Writing Your Memoir

There is one writing project that everybody should feel compelled to undertake for their family and heirs, and that’s a memoir.

How I wish my grandmother and grandfather had left a written record of their lives. Yes, they told me stories, but I was the typical disinterested kid. It wasn’t cool to let them know I cared. Almost anything took precedence over their tales from the past.

Still, some part of the stories seeped into the corners of my mind. In later years, when someone brought up the name of someone named B.J. in my grandmother’s hometown and wondered if he had been her relative, I could answer with almost certainty because I remembered hearing her call him Uncle B.J. When my grandfather told of walking miles to court my grandmother, somehow I also remembered later where he had said they both lived. These facts weren’t important to me as a teenager, but they became important when later the family would get together and try to recall family tales. But we couldn’t verify anything because, unfortunately, my grandparents were no longer around to ask.

Most people don’t seem to realize that their story has value for anyone but themselves, but once you are gone, only your memory lives on. Very rarely are your stories recalled with any accuracy. How will your grandchildren know what life was like for you growing up as a teenager? How can they fathom the differences between transportation, school, clothing fads, or technology? Sure you might try to tell them about these things, but they probably feign disinterest in hearing about the “old ways,” and instead prefer plugging the earpiece of their MP3 players into their ears and tuning you out. But if you’ve put it all in writing, there will come a day when they pick up your memoir and read it. Often you’re no longer around when they decide to start asking questions about the family and the past. Your memoir may be their only connection to these stories.

Your memoir can enrich your family’s sense of connection to the past by weaving in old family stories as well as your own life story.

But you wonder, “Where do I start?”

The easiest way to get started is to jot down snatches of memories. Write down your recollection of eating an ice cold snow cone and having it drip down the front of your shirt on a hot, sticky day at a little league game. Jot down a note about your first car, and how it didn’t have reverse gear, so you had to park it where you could drive forward to get out. Make a note about the bunking parties you remember (now called sleepovers), who was there, and what you did to have fun. If your family had a garden, make a note about it and what was planted there, whether you helped till the soil or pick the fruits and vegetables, whether you ate them there in the garden or made it to the house with them uneaten. Note the simple things, which will probably spark more memories and become cherished stories.

These notes don’t have to be in any order. Later, you can organize your list in a way that makes sense for your memoir. The notes can be divided by age or by activity or family gatherings. Your memoir can start at the beginning and end at the present time, or it can start with some significant memory and go either backwards or forward, or it can start right now and work backwards. There’s no hard or fast rule about how memoirs are organized, so write it however you wish.

Another way to organize your thoughts and make sure you leave nothing out is to start a list of topics in the middle of a blank page, such as parents, siblings, extended family members, school memories, parties, dances, sports activities, first date, double-dating, first kiss, first boy or girlfriend, significant movies you remember seeing, first car, first bicycle, your neighborhood friends, games you played together, getting married, having babies, etc.

Circle each topic, then draw a line out from each and start a related list, such as: school memories—name(s) of school(s), first day of school, favorite teacher, favorite subjects, playground memories, getting in trouble, school plays or programs, friends, etc. This type of information gathering expands out, and will help you recall lost memories. Write about your parents: your mother’s favorite dress, how she wore her hair, her scent, favorite foods that she cooked; your dad’s work clothes, what he did for a living, how he smelled when he came home, the sound of his car as he drove in the driveway, the smell of grass as he (or you) mowed the lawn. It’s important to recall how you felt about specific moments: sad, happy, or overjoyed; whether you laughed, cried, or wailed; whether you were frightened or confident.

The above system can also be used for organizing someone else’s life story, even those who have hired you to write their memoirs. Everyone collects a lifetime of experiences, almost any of which will make an interesting story. Find ways to ferret out the most significant memories.

My sister was only 56 when she passed away—shortly after her first two grandchildren were born, so the only memories they have of her are from watching old videos in which she appeared. Mostly, though, she took the videos and didn’t have a starring role. When her third grandchild was born, I realized she had never even met her grandmother, so I sat down and wrote a memoir for all three of her grandchildren and titled it, “When Grammy Was a Little Girl.”

Since my sister was a year younger than me, I had memories of her when she was very young, plus photos and stories told by our mother and aunt. We played together, laughed and cried together, fought with each other, and shared most important life experiences until we became older teenagers. Her best friend from high school told me of activities that added depth to her school day stories. Still, I couldn’t recall all the memories she might have thought important to leave her grandchildren, and I probably remembered some things she would rather her grandchildren not know!

