Designing a Digital Course for Life Storytelling Writers #digitalcourse #lifestorytelling

Hello and welcome! Because the fifth Wednesday of the month is my serendipitous blog post, I have chosen to fill you in on my latest passion.

 I've had an amazing month. I signed up for Amy Porterfield's Digital Course Kick Starter Bootcamp. ( I can't link to it because the FB page will be archived before this blog post publishes.) 

JQ leading a workshop on Life Storytelling

I have wanted to design a course on telling life stories for a long time. Because I am a life storytelling evangelist, I believe a course will give me the opportunity to reach more people who are interested in writing or making videos of their life stories to share with family and future generations. Besides, I love teaching the participants and watching them light up when they understand how to jog their memories and record their stories. Once a teacher, always a teacher.

I believe everyone should tell their life story, and I take every opportunity to spread the word about how to write or record life stories. In fact, I will be presenting an in-person workshop on October 5, 6:30 pm at the Fremont Area District Library, Fremont, Michigan. If you're in the area, please come!

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Guide for Sharing Memories

I will use my guide for telling life stories, Your Words, Your Life Story: A Guide for Sharing Memories as the basis for the course. Amy really inspired me to begin working on this course which includes an expansion of the book and my in-person workshops. I've only been presenting this in-person workshop for twenty years, so perhaps now is the time to create the course! 

Learning the process for producing success with the workshop has been exciting as well as frightening. Amy covers the technology and how to offe the course to folks to purchase. Fingers crossed, I can figure it all out!

I will update you as I tackle this new project and try to keep up with writing too. 

If you are interested in a digital course on life storytelling, please email, send a DM or leave a comment below. 

Have you taken a course online? Please tell us about that experience in the comment section below. 

Thank you.

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Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle Facebook Group
Come and join us!

In the meantime, click here to join my FB group, 

Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle, for life storytelling. We'd love to welcome you. 

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My Life and My Writing Life Updates by J.Q. Rose

 

Preparing for my kitchen remodel

My Life and My Writing Life Updates by J.Q. Rose

Hello and welcome! Just a quick stop-over this week to update you on the happenings going on in my life and writing life. 

MY LIFE: 

The photo is my kitchen. Yes, we unloaded all the cabinets so we could tear them out and replace them with new cabinets. Tearing out is the operative expression. What a mess. But oh what fun to have a great project like this. Living through it may be a test for my left-brained tendency. 

This is an important project, not only because it will be quite an improvement to my 15-year-old kitchen, but especially because my hubby, GT, is strong enough to do the job this year. In the past 3 years, he has had a hip replacement, a shoulder replacement, and a do-over on the first hip replacement because it was loose. That recovery was more difficult than the original. 

Last summer he was strong enough to work in the garden. And we had a fantastic year for gardening. That experience really built his muscles and stamina. He was ready to be active in Florida, so here we go ripping out the kitchen.

WRITING LIFE: 

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir
Official launch date January 1
Pre-order and Paperback available December 1

1. I am thrilled to report that I have turned in the ms for my memoir, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir, to my publisher. Now I am working on writing a book description for the sales page and choosing keywords to draw readers to my book. 

Here's the latest book description with help from my friend and memoirist, Nan Sanders Pokerwinski and mystery author, W S Gager:

In 1975, budding entrepreneurs Ted and Janet purchase a floral shop and greenhouses where they plan to grow their dream. Leaving friends and family behind in Illinois and losing the security of two paychecks, they transplant themselves, their one-year-old daughter, and all their belongings to Fremont, Michigan, where they know no one. 

Will the retiring business owners nurture Ted and Janet as they struggle to develop a blooming business, or will they desert the young couple to wither and die in their new environment?

Most of all, can Ted and Janet grow together as they cultivate a loving marriage, juggle parenting with work, and root a thriving business?

This part of the publishing business is the most difficult for me. Writing someone else's description is easier than writing my own. 

Keyword choices are one of the things that drive interest in the book. The other elements needed to make a sale after the book is discovered are an eye-catching book cover and the description sometimes known as the "blurb." Hopefully, these will garner readers who will leave reviews that get amazon's attention.

