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Mirror Image – A Poem
Mirror Image © 2018 Beverley J. Hanna I look in the mirror and what do I see? A grizzled old hag who looks nothing like me; She’s wrinkled and fat and has hairs on her chin. I’m vital and slim and she’s ugly as sin. Inside, I’m a girl with the hubris of youth. My thoughts are self-centred, judgemental, uncouth. “I’m fit and I’m smart and I’m quite lovely too. “I couldn’t turn into a Wrinkly like you.” And yet as we stare at each other’s visage The more I accept that it’s not a mirage. ‘Cause each missing tooth, each wrinkle and scarring Are stories that tell of a…
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Exploring the Antarctic at 96
There’s a gentleman in my writing group whom I’m proud to call my friend. An inspiration to me, he’s been writing his autobiography for the past several years. He’s been an explorer, an intrepid sailor, an engineer, an immigrant and a family man. He’s navigated his sailboat down the eastern seaboard to the Caribbean from the Great Lakes, sailed across the Atlantic, circumnavigated the globe and just last winter, travelled through the Panama Canal, around the Horn of South America and visited the Antarctic Peninsula. This epic voyage was a gift to himself for his 96th birthday and his written descriptions of this awe-inspiring land near the south pole were…
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To Lie or Not to Lie, That is the Question
So you’re cruising along, writing your life story and suddenly, you run head-first into an ethical dilemma. If you tell your story the way you intended, someone’s going to be hurt. Maybe you’re the victim of a crime or even a participant in a crime. Maybe a friend or family member has skeletons they’d really prefer to be left in the closet. If you tell the full story, someone may be imprisoned, revealed, or merely embarrassed. What do you do? Do you lie, prevaricate? Or do you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? When is it acceptable to lie, and when is it not? Lie…
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The Purpose of Memoirs – Why Write Them?
Have you given any thought to why you want to write your life story? There are many reasons for writing memoirs, different for every individual. Before you start on such a large project, you should have a clear grasp of your own purpose in order to avoid a lot of re-writing later. Without clarity, your story could be confused, rambling and full of holes. With a solid “Why” or purpose, your story will be coherent with a clear narrative drive that pulls your reader along and keeps him engaged. The Purpose of Memoirs Often when an individual wants to write their life story it may be a way to leave…