I’ll never know what she would have wanted, but her grandkids do now have a book with photos of her as a little girl and teenager, and stories about her life that hopefully brings her closer to them. I ended the book with her meeting and marrying their granddad. Even though she and I spent less time together after we both married, we still managed to share some funny, poignant, crazy and sad times even as we aged—some that her grandchildren might enjoy hearing someday.

Life can slip away before we know it, so make sure you get your memories down on paper as soon as possible. Even if you don’t think anyone cares about them, your written story will charm someone, somewhere, and will be a lasting record of your time spent here on earth.

The scene around Mount St. Helens, which still shows the river filled with mudflow, even after 24 years.








Okay, so this is not Geraldo, but I would have been shooting directly into the sun to snap his picture. The mountain was spewing steam at this moment, and officials as well as national news networks were anxiously watching the activity on the mountain.


Mount St. Helen’s Volcano

Right now a volcano in Alaska is threatening to erupt, and who knows when it will or what damage it might do to the surrounding area and the environment. However, we only have to look at Mt. St. Helens in Washington State to see the type of destruction that can happen.

We visited St. Helens a few years after its devastating blast in 1980, when more than 200 square miles of Douglas Fir forests disappeared beneath mud, and trees lay fallen where they had stood. The scene was beyond eerie.

In 2004, we once again visited the mountain to see if anything had changed. It still looks otherworldly, like a scene straight off the Moon’s surface. But now there are signs of regeneration on surrounding hills and mountains. Trees are sprouting, and manmade visitor centers and overlooks have popped up on nearby viewing sites. But even today, not all is safe or perfect there.

On the day we went, the mountain was threatening to erupt once again. It continuously puffed steam and the ground trembled, even as thousands of visitors, including us, drove up to get a close-up view of the action. Dozens of national network news vans with satellites on top were there filming the activity. We got out and wandered around Johnston Ridge, an observatory and visitor center named for the young volcanologist who lost his life reporting on the pending eruption back in 1980. In all, 57 people lost their lives on that picture-perfect spring day that quickly turned into night when ash and terror filled the skies.

I know some of you must wonder why we would go see the mountain while the seismometer was registering heavy earthquake activity. We were staying nearby in an RV resort and figured we were goners if it erupted, whether we remained there or went up on the mountain. The activity did hasten our departure from the area, though.

At Johnston Ridge, we watched the seismometer bounce up and down to the rhythm of the mountain’s burps, and then headed into the theater to view the horrifying big screen movie of the eruption in 1980. As the curtains parted following the movie to reveal a stunning view of what remains of Mount St. Helens, newscaster Geraldo Rivera walked by.

Mount St. Helens is an easy drive east of I-5, between Portland and Seattle, and is a fascinating site to visit since you can look directly into the north flank of the mountain, much of which disappeared during the volcanic blast. In the United States, there is no volcano site other than Hawaii that reveals the process of regeneration that can be observed there. Visit the Web site at: http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm/

The Brass Tacks of Formatting a Manuscript

When I first started writing for publication, things were pretty straightforward. Everyone used a typewriter, and while some of us toiled away on a trusty little portable, others speedily whipped out articles on a big fancy IBM electric that did everything but think (or so we thought at the time). Still, they were all basically the same as far as setting margins, etc., and we weren’t using a variety of word processing software programs to confuse us and the publisher. Now it’s different.

Whether you are writing a book or a magazine article, if you will be submitting it to a publisher, you must know how to format it. Most publishers will send you guidelines for submitting to them, but sometimes the instructions leave out some small point that writers tend to get hung up on. Guidelines might say margins should be set as follows: Top – 1-1/2 inch, sides – 1-1/4 inch, bottom – 2 inches, but they don’t explain what the first page should look like, or they don’t tell how big the top margin should be when starting a new chapter, as for a book. And they don’t tell how to number subsequent pages and identify them. Often they expect you to know these things. Another thing guidelines will not tell you is how to set your margins in your particular word processing program, because editors have no way of knowing what you use.

So how do you go about learning these things?

Well, here’s a start. All magazine manuscripts should have a similar front page, with your **REAL name, address, telephone number, and cell phone number in the top, left hand corner. The guidelines from the publisher might ask for your social security number, especially if you are getting an assignment, so put it below your phone number. If enclosing photos with your ms., type in number of photos enclosed, if any, below the phone numbers. And be sure to identify and number all of your photos on the back with a return address label, and type a sheet identifying each one with a caption.