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Guide for Sharing Memories by J.Q. Rose

This book is a collection of information I use in my Life Storytelling Workshops to begin your life story.

2. I created a how-to book on writing life stories, Your Words,Your Life Story: A Guide for Sharing Memories and published it in December. Now I am following that up with a companion book with topics to spark memories. This journal for life storytellers allows the writer to keep their stories in a safe place.

New book cover for Girls Succeed!
I'm not sure if this is the one. What do you think?

3. Revising, updating and adding new content to my eBook for inspiring girls to dream big, Girls Succeed! Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women. The chapters are mini-biographies of amazing women who are fantastic role models for girls 10-14 years old. 

Do you see a theme here about life stories--mine, yours, and these wonderful women who trusted me to tell their story?

November is Life Writing Month. I hope you will consider writing down some stories for your family and friends. You can start with how 2020 has affected your life. You are an eyewitness to history and I'm sure there will be all kinds of stories about it. You can tell the truth about this year with your experiences and not let the media spin it the way they reported it.

If you'd like some tips on writing, recording or making a video of your life story, please click here to join my FB group, Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle.

The Rose Courier will be delivered this Friday if you have signed up.
Click here if you wish to keep up-to-date with JQ Rose,
read articles, meet new authors, get freebies and more.

Thank you for stopping in. If you're an author, do you find it difficult to write your book description?
If you're a reader, what helps you decide to buy a book when browsing online or in a brick and mortar store?

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop Report on my FB Live Experiment in Life Storytelling

 

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog and to the Author Toolbox Blog Hop #AuthorToolboxBlogHop which meets every third Wednesday of the month to share resources and tips for authors. Thanks to Raimey Gallant for hosting this venture. 

Please join us to learn more about the craft of writing and to meet bloggers who are dedicated to helping each other become the best writers possible. Click here to visit other blog hop participants.

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Wednesday Write-In on Telling Your Life Story and Memoir Circle

FB LIVE is another tool in your marketing toolbox. I started trying it out in 2018 at my FB author page, J.Q. Rose, Author. 

Last month I told you I would report back on the experiment I used at my FB Group, Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle.  On Wednesday, July 15, at 9 a.m., I began the write-in challenge for three Wednesdays in a row.  The challenge was to begin writing about a topic for ten minutes, then the next week the challenge was for fifteen minutes and the third week was for twenty minutes on the topic I suggested or for one of the writer chose.

The first prompt was to write about food--your favorite to eat or prepare.

The first writing prompt of the write-in challenge.

I got the idea for this write-in from an online workshop presented by Leslie Leyland-Fields for life storytellers. The writers who participated in the workshop were enthusiastic about having ten minutes of writing time together to do our own thing. Leslie played music during the time, but I did not because the music she played was not conducive to my writing. I turned down the volume on my laptop. 

After the introduction to the suggested writing topic, I set the timer and moved out of the screen to let the folks write IF anyone was there. Turned out I had one live participant who said hi. After the event, I did get some comments from a few folks and 24 views. I had hoped to have some interactive discussion on how well this idea was received. Was it helpful? Did you get something down on the paper? Did it spark ideas for future writing?

I checked back several times to see if someone had shared their piece in the comment section, but at this writing, no one has. 

As I look at the video now, I see how insecure I was about using FB Live. I had used it 2 years ago, but I have been using Streamyard lately. The FB dashboard was different. Though I had practiced with it, I floundered at the beginning of the video, probably because of nerves. 

Let me just say, it wasn't exactly exciting video! 😁 In fact, it was boring. And so embarrassing that my ring light reflected in my glasses. Very distracting. I usually don't wear my glasses for video because of that problem. 

The second write-in writing prompt was to write about friends.

Friends was the suggested topic for the second FB Live video

The good news is the video was much better. I wasn't so hesitant and felt more in control. The bad news is I received no live participants and no comments and only 14 views. 

I know people are busy and finding the right time for everyone to get together and write is difficult. So for the third session, I just posted a note that the writers could set their timer for 20 minutes and write on their own. Honestly, I didn't want to put on my make up and do my hair and sit alone for 20 minutes. 

