage the development of other writers. Susan Wittig Albert, SCN’s founder, is the author of more than 30 books! (Susan is pictured left in top photo, along with Peggy Moody, another SCN board member.)

While I had become an “Internet groupie” of SCN, I didn’t have a full sense of the organization’s strengths and wide reach until I attended its national conference last week. Frankly, I probably wouldn’t have gone had I not been invited to present a workshop. Conferences are expensive when you factor in air travel and hotel fees. I thought SCN did a fine job keeping the conference costs affordable, however. So I went…and had a great time, not only presenting a workshop, but also mingling and learning from others.

A few things stood out. The conference attracts and addresses the needs of women of all ages and backgrounds–and writing abilities. Close to 200 women attended, and what a friendly, welcoming bunch it was! What an atmosphere of sharing and learning together. I loved the whole experience. I attended as many classes as I could, taught by inspiring, well-prepared teachers who got us thinking, digging deep into our psyches, and writing. I returned home full of ideas I plan to use in my California classes and in my own writing. (Bottom photo: That’s me selling books in the conference vendors’ area.)

So, if you’re a gal who’s looking for more ideas and inspiration to keep you writing your story, check out the SCN website. An annual membership only costs $35–a real deal, considering what you get for it. You’ll be joining a group of more than 600 women from all over the world, all writing their life stories.