How did I get from there to here?  Well, in 1988 my husband of twenty eight years passed away.  Needless to say...this was a life changing event.  I had an import business at that time which took me to exotic places all over the world, designing jewelry and accessories using the arts and crafts of the countries I visited, mostly Asian.  I met some wonderful people in my travels who  are still in my life today.  I didn’t know at that time that I might be writing about them some day.

 

As exciting as this  period was...after Sy, my husband died,  I decided to close this chapter and begin the next one...not knowing where it may lead.

 

Recalling my love for dancing when  I worked as an instructor for the Arthur Murray studio years ago, I joined a tap dancing class at Every Woman’s Village.  This led me to a singing class which led me to a performance workshop.  My director Bobby Keane and the class of students enjoyed my impromptu monologues about some humorous or touching events in my life.  They encouraged me to combine them with music and song in several performances.  One of the themes was my fifty plus dating life...some very funny...some very painfull.

 

My work and travels through Asia inspired my monologues in which I created a  performance... singing, “Slow Boat To China.”  Applause became a strong incentive and a desire to write better monologues...so I joined a life writing class.

 

My teacher Bernard Sellings, inspired me to reach back to my earliest recollections.  I wrote, “My Daddy.”  He suggested writing in the first  person present tense.  This technique brought me into  the situation emotionally.  From Bernard’s class I heard about the California  Writers club and was invited to join.  I submitted  “My Daddy,” for the CWC anthology entitled “Childhood Memories.”That child was given a voice, and the beginning  of my memoirs.

 

My circle of friends now included performers and writers. The writers club then led me to a critique group facilitated by our president Dave Wetterberg. In one of the meetings he

suggested we consider using more sensory images.  Well...I’ve a bit of a hearing problem  because I thought he said, “Sensuous Images.”

So...I wrote this sexy thing titled, “That Man.”  After I read it to my singing class, my coach said, “This is a performance.” It became part of a show in which I added background music and a song.

 

I write for the joy of writing and  performing open mike at small cabarets, retirement hotels, book stores, private homes and mostly at the California Writers club.  Because...if my peers like what i write...what an incentive it is to keep on doing it!   My goal now is to publish more than one hundred memoirs, poems and essays  into a book.  Five of my writings have been accepted  in four anthologies.  My other claim to fame is winning three contests which were published in three Scribe Newsletters.

 

So now I have gone from my child’s voice to my sexy voice.  It feels as though I’m reliving my life all over again.  

 

I  would like to encourage everyone who writes to join a critique group.  It not ony helps to refine and define what I write...but forces me to write something before the next meeting.  Before long I noticed that all of the writers in our group have a recognizable style.  For example...If everyone threw their unsigned work in the middle of the table, I’m sure I could easily identify each author.

 

HERE’S TO YOUR OWN PERSONAL STYLE!