**(Use your real name on your ms. so the check will be made out to that name and you can get it cashed. However, I often get checks made out to Kay Kennedy, and I simply sign that way, then below it, sign with my real name which appears on my identification and my bank account.)

The top right hand corner, 1st line should tell how many words in your manuscript. I always count the words and then write “appx. xxx words,” simply in case I might be a few words off. The 2nd line should tell what rights you are selling (1st N. American rights, second serial rights, etc), and the 3rd line should show: © 2009, your name. Okay, this last line is questionable since a few editors take offense at authors showing that their article is copyrighted. However, I still include it. If an editor gets upset, that is probably an editor I don’t care to work with anyway.

Next, you should drop down to about 1/3 of the page and center your title. Beneath the title put your name, centered, such as: by Kay Kennedy. This is where you would use your pen name if it is not the same as your given name, because you want your name to appear here as it will in the magazine.

Unless you are sending an unsolicited book manuscript to a publisher, you should receive guidelines on how the layout should appear. Since there are many different ways of doing it, depending on whether you’re sending a hard copy or electronic one, I can’t even attempt to explain a system for book formatting here.

Now, as for laying out your article ms. page, every program is different, as are different versions of Microsoft Word. But somewhere at the top of your page will appear the word “page layout.” Click on that and you’ll find the place to set your margins. You may also want to select the font you wish to use. Do not use “courier” since that is what was used on typewriters. Editors would rather see something like “Times Roman,” which you will find on the list when you click “fonts.”

In my current MS Word software program, I choose line spacing under the word “paragraph” on the “page layout” page. You’ll see a place to choose “line spacing,” where you can click on “double” to get double line spacing.

Realize that although you have chosen a title and sent in a specific number of words, the title will likely be changed by the editor, and entire sections of your manuscript might be cut.

Confused? I hope not, but if any of you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ve been doing this so long that it’s automatic, and I might leave out something important without realizing it.

Because of the formatting limits of this blog, I cannot show an example of the correct manuscript formatting here, so if you are not a subscriber, you may contact me at portable . writer @ yahoo.com (don't use spaces between the words in email address) and I will send you a copy of the newsletter by email.

Scam Warning

I found this warning for a scam in WritersWeekly. It is one that many freelance writers would find attractive. Don’t become caught in its web. Go to: http://www.writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/005040_11192008.html, to read the article that almost entrapped one writer. By the way, any writer hoping to make a living doing what they love should read Angela Hoy’s weekly newsletter, writersweekly, which always offers good advice and has lots of excellent articles. Be sure to click on “articles” at the top of the page to check out past articles that might be of interest to you.

Ways Writers Can Contribute During Recession

The following few lines originally appeared in an article on networking in Portable Writing Newsletter back in Jan. 2007. It seems appropriate to take an excerpt from that article to fit the current economic situation. As writers, we all have the ability to make a positive contribution to our communities. On the other hand, if our own situation seems dire, we have within us the ability to improve our situation. Sometimes, while doing one, we’re also doing the other: that is, helping ourselves while helping others. The excerpt follows:

“Most people love to help people. It’s inbred, in our blood.

And maybe that’s a good lesson for all of us to remember this holiday season. Perhaps you can’t give time or money to help someone less fortunate, but you can always give someone a leg up by recommending they call you later, or suggesting they call a friend who might can help them achieve their goals or dreams. People don’t always need a handout; they may simply need a helping hand up.

What goes around, comes around. Every time you help someone else, it will eventually come back to you. Look at life that way and your in-basket will always be overflowing.”

Okay, so what else, besides giving money or donating canned goods, pet food or clothes, can you do to make life better for others. First of all, you could volunteer a couple of hours a week or make it a one-time shot to a charitable organization or your church. Food banks are seeing higher demand than they can meet, animal shelters are finding their kennels overflowing with abandoned animals as more and more people lose their homes, churches are having more people turn to them for help and spiritual guidance during tough times, thrift shops are reaching record sales as people seek out clothing bargains.

There are many ways you can help out any of these organizations, such as donating time, supplies, and/or money, but as a writer, you can offer to produce a newsletter, flyers, short articles for the local newspaper, inventory lists, or even maintain their membership list. There are numerous ways to put your writing and computer skills to use in almost any type of charitable organization. If your favorite charity doesn’t offer something that fits your skills, be ready to suggest a way to make yourself useful that involves using your writing talents.

