Carol's Corner

Inspiration for writing, telling stories, preserving family memories or anecdotes for speaking can come from unexpected sources. It may be something we hear or see, questions we are asked or things we read. A few years ago I picked up this book, The Story Jar by Robin Lee Hatcher and Deborah Bedford published by Hendrickson Publishers c.2011. The title intrigued me. In this post I want to share a bit from the Story behind The Story Jar written by Robin Lee Hatcher for this I believe may give all of us some inspiration for storytelling and preserving family stories.

Robin writes that she received a story jar as a thank you gift after a speaking engagement. This small Mason jar had been fancied up with a pretty handkerchief covering the lid. The jar had been filled with many odds and ends. In her case it contained a Gerber baby spoon, an earring, an empty thread spindle, a colorful pen, several buttons and more.

is the significance of an old jar, fancied up with cloth and full of odds and ends? She goes on to say that the idea is to start a writer’s imagination playing, helping them to wonder who owned the items, what was the person like and what significance did that object have for them? To me this idea sounded interesting.

I don’t think you need to be a writer or a professional storyteller to want a story jar. I agree with Robin’s assessment in this area. It could be a way to preserve small family memorabilia. In this case an entire story was written which has a story jar in it.

At a one day writers’ conference I helped plan, we took this idea and filled a jar with odds and ends and placed it in the middle of the table. It became not only a decoration but part of a writing exercise where attendee’s could let their imaginations run wild for a few minutes and come up with a paragraph about one of the items in the jar that caught their attention. I believe it works best if someone else fills the jar. That way you have no preconceived ideas or memories of any item.

As a writer and storyteller I am always looking for inspiration, something that catches my attention and makes me remember something from my own life or forces me to ask questions and play a game of “what-if”. The story jar idea likely resonates with the pak rat part of my personality where I like to keep little things others might throw away. They need a home. Why not an old jar, a pretty box or other container.

What would you throw into a story jar to give someone else? Have you ever received a story jar? I hope this sparks your imagination and gives you an opportunity to think of places you get inspiration.

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I am thrilled to be a contributing author to the 7 Days of Great Canadian Giveaway running February 6 – 12, 2017. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to win an amazing prize package by outstanding Canadian Christian authors and recording artists. Please note: Canadian citizens living in Canada only qualify for this promotion each and every day.
Each and every day during the contest duration, two prize packages will be posted at http://sallymeadows.com/blog. For each day you comment on the blog AND click on the link to go to the author’s FB page, you will be entered into both prize packages for that day. You can enter any time during the contest period for any or all of the days. Contest runs from 8:00 am CST February 6, 2017 to 10:00 pm February 12, 2017. Entries submitted prior or after that time period are ineligible for the giveaways. For complete contest rules, please go to the event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/614924578714278/.

I am delighted to welcome you to my blog. Today, Tuesday February 7, 2017, my prize package is one you have the opportunity to win by commenting on Sally’s blog – https://sallymeadows.com/blog/blog/day-two-7-days-of-great-canadian-giveaways and comment on this blog post as well – to do that simply hit the word comment and then post your comment.

Anyone who posts on my blog during the week of this contest, Feb 6-12, 2017 can purchase a copy of Amee’s Story for $12.00,shipping included and/or a package with all my speaking information and $10.00 off any booking for a speaking engagement. Please note this is not a requirement to win the giveaway prize package but a separate offer. You can also email me for more information – carol@carolscorner.ca

Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you will return and read other posts. Good luck, this week, in the Great Canadian Giveaway.

The tags on this hand decorated jar I received one Christmas from my oldest daughter read:
Recipe for My Life History
Combine a generous slice of your life history a dash of nostalgia, several cups of facts and feelings and deliciously interesting questions. Draw 1 slip of paper. Take a few minutes to enjoy the memories. past or write the question at the top of a blank page Fill in your answer.

The brown tag reads:
This product was prepared to preserve your life story. Enjoy the scrumptious home-made memories that celebrate something very important – YOU!

Opening the jar I noticed my daughter had filled it to the brim with slips of white paper. Each piece was numbered but I don’t think the order of answering had much importance. She had simply thought of questions she desired to hear answers to. Some examples include:

1. Are there any family heirlooms in your possession? Tell about them and how you came to acquire them.
16. Describe your wedding dress, bridesmaids dresses.
31. Do you have a special school memory ( high school or college)
35. Do you remember a special birthday party you’ve had, given or been to?
65. Tell about the changes you’ve see in your lifetime: society in general, technology, fashion, fads, morality, politics, etc.
67. Tell about your family traditions: Christmas, birthdays, graduations, Thanksgiving, weddings, etc.
94. What makes each of your brothers and sisters ( or in-laws) special? Be specific
102. Write a description of your husband.

Each of us has a story. Those stories are filled with memories of happy times and sad, tough things we might want to forget, and everyday occurrences which others in our family may find unique or different. There are books you can buy to fill in the blanks but I believe this story jar of prompts adds more questions, more to think about and remember than I have seen in any of the books. It also holds a special place because of the time my daughter spent putting it together.

