LEARNING

Learning isn’t confined to the time we spend in school or the years when we are young. In 1969, I was ‘over thirty’ when I became a freelance journalist with neither education or experience. I learned by doing. Through the years, my articles have appeared in area newspapers and national magazines for women, farmers and police officers. I joined the Illinois Woman’s Press Association, an affiliate of the National Federation of Press Women. My work has earned awards from both groups.

In 2009, my husband and I celebrated our Golden Anniversary. It set me thinking about our seven-year courtship during the 1950s, which began with a Ferris wheel ride when Kenny was 16 and I was 14. I had time on my hands and a new computer–I needed a writing project. I began reading the diaries my mother had left behind when she died. Her daily, barebones jottings of who, what, when and where began in 1952 and served as a guide to start my memoir. To learn to write creative nonfiction, a genre that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives, I made the easy one-hour drive north to Madison to attend workshops conducted by the Division of Continuing Studies at the University of Wisconsin. I also joined several area writers’ groups for comradery and critiques of my work in progress. Although I was writing about my memories, I checked details by reading old newspapers at area libraries and my high school annuals. A sign on my refrigerator, “You are not too old and it is not too late,” kept me going during the ten years it took me to finish my book, “The View from a Midwest Ferris Wheel.” Last year, I submitted a proposal to Adelaide Books, an independent New York firm, that published my memoir. It’s available from Amazon in Kindle and paperback.

I now am learning to promote my work. I will have a book signing on Saturday, August 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Community Room of the Durand State Bank, 1005 Cameron Drive on the south edge of the village.

What new things are you learning?