Maybe you have life skills that would be useful to overwhelmed families, and could offer to teach classes in budgeting for a family, planning and cooking economical meals, writing a resumé, job interviewing skills, sewing and mending clothes, or starting a small home-based business. People are searching for ways to make their income stretch further, and useful skills that we might take for granted could possibly change the lives of some of those less fortunate. Writers generally have the ability to organize ideas and create useful courses on a variety of subjects, incorporating skills they’ve learned from raising a family or working at a variety of jobs. We all tend to think that what we’ve done isn’t that important, but we all know things that others would love to learn.

Your life will be enriched by the people you meet while volunteering, and you’ll receive other wonderful benefits, including improved mental and physical health from the simple act of helping someone else. Another benefit could come from the people you meet while volunteering. Many busy executives and their families volunteer, and it’s possible you’ll meet someone who is impressed with your dedication and talent, and will recommend you to one of their business associates. That, of course, could lead to an increase in your writing income.

Those of us who are fortunate to have good health, a roof over our heads, plenty to eat, and a lifetime of experiences, no matter what our age or background, all have something useful to give to others, especially in times like these.

Remember: good things come from doing good things for others.

Find the Real Old West in Oatman, Arizona

When I started this newsletter, I used to include a short story on fun places to visit, especially since traveling is the reason for RVing. So this time, I’ve decided to include an article about a place on old Route 66, which many of you have probably never heard about before.

If you take off on old Route 66 to the West, just outside Kingman, AZ, you can’t miss the little ghost town of Oatman. When we made the trip, we left out motorhome behind in Kingman. This section of Route 66 is not a road over which you want to drive your big RV, nor is there a place in the ghost town to park your rig. The road there is narrow and winding, plus it does some climbing. This town is also easily reached within an hour or so from Needles, CA, Laughlin, NV and Bullhead City, AZ, but the 25 mile road to Bullhead City is unpaved, although well graded.

You’ll know you’ve reached Oatman when you spot burros meandering down the street and along the wooden sidewalks. These are descendants of the original beasts of burden that were brought in to help miners back in the town’s heyday, and then were turned loose to fend for themselves when the miners left. The original burros and their descendants quickly learned to beg for food. Today they come down from the surrounding hills each morning to solicit food from friendly tourists and shop owners, and have no fear of poking their heads through doorways if they think a friendly handout might await them there. Most shops sell carrots to feed the burros.

Oatman was founded in the 1800s, then hit it big in 1915 when a gold strike worth $10 million drew 3500 people to the area. A narrow-guage railroad served Oatman for a short while, but the town died more than once as first, the gold played out, then later when Interstate 40 drew tourists and travelers away from the old highway and the town. The Oatman Hotel was made famous by the honeymoon stopover of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, famous ‘30s movie actors, on March 18, 1939. Tourists who remember them still ask to see the room where they stayed.

Today, Oatman is still an active place on weekends, where staged gunfights take place on the main street. Prospectors still comb the area in search of gold, especially since gold prices have reached record levels during this past year. And you might recognize some familiar scenes from western movies like How the West Was Won.

The trip to Oatman is a perfect, picturesque journey into the past, and a glimpse into the true Old West.

A Recession is the Best Time to Build Your Writing Business

Because we are definitely in the middle of a recession and many businesses are feeling desperate, marketing is essential. This applies to all businesses, including yours, especially now that many businesses have closed their doors because they could no longer afford the overhead. You can stay in business because you can write at home, so no additional overhead. What could be better? But you want to make sure clients and prospects know you are in business.

I first started my writing business in the middle of the ‘80s economic downturn. I didn’t really hope to make much money at first, if ever, but I figured it was a good time for on-the-job training. How could I know my business would snowball, especially knowing that so many businesses were shutting down every day, and so many people becoming unemployed as their companies merged with others. What I didn’t realize at first was that many of those unemployed were deciding to start their own businesses. That’s what they did then, and it is likely what thousands of the currently unemployed will do now. And what an opportunity that presents to writers!

Back then, I joined a couple of business organizations that met regularly to network and exchange business leads. Each meeting would include a speaker who would speak on a topic that would interest attendees. Also, everybody present would stand up and introduce themselves and tell a little about their own business. The leader of the meetings would encourage everyone to think of possible leads for each person in attendance. That was where many of my clients came from—either the meetings themselves or somebody would give me the name of a friend in business that needed my services.

