We never had a dog when I was growing up.
There were a few cats, a snake even, but never a dog.

I can't even recall knowing any one dog all that well, but there came a day when I wanted one.

So I went looking for one, talked about about getting one, did my research on bringing a dog home, and finally got one. A basset hound.

Why a basset hound? I think it was the ears. They have big, beautiful ears. Velvety ears. And they are solid dogs, well-tempered, and laid-back.

Unfortunately, they're not great about walking in a straight line, moving along from here to there ... at least not Agatha. Nope, she'd walk a few paces and stop. Sniff, move on, and stop again.

After reading the most popular and recommended books about having a dog, I understood the importance of daily exercise, and made sure we went out. Every day. We went in the woods and around the neighborhood, but it was always the same ... a herky-jerky trek from here to there.

Now, granted, I wanted a dog that was easy-going, but when it was time to get her out for some exercise, it became an exercise in frustration. For me and the dog.

The frustration, I realized, came from expecting Agatha to power walk, get moving, and do what I wanted her to do ... to go against her nature. Bassets are after all, scent hounds. Sniffing is what they do. Once I figured that out, I enjoyed out time outside.

What I learned
I learned to take myself for a walk first ... alone. And to accept what Agatha was teaching me ... to slow down and notice things.

In the coming weeks I'll be releasing a new picture book, Things I Notice When I Walk The Dog.

It's a picture book memoir. Agatha's legacy ... and part of mine.

Think memoir's not for you?
If you think memoir is not for you, think again. People love stories and you've go some good ones.

Stories you can share in a collection or how-to book.

Remember, memoir is not an account of your entire life. It's the account of an experience or event where some kind of understanding, lesson, or insight occurred.

How did you get started doing what you do? What does someone entering the field you're in need to know? What do you wish you knew? Share it and help someone in the same position.

Have you completed a self-initiated challenge where you learned something you didn't expect?

What do you do in your spare time? Are you a master chef, a marathon runner, or member of a band? What's that like? We want to know.

Once you get started, you'll be surprised at what you can share.

Resources
Writing about you experiences can feel self-indulgent or out of reach in the beginning, but you tell stories all the time. The challenge is putting them down on paper.

Want to ease into writing? Start writing ... in letters or a journal.

This Hello Dahlia! stationery journal allows you to print the pages you want, as many as you want. Use them to write your story, a letter, or roll it into your typewriter.

Getting started is the best, only way to begin.

Last summer we were walking in the neighborhood and overheard this exchange.

The woman asking the question lives in the house on the corner lot. She was standing in her yard ... the one with the beautiful flower garden behind the white picket fence. I know, it sounds ridiculously quaint. It is. It's also the only white picket fence in the neighborhood.

Anyway, she waved to her neighbor across the street with a garden spade in one hand, a flower pot in the other, and asked. "Would you like a red dahlia?"

The neighbor from across the street said yes and the woman asking said, "I'll bring it by this afternoon."

All I could think was ... but, I want one, too.

So I went home and made one.

A red dahlia collage ... the inspiration for the new printable stationery journal.

There are two (well, three) reasons it's a printable stationery journal.

1) Big blank journal books intimidate me ... and sometimes, when I want to journal, I write because I'm having a bad day, or something's troubling me. It's not the sort of writing I want to put in a book and leave on the shelf. A lot of times, I write and write and write and it helps me sort myself out. When I'm done, I shred the page. And even though I shred it, I want to write on a nice piece of paper. Hello Dahlia!

2) Letter writing. I like to write letters and I like stationery. And I thought, maybe you do too. With a printable stationery set, you can choose the pages you like best, and print just those ... as many as you want or need. And print some more.

3) And finally, my typewriter. I want to roll a nice sheet of paper into my typewriter and write a letter. But too many times, I waste time trying to create stationery or add something to dress up a blank sheet of paper. By the time I figure it out (or not) I'm too frustrated to continue. So there are unlined sheets in the set, too.

So here it is, Hello Dahlia!, a printable stationery journal. It's designed so you can use it for journaling, stationery, and typewriter papers. There are lined and unlined pages along with bonus pages with stamps, extra flowers, and gardening terms, so you can dress up your journal pages and stationery sheets.

Here's a sneak peak. See more and order your Hello Dahlia! set here.

Is it worth it?
Have you ever gotten to the point where you're nearly finished with something, almost done, and you get an idea to change or improve that thing?

But it means more work. Maybe a delay.

That's what happened to me with my nearly finished book, Things I Notice When I Walk The Dog. A short-story memoir of walking my dog Agatha. The collage work is done, the text is complete, and I've got it set-up in page spreads in book form.

And then ...

I wondered if it wouldn't be better if I hand-lettered the text. Mind you it's a picture book so it's not terribly long, not a novel ... but still.

So I tested the idea and did some hand-lettering on the text, and guess what?

I'm smitten.

There's no way I can go back. I have to letter the entire text.

So what's the big deal?