To be honest, I have not taken a book, wrote the question at the top of the page and answered it. However, I have told and written stories that answer some of the questions. I have scrapbooked photos and added journal entries to tell the story. The task is far from complete. This year I hope to write out more of my memories to share with my children and grandchildren.

What about you? Have you started leaving a written record of memories for future generations? If so, how have you begun the process, what method have you employed? Maybe you are younger and still have parents and/or grandparents whose stories you want to hear. Consider encouraging them – maybe make them a story jar of questions as prompts.

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It’s almost here – 7 Days of the Great Canadian Giveaway. This contest promotes Canadian Christian authors and musicians and allows you, the reader, to enter to win each day from February 6-12, 2017. Thank you Sally Meadows for this wonderful idea and to all who donated prize packages.

At the beginning of January, the start of a new calendar year, many people make resolutions or set new goals. By February, or before, our resolutions have faded into memory, our to do list appears so long we may never complete it and goals to be reached might seem unreachable. I am no exception. I never make resolutions since I know I will likely quit attempting them long before January ends. I do, however, like to challenge myself with goals for the year. At times it is a review of ones I never completed the previous year but always I add some new ones to the mix. By February I wonder if I have been overly ambitious. The journey to completion looms large and often overshadows the celebration of small steps along the way.

Several years ago, a young lady from one of the Toastmaster’s clubs I belong to, offered each member a jar. She had decorated each one to fit the person receiving it. Mine included beads reading – heart to heart – to commemorate my tagline on my webpage and business cards. The other beads – always believe – encouraged me to believe I could do the things I set out to accomplish. Her challenge to each of us – put a slip of paper in the jar with the item accomplished, the goal met, the award received and the date. To make it even simpler she removed the metal top to the jar and left only the ring – we did not even have to open the jar to add the paper. During the year we received gentle reminders to fill our jar. One year later we pulled the papers out of the jar to see what goals had been fulfilled. When you know someone is checking up on whether you have filled your jar, it helps keep you working towards meeting goals, celebrating small steps and having the chance to track each step of your journey.

This pretty little jar still sits on my desk, beckoning me to revive the plan for this year as a method to keep me on task, help me track successes, no matter how small or large and then celebrate at the end of the year when I reflect back.

What plans have you made this year? How do you track your progress towards completion of the plans? Maybe you want to pause in your work, your obligations and have some fun – make a pretty little jar or a box and fill it with slips of paper tracking your accomplishments. If you have other ideas you use – have some fun and share them with others.

Wishing you success as you track your progress this year.

When I read the tip to keep a writing journal or commonplace book in the Essence Publishing January newsletter it intrigued me. I wanted to learn more about this tradition dating back to the 17th century of compiling knowledge in a notebook. One definition of a commonplace book is, “a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.”

I needed to delve into this topic, research more about it to satisfy my own curiosity and to share with others. They are essentially scrapbooks filled with items of every kind, depending on the person compiling them. They are used as an aid to remember useful concepts or facts. Whether using them for business, research, speaking, writing or art they can record and organize information, quotes, anecdotes, stories, wise saying, encouraging words, poems or any other gem that you might use later in your life or work.

For years I have clipped articles, kept photos, jotted down a passage, sentence or quote from a book I am reading. I love to jot parts of stories others have told me that intrigue me. I take notes when listening to a sermon, speaker, or webinar. Too often these bits and pieces of trivia, wisdom and seeds of ideas are noted on bits of paper. Sometimes they are filed and forgotten and other times the papers are lost in a shuffle of others. When I read about how popular commonplace books have been through the centuries and are today, I knew I needed a better system to file my highlights from books, sermons, stories and more. My personal record of learning needs to be more accessible when I need it. Yes I can google quotes but writing my favourite ones down helps me remember them and allows me to journal more about what they meant or why I kept them.

There are as many different ideas on how to keep a commonplace book as unique individuals who keep them. With today’s modern technology many opt to keep a digital record. I like paper but loose pieces get lost. The idea of a notebook, or multiple books, intrigues me. I can carry one with me. I can decorate the pages. I can type and print out longer sections to paste into the book.

However one other idea added some intrigue for me. 4X6 file cards in a box or plastic bin with dividers by subject. The advantage is the ability to shuffle the cards as new categories are needed and keeping like with like.

Whatever method of keeping a commonplace book you choose to use, know that you are in the company of people like Marcus Aurelius, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon and Bill Gates who all kept commonplace books.

Do you keep a journal or commonplace book? What method do you have for storing the treasures you glean from reading and listening? Maybe, like me, this is the year to start compiling useful bits of information or organizing all the pieces you have already collected. If so enjoy the journey.

The definition of an accountability partner is: “A person who coaches another in terms of helping the other person keep a commitment.” This person does not have to know a lot about whatever area you are looking for an accountability partner, whether it is for your writing goals, art projects, finances, or any other life habit you are trying to reach a specific commitment. They do need to be someone who cares enough about you to help keep you on track.

I read an online article by Chivon, titled 5 Reasons an Accountability Partner will help you conquer a goal Her reasons included:

1. They will be your biggest cheerleader.
2. They challenge you to make what seems impossible – possible
3. They will celebrate every milestone on your journey no matter how small.
4. They will make sure your goal remains a priority
5. They prove you don’t have to go it alone.