IWSG: To include or not to include?

I am still working on my memoir, and I'm debating whether I should include certain parts of my experience. I'd like to include the part about my friend basically turning her back on me when I needed her the most, but I'm not sure if I should. I think that incident is important to the developing theme of friendship in the story, but I'm kind of afraid she'll read it and then get mad at me for writing about it.

I'm still looking for someone to critique my MS. Anyone interested? TIA!!

IWSG: Searching

This month I am in search of a CP for my latest manuscript, which is a memoir. It deals with some pretty heavy stuff- surgery, lost friendships, and cancer, but I've decided to write my story to inspire others. Would anyone be interested in being a CP? I've written a good amount (14 pages), but in order to improve my writing, I need someone to look at it objectively and give me feedback.

IWSG: Memoirs

I know it's been a while, but I'm back in IWSG! I've been getting more into memoirs lately, and am really enjoying myself. Right now I am finishing up The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. For those of you that haven't read it- READ IT! It's fantastic and awe-inspiring. The thing I love about memoirs is that this stuff really happened to the writer. Even the most imaginative author couldn't come up with some of these things in a fictional context.

In reading memoirs, I have gained a few tips in how to write my own. I am working on a memoir which I will discuss in a later post. However, Jeanette Walls does a fantastic job with setting up a scene and being descriptive. Her use of dialogue is incredible, and she does a fabulous job of maintaining readers' interest throughout the novel. Have any of you read this book? If so, what did you think?

K is for Krispy Kreme.

Everyone has tried a Krispy Kreme doughnut at least once, right? These are pretty much the American staple. I've only tried the original plain donuts, but the other flavors look really good (It's a donut, right?! How could it NOT be good?). I hear they have emoji-designed donuts, and those are adorable. I'd love to try one and take a picture of it. Here's a little video on Krispy Kreme donuts for your viewing pleasure:

J is for Jamba Juice.

I love Jamba Juice. Their smoothies are addictive, especially the strawberry ones. I don't know much about this company, but I do love their smoothies!

I is for Icee.

Icee is a brand of slushies. I grew up drinking these on the beach during the summer, and I even had a little Icee-making machine from Target when I was little. It didn't work, but I was obsessed with it and had fun trying to replicate the Icees from the beach that I loved.

I worked at Auntie Anne's pretzels this last summer, and they just so happened to have an Icee machine. Employees got unlimited free drinks, so I admitedly drank way too many cherry Icee drinks. I also might have had a couple of coke ones.

If any of my readers don't know what brand I'm talking about, here's a visual:

H is for Hershey's.

Hershey's is not quite as good as Ghirardelli, but it's still chocolate. I'll never refuse chocolate!

I like Hershey's more for their cute merchandise than for the chocolate itself. We have a Hershey's store in downtown Chicago, and they have so many cute items you can buy if you're a Hershey's fan. The store in Chicago has a huge selection of tshirts, pillows, etc. with the logos of all the Hershey's candy- not just chocolate. I walked by there on Thursday and saw that they even have candles now! The candles smell like Jolly Ranchers, Reese's Peanut Butter, etc.


My favorite Hershey's candy is Reese's Pieces. What's yours? Let me know in the comments!

G is for Ghirardelli.

I love Ghirardelli Chocolate!! We have a store in downtown Chicago that is on my route to class, and I sometimes go in there and get free samples. My favorite kind of candy there is the caramel-filled chocolate bars. I also love the peppermint bark that they have every year during the holidays. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it!
  I have a whole system worked out to getting samples. What I do is go into the store and get the sample from the friendly greeter at the door. I then pretend to be looking around at the merchndise, and then I sneak out the door when the greeter is helping another customer so that they're not offended when I don't buy anything. It's not a very good system, but it works. I know they don't care if I buy anything, but I don't want to create an awkward situation.
   Another Ghirardelli product that I love is their brownie mix. It takes 5 minutes to make, but the brownies are amazing!

F is for Fuddrucker's.

