tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post6920403042432892085..comments2023-03-07T16:22:52.809+03:00Comments on Remembering My Journey: How I writermjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02523070262874253128noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post-72533449683510006912012-11-29T16:05:11.579+03:002012-11-29T16:05:11.579+03:00Wow, Nzilani - congratulations on launching out an...Wow, Nzilani - congratulations on launching out and doing something you just had the desire to do, whether everything seems perfect to you or not (I can so relate) and THANK YOU for the extremely kind comments. I think documenting your life story is a beautiful idea. Since last year, I've bugged my mother to do the same, but she's been dragging her feet. Someone suggested I give her a digital recorder to just tell her stories, as that would be easier. Another great idea which I'll have to look into when next she visits. With my Dad gone, I've found that my mother is a storehouse of knowledge about our family - and her women's perspective on things is also really interesting to me. My mother spent a number of years living on a he Navajo Indian reservation! I'm one of the youngest so I had NO IDEA (wasn't born by then and just found this out last year). I was just fascinated by what it was like for her, as a very young, married Nigerian woman, whose husband was often away, with two or three little kids in a new country (to which she arrived by ship in those days), trying to grasp a new culture within a wider culture, trying to understand a different kind of 'English,' etc. The first time she saw snow, she thought it was salt! These are just precious little vignettes that touch me and that I want to share with my own children about their grandparents, so I can really understand what a gift it is that you're giving to your siblings, children, and grandchildren. Like me, you're too hard on yourself. I bet you write better than you think you do, but sometimes we don't believe it until we hear enough people say it. Keep on keeping on. I love Natalie Grant and I LOVE "HELD"!!!rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02523070262874253128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post-70127348367106181032012-11-29T11:14:06.098+03:002012-11-29T11:14:06.098+03:00Hi RMJ: your blog actually INSPIRED me to start wr...Hi RMJ: your blog actually INSPIRED me to start writing about my life, right from childhood. I am the first born in my family and some of the childhood stories are proving quite interesting for my siblings, especially our last born sister who now understands where we came from. I started from age 3 and now am at age 7. I mostly write when I travel, sitting in a hotel room, and yes me too - the story is usually already formed in my head. When I told my sister I would write my life story and publish it in blog she asked me "for the whole world to read?". I didn't want to tell her I would be anonymous like RMJ, so I let it go and now I only send my siblings the chapters to read as I write them. Of course I am not as good as you, am only trying to document my life story for the benefit of my younger siblings and my children. I figure that since we no longer sit around a fire place and tell stories, that this will be the legacy that I will leave for my children and grandchildren, to know what my story was all about. You are a inspiration and joy to read. Your stores, construction of sentences and cross referencing with books and song (Held by Natalie Grant) is simply amazing. Thanks for finally starting to write. YOU ARE A NATURAL.Nzilaninoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post-91354892543687835082012-07-04T17:32:55.479+03:002012-07-04T17:32:55.479+03:00Thank you. Your comment encourages me to keep writ...Thank you. Your comment encourages me to keep writing; to write just because, and to allow what is written to find its own audience. I encourage you to write, too (since you have a desire to). I bet you you'll be surprised to see the range of people that your writing attracts. Best wishes!rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02523070262874253128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post-29140231759367440172012-07-04T02:25:35.867+03:002012-07-04T02:25:35.867+03:00Interesting, i've always thought i speak bette...Interesting, i've always thought i speak better than write, due to my work with children + youth, then when i put it down it kind of looks a bit 'off' - too short for one thing, but this blog + all the comments challenges me to do more of putting down what i say, the way i say it so it sounds like a conversation, like how this blog sounds like - big thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post-41470576644213656652012-07-02T07:13:25.890+03:002012-07-02T07:13:25.890+03:00Thanks for sharing. Can totally, totally relate (e...Thanks for sharing. Can totally, totally relate (except for the bubble in the belly part!). It's really fascinating to see all the parallels across the comments. I know exactly what you mean about how putting it paper right away sort of jinxes it. I find that I have to type out snippets as they come to me, though, or else I'll forget - I forget things so easily and so the reminder on my cell phone is always full!rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02523070262874253128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post-34667900063956032652012-07-02T01:32:57.492+03:002012-07-02T01:32:57.492+03:00I write in my mind first- always. I. Oils be in th...I write in my mind first- always. I. Oils be in the grocery store, or driving when the nucleus of an idea begins to form. I feel that bubble in my belly, kind of like when I am browsing a really good Internet sale ( I admit, I have a problem, lol) and hen I 'write' in my head. Putting it to paper immediately stifles my flow. So I write in my head, noting certain conversations that must be written word for word- sometimes it is just the bare bones, but usually I have a complete story in my head by the time I actually put pen to paper. Then, I edit. And prune, and add, and agonize, lol.<br />I also write way better than I speak, for sure. :)PradaPrincipalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11623571868532709954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post-80891999913932981542012-06-27T06:49:44.342+03:002012-06-27T06:49:44.342+03:00Aha! So you're another one of we closet writer...Aha! So you're another one of we closet writers - I always thought so. I've always thought I write much better than I speak, too, so that totally makes sense to me. In recent times, I'm not completely sure which I do better anymore. My day job involves a lot of (technical) writing and public-speaking alike, and my sense is that this has really helped strengthen my speaking skills. Thank you for the really kind comments.rmjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02523070262874253128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7054039536263786770.post-43879200578639535362012-06-25T15:35:54.240+03:002012-06-25T15:35:54.240+03:00Great to take a peep into the mind of a writer. I...Great to take a peep into the mind of a writer. I only do journals and even then not consistently. But I do have a few unfinished short stories... <br />I really don't know how I write. Something for me to think about...But personally, I think I write better than I speak. Does that make sense? <br />Your blog is interesting because it is personal, witty and you have the ability to convey your feelings to the reader effortlessly. Yep, you're a writer, a good storyteller.Affynoreply@blogger.com