Barbara J. Hamby

Thoughts on a Cocoa Break

As I enjoy a steaming cup of cocoa on another chilly morning, fuzzy thoughts rumble through my morning brain. First of all, I can tolerate chilly mornings, drizzly days, and little sun. Yesterday we broke a long-standing record for the lowest high this late in the year, 56 degrees. I love living in the Pacific Northwest. My heart goes out to those in the middle of the country, who are dealing with massive flooding and the East Coast areas that are sizzling hot.

Yesterday a writer friend in my critique group gave me encouragement to continue working on my memoirs. I’d like to think she’s correct that other people might learn from my experiences. Even I learned only very slowly from most of them. However, I will forge on and try to create a cohesive manuscript for possible publication. I suppose by the time I finish, memoirs will be passé, if they aren’t already.

Trying to fit all the puzzle piece stories together in some sort of arrangement that a reader can absorb is a challenge. I’d like to challenge readers somewhat, as well. Normal chronological sequence is boring to me, so I’ve grouped my life stories into types of experiences, i.e. school, employment, relationships, etc.

Creating a catchy title is another difficult task—one that I found I’m not very good at, judging by my past efforts. That’s always on a back burner, but I probably need to turn the heat up.