Fuddrucker's is a delicious chain restaurant that serves hamburgers and fries. Their portions are small, but the fries are delicious. A new one just opened near our house, but I have yet to try it.

E is for.....

There's really no post for E. No companies start with E! I leave you with this cute video of some baby elephants:

D is for Disney World!!!!

This is pretty much my favorite place on Earth. I love Magic Kingdom, especially Fantasyland. I've always enjoyed The Haunted Mansion ride. It's so well-done and true to the movie (which, if you haven't seen, is fantastic!). Legend has it that there's a wedding ring hidden in the sidewalk leading up to the gates. I've never actually seen it, but it's a cool idea.


Meeting characters at Magic Kingdom has also been something I've always enjoyed. When I visited in 2014, I had the opportunity to meet a talking Mickey Mouse! It was totally worth the 90-minute wait, although I should have gotten a fast-pass for this. Anyway, Mickey is so friendly and cute. The voice is 100% accurate, and he begins every meet-and-greet session with one of his famous hugs.

What do you like about Disney World?

C is for Cracker Barrel.

I love this restaurant. We take road trips fairly often, and this is one of the places we stop to eat at on the road. I love their breakfast menu, especially the french toast and pancake options. The waitress always asks, "Do you want meat with that, honey?", which I never do.

The store in the front is also cute. When you walk in it's like taking a trip back in time to the ages where there were actually general stores (I wasn't born at the time). I once bought a DVD of The Wizard of Oz in that gift shop for $5.. can't beat that!

B is for Bath and Body Works.

I love Bath and Body. Every time I go in there, I get mentally lost in the good smells coming through the door. Right now, I have about 10 bottles of lotion that are open, as well as some body spray and shower gel.

Bath and body can be expensive, but luckily they send out tons of coupons. Occasionally I get a 'free travel size item' coupon in the mail. Hey, if it's free, I'll take it! I've never met a person who doesn't want free stuff.

A is for Anne Sather.

This year, my theme is going to be businesses/stores that I love. They could be restaurants, retail stores, etc. If you're new to my blog, please let me know in the comments section!


A is for Anne Sather. Anne Sather is a small, Chicago-based restaurant that serves primarily breakfast. There are three locations across the city. They have legendary cinnamon rolls, and their french toast is to die for!

Anne Sather's cinnamon rolls 

IWSG: Revision

I'm taking a creative nonfiction class this semester, and something that my teacher has told me time and time again is, "The real writing takes place during revision". I've come to realize that this is SO true. My current piece started out as a shitty first draft. All first drafts start out needing lots of TLC. That's why they call it a draft! Over the last few weeks, I have been meeting with my teacher every Wed. afternoon to keep working on my draft. Now that I look back on my first draft, I barely even recognize it!

Something else pertaining to revision that I really love about this class is that we do large group workshops of our pieces (3 people per session). Rather than focusing on purely the aspects of the essay that need improving, we also focus on the positive! This way, we don't feel like our work is being ripped apart. I can say from personal experience that being ripped apart is only acceptable to a certain degree. There comes a point where it just becomes too much, especially if the editor doesn't focus at all on the positive.

Do you agree with me on the shitty first draft idea? What do you think about revision?

IWSG: Endings

I'm back! I've officially resurfaced after my month-long disappearance from the blogosphere.

Alex: I owe you an apology. I know I was supposed to participate in the blogfest on Monday, but alas, life happened. And by life I mean school and homework. Please forgive me for that.

So, this month's insecurity is endings. Specifically, what makes a good ending? I'm taking a Creative Nonfiction class in school this semester, and I always struggle with endings. I can't seem to tie it up right, so to speak. I have a story going and it's all neat and tidy, and then I get to the ending. The ending usually winds up being short, abrupt, and leaving the reader asking, "So what? Why should I care?".  I always feel like MORE is better, when in reality, it's not. Sometimes the opposite is true- LESS is more!

How about you? How do you 'tie up the ends' in a story?Any tips?