So, to sum up the experience, from 1 (horrible) to 5 (fantastic), I would rate it as a 2. I did gain some self confidence using the FB Live dashboard, but I really like Streamyard because it makes the banners to use on the bottom third of the screen. Maybe FB will offer that perk eventually.

One good thing to come out of it is I am now offering a writing prompt every Wednesday because I discovered that is one thing my life storytellers want. Writing prompts spark memories and that is our goal as life storytellers and memoirists.

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Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories 

by J.Q. Rose

Click here for more information at amazon.com

You're not sure what the difference is between life stories and memoirs? Click here to join us at the FB group to discover videos and tips on life storytelling. 

The group discussion is based on the journal, Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories available at amazon.com

Have you tried FB Live or do you watch them? Please tell us about your experience in a comment below. Thank you.

Thanks so much for stopping in. I hope you'll visit more bloggers and pick up tips and inspiration along the hop. 

Click here to visit other blog hop participants.

Sign up for The Rose Courier

Click here to get the updates from J.Q. Rose, articles,  newsworthy events and giveaways in the Rose Courier. Delivered to your inbox once a month.   

Thank you!!

3 Reasons to Create a Facebook Group #Authortoolbox Blog Hop

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog and to the Author Toolbox Blog Hop #AuthorToolboxBlogHop which meets every third Wednesday of the month to share resources and tips for authors. Thanks to Raimey Gallant for hosting this venture. 

Please join us to learn more about the craft of writing and to meet bloggers who are dedicated to helping each other become the best writers possible. Click here to visit other blog hop participants.

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Why Create a Facebook Group? by J.Q. Rose

Do you have an author page on Facebook? Have you considered creating a Facebook Group Page? I opened my group in January, Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle, and I'm enjoying interacting with folks who are interested in telling their life stories. Every author will have a different goal for their group.  I listed below 3 reasons why I created my group.

Why Create a Facebook Group?

3 Reasons to Create a Facebook Group:

1. Mentoring--My book,Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories, is based on my workshops on life storytelling. The best part of the class was always the time when the participants volunteered to share a life story with us. I was amazed at the gamut of topics folks wrote about and how well they presented such emotional and funny pieces to the members; the participants also appreciated the stories which sparked memories from their lives too. Lively conversations followed the readings.  

Writing memories in the journal offers no way to share the stories with a group. So to give that supportive, interactive piece of the class, I created a Facebook group where it is possible to inspire, motivate, teach, spark memories and a place to post their writings, video or audio recording.

The closed group assures privacy and safety for those who wish to contribute. You do not have to buy my book to join the group.

2.  Author Platform--A group based on your fiction or non-fiction book is perfect for your fans. If your book is about gardening or historical romance, your group may be based on gardening or the era that is the backdrop of your story. Members get perks like unveiling the book cover, being the first to read excerpts, deciding or suggesting a character's name, offering opinions through polls, helping you with research.  Use social media to allow people to get to know, like and trust you, the author. You bet they will share about the book and about you. The members will become a "street team" who are happy to shout about you and your book.

3.  Marketing--If you haven't already realized it, being an author means you are operating a business. You are an entrepreneur with a product to sell. You wrote the book and you want folks to have the experience of reading it for entertainment, information, awareness and so many other reasons. If not, why bother to write it? 

Caution: Avoid saying "buy my book, buy my book, buy my book" every day!

Are you a member of a Facebook group? Why? 
If you have created a group, please tell us about it and why you decided to create a FB group. Please share the link below in the comments.

Thank you for visiting.  Click here to visit other blog hop participants.

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I am a life storytelling evangelist. 

I want everyone to tell his/her story. 

Your life is important. 

Join the Facebook group and/or pick up the Journal or eBook to learn how to begin.

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories
by J.Q. Rose

↪Click here to join the Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle Facebook group. 

↪Click here to order the paperback, Your Words, Your Life Story so you can begin telling YOUR life story. This book is a great gift for Father's Day!

Watch the Youtube video from self-publishing expert Dale Roberts in his interview with Facebook guru, Scott Jay Marshal II, about creating and growing a Facebook Group.

VIDEO: Grow Your Facebook Group

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Photo courtesy of Canva.com

Have a fantastic Father's Day!