I also gave talks at some of the meetings about press releases and a number of other marketing tools that I produced for clients. I stressed that a recession was no time to stop marketing, and that those in attendance should definitely keep their names before the public while their competitors were ducking into their shells to await an economic upswing or their eventual demise, whichever came first.

Those networking meetings, plus some other marketing tactics I used meant that when anyone in the metropolitan area of thousands of businesses needed the services of a writer, many were bound to think of my business. When they needed someone to write a proposal, a brochure, an article for the newspaper or a magazine, or effective business letters, my business was often the one they called. I wrote a regular business column for the business newspaper, which also got me leads and kept my name before the public. But even if I hadn’t stumbled upon that opportunity, I would have offered to write articles for the newspaper for free.

You could research a topic relevant to the business community and write an article on that. I can remember writing about banking, office design, environmentally friendly offices, and of course, marketing for businesses. For the articles that didn’t pay, I made sure that my name, business name, and phone number appeared at the end. Free advertising in exchange for my articles, what could be better?

So if you are just starting out, or worrying that you won’t get much business during this recession, here’s what you can do. First of all, attend a meeting of local business networking groups, and then join if they look promising. Maybe there is a homebased business group near you, or another group that focuses on exchanging leads. If not, why not start your own?

Approach your local newspaper with some business article ideas. If your community has a business newspaper, they almost always welcome articles in exchange for free publicity. Research topics and make notes for future article ideas to impress the editor or publisher. You could write about home offices, marketing material for businesses, marketing on a budget, leasing commercial office space, or any other subject that would interest typical business owners. The list is endless, and who knows, you could end up getting paid for writing them.

A recession means opportunities for writers who can turn a marketing message into magic. That would be you, dear writers! While I know the holiday season means that you may be too busy for awhile to be very productive, it still would be a good time to start compiling lists of ideas to pursue immediately after the holidays, and researching some topics that you might want to write about.

Hey, this might also be the right time to check out some business meetings to see if they're planning some holiday parties where you can mingle and start building credibility. Of course, other than your waistline, the party treats never hurt, either.

Earn a Great Living as a Ghostwriter of Books
Based on a chapter in the book, Portable Writing by Kay Kennedy

Back in the ‘80s, I met someone who had turned her talent for writing into a successful career writing books for people who were willing to pay $25,000-$30,000 to have their story written. That’s in addition to the thousands they would then pay to have the book printed and bound. I’m not talking about celebrities, here. These would be books about ordinary people, like your neighbors and friends. And this is a field that is wide open for willing writers.

First of all, everyone has a life story to tell, and for every story there is a waiting and willing audience—which might only be a spouse, children, grandchildren, relatives and friends. No story is as treasured as the one passed down from generation to generation, yet most people leave very little behind except snapshots and perhaps a handful of letters and yellowed, brittle news clippings, and some material objects as evidence of their time spent on earth. Their joyful times, lessons learned, difficulties encountered and overcome, and a lifetime of wisdom are lost forever when they pass on. Everyone’s memories are priceless to someone, and as a writer, you can help preserve their stories for future generations.

One of those people wanting their life story told could be your neighbor who is nearing the end of his or her life and wants to produce a record of family history, successes, triumphs and tragedies, and all the changes that have taken place over the years. Your client might be a couple down the street or in your church about to celebrate a milestone anniversary. It could be that favorite teacher or college professor, or your minister who had an influence on thousands of people, but who doesn’t feel equipped to write a book. Or it might be the successful head of a company who wants to memorialize his business and its influence in his community. Maybe he wants to pass on knowledge of starting and operating a business venture like his.

And it could be the executive director of a non-profit organization who succeeded in spite of overcoming great odds, and wants her family, friends, and others to know about her struggles to achieve her career goals. It could also be someone who has great technical experience and wants to produce a how-to book, but doesn’t know how to organize thoughts or put words to paper.

The ghostwriter I met in the ‘80s earned $50,000-60,000 per year from the two books, on average, that she produced. Most ghostwriters could expect to make much more today depending on the size of book projects tackled. The most difficult task is in finding those who want their story told and have the money to pay, but believe me, they’re out there and ready and willing to use your services.

Ordinary people who want their stories told

Here’s how to find those people you might know who would want to have a book written about their lives.

1. First of all, writers must market their services. To start with, produce a simple but eloquent brochure that spells out why clients would want their story told, then explains how you would turn their memories into an interesting and intelligent story.

