I received a few more essays yesterday--GREAT! The deadline for essay submission is just under a month from today. If you have any questions or need help with ideas, please don't hesitate to contact me: milspousebooks@gmail.com.
A few people have told me that the hardest part of writing their essay is the act of sitting down and just trying to write. If you're felling stuck, stumped or experiencing writer's block, put the pen down (or fingers off the keyboard), and take a break. Sometimes it helps me to call a friend and start talking about my writing subject. My friend listens, asks questions, and helps bounce ideas back to me. I'll keep a notepad with me and jot down any bright sparks of inspiration, and use these ideas to help me get started when I sit back at the keyboard.
I also do a lot of "research". My military spouse book collection is GROWING all the time. My most recently collected books include books written in the 1960's and 1970's by Mary Preston Gross, specifically for Army spouses. Some of the books were reprinted in the These books are a fascinating piece of history! From what I understand, most officer and NCO spouses at that time had copies of these little books of protocol, customs and courtesy. Reading through these books helps me remember stories from my 20 years of experience, and the lessons that I've learned through that time.
I'm very excited to read the essays as they come in! Remember, do NOT worry about your writing style, just write. I'm not grading your essays. You could scribble something on napkins at a coffee house and I would work with you to pull an essay from those thoughts. Next week I will be doing some "interviews" of people here at Ft Leavenworth. Those interviews will be transcribed and written up in essay form, too. Tomorrow I'll post the basic interview questions, which might help you with your essay ideas, too.
Keep writing! ;)
A few people have told me that the hardest part of writing their essay is the act of sitting down and just trying to write. If you're felling stuck, stumped or experiencing writer's block, put the pen down (or fingers off the keyboard), and take a break. Sometimes it helps me to call a friend and start talking about my writing subject. My friend listens, asks questions, and helps bounce ideas back to me. I'll keep a notepad with me and jot down any bright sparks of inspiration, and use these ideas to help me get started when I sit back at the keyboard.
I also do a lot of "research". My military spouse book collection is GROWING all the time. My most recently collected books include books written in the 1960's and 1970's by Mary Preston Gross, specifically for Army spouses. Some of the books were reprinted in the These books are a fascinating piece of history! From what I understand, most officer and NCO spouses at that time had copies of these little books of protocol, customs and courtesy. Reading through these books helps me remember stories from my 20 years of experience, and the lessons that I've learned through that time.
I'm very excited to read the essays as they come in! Remember, do NOT worry about your writing style, just write. I'm not grading your essays. You could scribble something on napkins at a coffee house and I would work with you to pull an essay from those thoughts. Next week I will be doing some "interviews" of people here at Ft Leavenworth. Those interviews will be transcribed and written up in essay form, too. Tomorrow I'll post the basic interview questions, which might help you with your essay ideas, too.
Keep writing! ;)