From JQ Rose

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Yes You CAN Do Video! Giveaway

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop

Hello and welcome to the Focused on Story Blog and to the Author Toolbox Blog Hop #AuthorToolboxBlogHop which meets every third Wednesday of the month to share resources and tips for authors. Thanks to Raimey Gallant for hosting this venture. 

Please join us to learn more about the craft of writing and to meet bloggers who are dedicated to helping each other become the best writers possible. Click here to visit other blog hop participants.

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Yes! You CAN Do Video!

Movie Camera
Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 

Hands down, video attracts and keeps your viewers/readers on your page 

longer than just text and even longer than photos. 

Photos used to be the HOT item to get people interested in your page. 

Enter the 21st Century and check out some tools to help you create videos. Use them on your blog, social media pages, emails, newsletters. It's fun!

🎥 🎥 🎥 🎥 🎥

Here are FREE tools for you to use to make videos

Microsoft PowerPoint-- This program uses slides. Audio can be added to them to make a wonderful presentation. I have used this program to make movies of our travels and presentations for my Life Storytelling Workshops. 

ZOOM  

LOOM --a Chrome Extension

Vidyard --a Chrome Extension

StreamYard --a Chrome Extension

 First, use the Chrome browser. Click here to take you to the Google Chrome Extension Store. Search Vidyard in the box, then click add to Chrome.

Facebook Live 

YouTube 

Video camera/smartphone camera/webcam on a laptop--Definitely not free, but if you have a smartphone, make use of the video camera. You can have someone video you or do it yourself by setting up the video camera or smartphone on a tripod or sit back and relax in front of your webcam on your laptop. 

🎥But, you ask, how do I learn how to use all these tools? The answer is to watch YouTube VIDEOS on each one.!!! Of course. Play around with them. I suggest you start by using FB Live or YouTube Live. 

🎥If you don't want to be on camera, then make a slide show using PowerPoint and narrate the slides as if you were presenting to an audience. 

🎥I collected all these possibilities for making videos to encourage people to tell their life stories via video because many folks are not writers. You can video yourself or your grandma to tell her story. Just think what a precious gift that could be for the family. These video tools are listed in Chapter 2--Not a Writer? Not a Problem in Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories. If you need some help sparking memories, how to organize your story and/or how to publish it, click here.

A GIFT FOR YOU

I put together a collection of five quirky stories to give you a break from the burden of dealing with so many challenges, frustration, illness and sadness due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please download these approximately 1000 word stories which were originally published on this blog for the Storytime Blog Hop.

Time Out While Staying In: FREE--
Five Quirky Short Stories by J.Q. Rose

I've had a lot of fun re-visiting and revising them for you. Sit back for a few minutes and take it easy. You deserve it. I hope you get a laugh or a gasp when you read the stories.
Click here to download the file.

We will get through this difficult time. I think we'll be surprised at how many things will change for the better as a result.

Hugs from J.Q. Rose

PS--

Click the image in the sidebar or click here to sign up to receive the Rose Courier for all the news and giveaways from J.Q. Rose every month. Thank you.

VIDEO: Speaking of video, here is one I narrated using PowerPoint slides. The video shares our visit to Nova Scotia, Canada.

Nova Scotia Adventure Part One 

with Ted and Janet

Click here for Nova Scotia Adventure Part 2 and more videos on my YouTube Channel.

Thanks for visiting.

 Click here to visit other blog hop participants.

WARNING: Writers Avoid the Internet!!

Writers--Avoid the Internet

Hello and Welcome to the Focused on Story Blog. Focused is the word of the day for this post. Do you find yourself not quite focused on your writing? You can't seem to remember things? You are easily distracted?

In a study published this summer entitled The online brain: how the Internet may be changing our cognition., lead author Dr Joseph Firth reported, "...high-levels of Internet use could indeed impact on many functions of the brain."

Starting your day by checking your email and social media will set your brain up for a day of distraction. It's like starting the day eating sugar, so the rest of the day you will crave sugar. With all the multi-tasking online, you set up a pattern for your brain to be in high gear for the rest of the day.

In an article from the writing and wellness site, 5 ways are suggested to start off your morning so you will have a productive day of writing.