A simple typed brochure printed on both sides of 8-1/2” by 13” paper and folded in half, like a booklet, would be sufficient. It doesn’t have to include photos or graphics, unless you want to include a photo of yourself on the back side with a compilation of your writing experience. Then make sure you distribute copies at your church, or at any non-profit organization where you volunteer. You might reach some interested clients by teaching classes at retirement homes to help retirees write their own stories. Some will probably want to turn that chore over to you, the expert. And I’ll bet that if they don’t want or can’t afford your services, many of them will know someone who will. Tell people what you do, and be prepared to answer questions.

2. When you get your first project, draw up a contract that specifies when you are to be paid and how much. Ask for at least one-third retainer fee, with one-third due upon completion of interviewing and research, then the final one-third due on completion of the manuscript. Set a time limit in your contract with your clients so that you and they have clear expectations of when the job will be completed.

You may or may not be involved in finding a printer and handling the submission of the manuscript to the printer, or you might only want to produce the manuscript and let your client take care of the printing details. If so, it would be helpful to learn how to format the book on your computer and give a printed copy plus a copy on disk to your client so all they have to do is send it to their printer. Or if a client only wants a few copies (say under 10), then you might want to have the copies printed by a local printer as wire-bound soft cover copies. Be sure to charge for those copies.

3. Outline of the types of information they might want included. Include memory joggers like school memories; birthdays and other celebrations; young adult and adult memories such as role models, going away to college, first job, first car, marriage, children, first home, holiday memories and traditions, and any other ideas that would make wonderful stories for family and friends.

Expand the list to include everything that might help your client provide you with more information, including what they’ve learned that they wish to pass on to their heirs. Have your client pull out old photographs and go through them, recalling memories of the people and events pictured. Ask your clients to tell how things have changed in their lifetimes. Suggest that they include a family tree to help descendants picture their place in the family.

Business clients

For business clients, obviously your questionnaire would include different questions such as when they started their business, how they came up with the idea, how the start-up was financed, etc. It might or might not include the personal information mentioned above.

Another type of book you might ghostwrite would be a technical or how-to book for someone who has knowledge and skills, but doesn’t know how to organize and write a book. If this is the type of client you prefer to attract, your brochure should appear more professional and focus on information that would appeal to a business-oriented person. You would still spell out what you do, but focus on how your skills would benefit your client (i.e., promote business, build credibility, etc.). This type of client might want to self-publish a book or look for a publisher, so that would be a consideration that might affect whether you want to pursue the job or not since it might involve having you find the publisher for your client.

Freelance rewards

Ghostwriting is only one type of freelance writing that might appeal to you. It offers its rewards, such as getting to know people with interesting stories to tell. As you can see, it helps if the writer knows a little bit about a lot of things, such as marketing, outlining, formatting a book, and printing, but these are topics that are easily learned from books. Ghostwriting is a profitable avenue that you might pursue while you are also writing your own great novel.

Remember, this is your livelihood, and you’re providing a great service for your clients. Don’t undersell yourself, even in the beginning. Realize that it might take longer than six months for you to produce your first book project, so you won’t be making the high hourly rates that you’ll receive once you have some experience under your belt. Once you have some experience, your name will become known and clients will start seeking you out to write their life stories.

Enjoy the process. While you’re writing about someone else’s life remember: your life is also being invested into the project. Make it into a wonderful, memorable experience and make it pay!

Lower Gas Prices Mean More People RVing this Winter

Gas prices have finally returned to a level that puts more people in the mood to travel. Canadians are especially finding RVing more enticing this year, and we are meeting lots of them in the park this winter. Many have not been here before.

For awhile, some RVers were hanging up their keys and trying to unload their gas-guzzling rigs, and while many are still wary of taking long trips, other are breathing a big sigh of relief and making plans to hit the road for an extensive vacation.

I can remember the early seventies, when gas suddenly spiked from an average 30 cents per gallon to around 65 cents per gallon. Sixty-five cents sounds cheap now, doesn’t it? But back then, we watched gas prices double in a very short period of time, and that was scary. What was even worse back then was that many gas stations closed, and those that didn’t had long lines because of gas rationing. We could only buy gas (according to numbers on our license plates) on certain days of the week. At that time, I drove hundreds of miles every week for my job, and in many unfamiliar neighborhoods, which often left me wondering if I would make it back to the studio, or home each day.