Each sentence takes about half an hour to write. And that's only if I don't make any mistakes, or decide I don't like the look of that letter ... or this one ... or the entire sentence.

Or, if like in the example above, I'm so caught up in  what I'm writing, I drop a letter like I did with the "l" in sidewalk.

And then there's the whole idea of perfection. Because even though I like the feel of the hand-lettering, it's not perfect and that generates a bit of anxiety for me.

Is it good enough?

Yes it is. The whole point of hand-lettering the text is that it's not perfect, that it adds a level of imperfection that's more inviting.

At least that's what I'm hoping people will see and feel.

What do you think?

Today is Extra Mile Day and it occurred to me that's what I'm doing with the book. Even thought it's my choice, it means I've added another level of work to the project. But I'm committed.

I'm going the extra mile.

Sometimes it's a good idea, other times not so much. Is there something you're doing or thinking about that means going the extra mile?

It was the third round of rewriting on a piece about the autumn harvest. It was all about kale, collards, squash, and Brussels sprouts. The problem was, I had it all wrong.

Instead of Brussels sprouts, I was writing brussel sprouts. No capital B at the beginning, no s on the end of Brussels.

I've cooked and eaten lots of Brussels sprouts, but clearly I'd never written about them.

Lesson #1: Proper names have proper spellings
When a red line appeared below the misspelled "brussel," I was surprised. So I checked the dictionary.

I found the correct spelling.

A bit more digging revealed the name comes from the city of Brussels, in Belgium.

Wholly cabbage.

Unless you're certain about the correct spelling of a product, a city, a town, someone's name, title, or product, look it up.

That was last year. This year, I have another editing tip courtesy of the Brussels sprout.

Last week I was watching a cooking show when the chef introduced a new segment by saying, "Today we're making Brussels sprouts."

Lesson #2: Ask yourself, "Is that what's really going on?"
Of course the chef wouldn't be "making" Brussels sprouts, as in constructing or creating them. He would be cooking them. Or, maybe he'd be roasting them.

In the context of the show, it didn't matter much. It was a live taping and viewers could watch and listen.

But his word choice caught my ear. I've been writing a lot and than means I'm rewriting and editing a lot.

I wanted to edit the script, to rewind the tape and have the chef say, "Today we're roasting Brussels sprouts."

Roasting is a more interesting and descriptive word. Making is vague and in this example, inaccurate.

Every word has a purpose.

Lesson #3: Just because you're familiar with something doesn't mean you know all you need to know.
It turns out eating Brussels sprouts didn't make me an expert. From misspellings to context and relevance, it's important to do some research.

That's how I learned those little cabbage were named after an area in Belgium ... because that's where they were cultivated in the 16th(!) century.

So dig around. What you find may not only surprise you, it could add a new dimension to your project.

Feeling the heat?

If you have a story to tell but aren't sure where to start or need help with the writing, drop me a line and get in touch.

I can help you write and/or edit your story ... and put it into book form.

After all, people love stories ... and you've got some good ones.

The Day Things Got Squirrelly
It was this time of year. I'd just returned from a walk and wanted to be outside for a few more minutes to enjoy the late-breaking, almost-setting sun at the end of of a moody, gray day.

Propping my elbow on the banister, I leaned to the right and faced the sun. Standing in a near meditative state, quiet and still, I took a deep breath.

Despite the cooler temperatures, the sun was warming and it was relaxing to breathe in the clearing air.

Until I felt something on my left leg.

It was down by my calf. There was a light touch to the movement, but there was definitely something clawing at my pant leg.

Alarm didn't register immediately because I thought it was the mini poodle across the way coming to visit ... reared up on his hind legs in greeting, clawing and pawing for attention the way he would.

But when the clawing gained traction, raced up my left side and caught my sleeve at the elbow, I knew it was not, could not, be Tippy. (The neighbor's dog wasn't named Tippy, but my grandmother had a miniature poodle named Tippy and even though I never met the dog, I imagined this dog was much like Tippy.)

As panic began to register, I knew. It was not Tippy running up the side of my body.

I let out a squeal, the squirrel squealed, and with a reflective ear-to-shoulder tuck and swift flick of the arm, I tossed it off.

Shivering against the chill of the crawl, my breath caught, and I watched the squirrel race up a tree.

Stopping and turning in defiance to face me, it delivered a triple-tail flick, a double bark, and another for good measure. Its heart pounding as fast as mine.

A full-body shiver took hold of me and in my own act of defiance, I barked back.

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Now it's your turn.
If you've signed up for the Calendar of Days, each week you get a week's worth of writing prompts.

This week Squirrel Appreciation Month is the prompt that caught my attention.

Maybe you have a pasta story (Monday) that includes a family recipe, or something about that time your pet gecko, snake, or lizard got loose ( Friday).

Some of you, I know, participate in Inktober (Tuesday). What are you drawing? What have you learned from almost a month of drawing?

Share what you write .... because people love stories and you've got some good ones. One story leads to another and once you've got a few, well, you've got a Short Story Memoir!

And if you want, send your story to me. I'd love to read it.