BOOKS
Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors Who Want to Write
Author: Marlys Marshall Styne
Infinity Publishing.com (2007)
ISBN 0741442965
Reviewed by Richard R. Blake, Reader Views
In "Seniorwriting" Marlys Marshall Styne writes, in non-technical terms, guidelines for stimulating ways to transform memories from the mind to words on paper or to your computer. This compact, user-friendly book is divided into three parts.
Styne begins by sharing the results of writing, answering the question, "Why write." Discovery, healing, rejuvenation and enjoyment top the list. Her chapter titled: "Your Training Camp: Your Journal” offers ten suggestions for getting started. Another nine suggestions are offered that help answer the question, "Who am I?"
Some health benefits are offered in chapter four with pointers how to get started with six positive suggestions for thoughts to include in a "Healing Journal."
In an earlier book "Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor," Marlys related how, when facing the challenge of retirement, widowhood, and depression, she set out on a quest to find contentment through reflection and writing. She writes now to encourage people of every age, especially seniors to follow her example in their quest for meaning and purpose.
Part two of the book offers ten examples of recreating experiences and memories. Marlys has taken actual journal assignments from writing classes and provided examples from her essays to illustrate how the assignments might be approached. Personal observations, family tales, imagining a windfall, holiday memories, and favorite things are only a few of the topics developed.
Part three helps the reader (the writer) put the finishing touches on their project. Organizing the material, planning, revising, editing, proofreading, printing, and publishing are all covered in this important section.
Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors Who Want to Write is actually a book for every generation. For the senior it is important to realize that the time is now. Leave a legacy of family memories with your treasured heirlooms in the form of a written record of your values, dreams, and accomplishments. This important guidebook will get you started, move you beyond writer’s block, and amaze you with the results. "Seniorwriting" is an important addition to any writer’s library.
Paperback
Publisher: Infinity Pub (October 3, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0741442965
ISBN-13: 978-0741442963
Amazon Price: $9.95
Copyright © 2005 - 2007 Reader Views
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Marlys Marshall Styne
Age: 75
I live in the Old Town neighborhood of Chicago. I retired in 1999 after 40 years in the English Department of Wilbur Wright College, on Chicago's Northwest Side, where I was department chair for 7 years and Wright's Distinguished Service Professor for 1995-96. In late 2005, I found myself retired, widowed, 73, and depressed, so I set out to find contentment through reflection and writing.
My first published book, Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor, is a series of personal essays recounting that quest and some of the experiences that came before it. My second is Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors Who Want to Write. My writing includes a column for eGenerations.com and contributions to elderstribune.com. I advocate writing for everyone, and hope to encourage my fellow senior citizens to write. I am a member of the Illinois Woman's Press Association, The Story Circle Network, The Authors Marketing Group, and the Chicago Writers Associaion and a volunteer at the Chicago Cultural Center. Copyright 2007 by Marlys Marshall Styne