1. Read a poem
2. Read a book
3. Meditate
4. Make a gratitude list
5. Write down your thoughts for 5 minutes

If the Internet interferes with an adult brain, just imagine what it could do to a child's brain. The Internet has already shortened the attention span of adults to 8 seconds...shorter than a goldfish attention span. !!! 

Click here to read the entire article--5 Ways to Power Up Your Writing in the Morning.

Have you noticed you have trouble concentrating during the day? Do you have any other suggestions on how to start your morning without the Internet?  Please share them below in the comment box. Thank you.

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Dream Big!
Painting courtesy of Julie Ann McKevitt

GOOD NEWS:
Next week I'll reveal the book cover for my upcoming book release, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir.  I'm putting the final touches on it for the release in June from BWL Publishing. I have enjoyed looking back at the first year we were in the floral and greenhouse business. Oh, did I mention we had no experience in the floral business or the greenhouse business, except for GT's hobby greenhouse? All I can say is to Dream Big! No matter your age or experience. Go for it!

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The Rose Courier will arrive in your inbox with all the latest info on books, contests, jokes, giveaways, but ONLY if you sign up for it. Scheduled to go out on February 4. Sign up now!

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If you need inspiration and howw-to tips to write your memoir, Your Words, Your Life Story can help you.
Check it out as a journal paperback book or as a guide in eBook format. 

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories by J.Q. Rose 

Click here to order the paperback journal.

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Guide to Sharing Memories

Click here to download the digital copy from your favorite online bookseller.

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➽For group support, click here to join us at the Facebook Support Group, 
Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle. 
Jog your memory, tips on memoir, informational videos, and meet like-minded people like you.

Writing and the Internet
http://writingandwellness.com/2019/12/02/5-ways-to-power-up-your-writing-brain-in-the-morning/

5 Reasons Why Writing a Memoir is Harder to Write Than Fiction

5 Reasons Why Writing a Memoir is Harder to Write Than Fiction

5 Reasons Why Writing a Memoir is Harder to Write Than Fiction by J.Q. Rose

What is a memoir? A memoir is actually a slice of your life. If a pie is your entire life from birth on, then a memoir is just one piece out of the pie. That portion has one theme. For example, stories about the places you lived, your career, your travels, etc.

Let me count the reasons why writing a memoir is harder to write than fiction.

1. The hard part about writing a memoir is that it has to be true! You can't fudge that you have your Ph.D. and you were a professor at Harvard. No, that is fiction for most of us. In fiction, you can make up everything and anything and nobody cares if it's true. And in most stories, a reader has to suspend reality to go ahead and read it!

2. Reflecting on your life can be difficult, but freeing. Seeing your life through the lens of time helps us understand why things happen and puts a unique slant on situations or family members. Oh yes, many of us in fiction take great fun in making someone we hate a character in our story and then torment that character or even kill him off! But that is not the same pleasure as seeing your life in a completely different way--a new awareness. 

3. Telling the truth can be painful. Re-living the difficult times in your life through memories can bring up those long-hidden feelings inside you. But writing about those times can be cathartic. 

4. A memoir is based on memories and your memory of an event or situation may differ from others who witnessed it. This may cause some disagreement and hard feelings. But, since it is YOUR story, your memory wins out. Nobody argues with the author of a fictional story. 

5. You are the main character in this story. Trying to decide what part of your life you want to share with others can be the point when you wish to just give up on telling your story. Passion about leaving a legacy to your family is needed to forge on. "You are the author of your life. Don't let anyone else tell it." I hope that quote will inspire you to keep going.

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If you need inspiration to write your memoir, Your Words, Your Life Story can help you.
Check it out as a journal paperback book or as a guide in the eBook format. 

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Journal for Sharing Memories by J.Q. Rose

Now that you've read the book description, 

you may want to know more about the journal for you or as a gift for someone in your life. 

Click here to order the paperback journal.

Your Words, Your Life Story: A Guide to Sharing Memories

The content in the journal is available as an eBook, 

a Guide to readers on telling their life stories.

Click here to download the digital copy from your favorite online bookseller.

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For group support, click here to join us at the Facebook Support Group, 
Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle. 
Jog your memory, tips on memoir, informational videos, and meet like-minded people like you.