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It’s
interesting how life takes a turn and you find yourself doing something that
you hadn’t planned to do: ADVENTURES IN MOTHER-SITTING has been revised. It has
been a few years since the first publication, and due to several factors
(friend’s urgings and well-meaning suggestions in a review), I decided to take
a second look. It was time for me to read my own memoir.
I’ve come a long way with regards to my
writing abilities thanks to opportunities to be a beta reader of other authors’
stories, continuing to learn the craft, and teaching a GED class of adult
students. Receiving helpful feedback from author friends while writing A SACRED
JOURNEY, my first fictional story, taught me so much and nourished the writer
in me in unexpected ways. I’m indebted to many authors for their support, but
in particular to Lisette Brodey and Julia Hughes for their immeasurable
helpfulness and confidence in me. So during this past summer, I pulled up the
initial file of my memoir, put some glue on my seat, and took a walk back in
time through one of the most poignant adventures of my life.
In
this revision of ADVENTURES, the storyline itself is unchanged, but it's had a
facelift —a cover that was beautifully designed by Charles Roth. I deleted some
redundant passages, took out a few chapters (incorporating some parts into
other chapters), and refined some of the experiences that I’d had with my
mother. I’m told that the descriptions of those are more vividly expressed in
this new version because of the way that I’ve learned to craft my words. It
helped that time has passed since my mother’s death; my emotions didn’t
overwhelm me. Instead, rewriting my memoir helped me go through some residual
grieving more easily.
For the week of February 23 - 27, I'm on a blog tour, thanks to the coordination efforts of Juniper Grove Book Solutions.
I love the post, Dody! It's fascinating to hear a reader's reaction to a profound telling of a real life 'Adventure,' but even more so when the reader is the author herself! The passage of time, the honing of skills, the rolling sea of emotions that is life itself...all these change us. That you re-read "Adventures In Mothersitting" long after its original release, embraced all that you loved about it, but gave it the benefit of present-day you-the-writer was brave and talented and loving, and you rock! :-}
ReplyDeleteI saw your book advertised on Twitter and was drawn to buy it but felt a little scared as I too had nursed my mum in very similar circumstances. It actually took me 18 months to get the courage to buy this book. Without doubt it was a journey from the first page to the very last. I cried with you.I laughed with you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experiences.
I congratulate you on your writing skills.
Thank you so much. I relived precious memories of mum and our special relationship with every page
Thank you so much, Kath. Since receiving your comment, I've been lapsing back into the memories I had with my mom. I wouldn't trade them for any amount of money, not even the tough segments.
ReplyDeleteThe best result that has come from writing and publishing AIM is a sound realization that so many others have gone through similar circumstances. I'm heartened by your reliving experience. We are united in spirit!