Then in the late seventies, early eighties, the same thing happened again. Gas was in short supply and expensive. I was still traveling hundreds of miles a week, and again everyone, including me, freaked out. I even changed hairdressers to cut down on miles.

The main thing I remember during both of those crises, though, was that RVs were practically being given away because owners thought they could no longer afford to travel!

Lesson learned: gas prices will go up, and sometimes they’ll go back down. Drivers, and especially RVers, will always react with alarm when they see their lifestyle threatened. None of us knows how long lower gas prices will hold this time, but it’s certain that they’ll go back up.

RVers learn to adapt. We either cut back on driving when prices get high, or we adjust our budgets to accommodate higher prices and keep going. The economy looks really bleak right now, and no one knows how soon it will right itself. None of us knows what will happen next. But I’m certain that no matter what, some RVers will continue hitting the road as long as they can get fuel, and as long as their budgets will allow.

Make Money as a Ghostwriter
Excerpted from the book, Portable Writing, by Kay Kennedy

One of the more financially rewarding writing assignments that I’ve discovered is ghostwriting. This is a huge field loaded with opportunities if you’re ready to step into it. You don’t have to be an expert on anything, nor do you have to “know someone.” You can choose to specialize in articles or you might want to seek out individuals who want a book written. Articles are the easiest to start with and tend to pay better for the amount of work done.

Ghostwritten articles
If your interest is in writing articles for publication, consider approaching professional and business clients who might need a ghostwriter. Ghostwriting pays really well, and corporate clients generally will pay more than small business owners for articles. And they pay well even if they’re not personally receiving any payment from the publication. Sometimes their only goal is to share important information they have about a particular subject, or it could be only for recognition and prestige. They hire you because they can’t write well enough for publication, or they don’t have time, or because you charge less by the hour than they receive for their position.

The greatest benefit to you as a ghostwriter is that the pay is generally higher than you would ever receive from a magazine or trade journal for the same type and length of article.

The best way to get started in this lucrative field is to first, research an interesting topic in any industry you wish, write an article and submit it to an industry trade magazine. After it is published, you’ll have a sample with which to approach corporate prospects and show what you can do, and this sample will prove that your articles can and do get published. This is your “foot in the door” to write for corporate bigwigs. Hiring you will be cheaper than paying for advertising in the magazine they want the article submitted to.

If a magazine charges $10,000 for a full-page ad and you only charge $4,000 to write an article for them, the corporation will save $6,000 plus receive bigger coverage (possibly several pages) and better publicity from a published article with the byline of one of their top executives. These figures are only examples, but are relative to the amounts charged for advertising and the amount you could make, depending on the length of the article.

Of course, you always want to have a signed contract before proceeding with any work. The contract should state what the article will be about, number of words, how many rewrites or corrections you will provide, completion date, and your fee. You should collect one-half of the total fee in advance, but state that final payment is due upon completion and approval by your client. Do not agree to wait for payment until after the article is published because the newspaper or magazine may decide to hold it for several months for a special issue.

The biggest reward for a client from published articles is credibility and establishment as an expert in his field. Remember that this type of client pool can include not only corporate executives, but also medical doctors or people with advanced scientific and education degrees.

Your marketing presentation to your prospect should include a brief biography about yourself, plus writing samples and a brochure that outlines what services you can provide, including ghostwriting articles and/or books. It will also be helpful to provide a list of former clients you’ve written for, with their permission, after you gain experience.

Who gets the byline?
Realize that your name will not appear on ghostwritten articles unless your client agrees to share the byline, so you can’t use copies to find more business. They’ve paid for the byline, and most expect to get both the credit and privacy.

If they agree to let their name be used as a reference and they’re contacted, it’s up to them to volunteer or withhold information about the types of writing you have done for them. You should never reveal that you’ve ghostwritten articles without their prior permission.

Your own articles that are published in trade magazines may be the only ones you can use to generate new business, so keep publishing on your own to build credibility and to have a supply of up-to-date samples to show prospective clients. Mail copies to your list of prospects each time a new article is published to keep yourself in their thoughts. Eventually prospects will see how articles written by you, but with their byline, will benefit them.

The payment you receive for a ghostwritten article will often depend on whether you place the article or your client does. One of my clients developed a working relationship with a magazine editor and could place almost any article he wanted to propose. I was assured of having continuing writing assignments from this client with virtually no work except for producing the article, so I could afford to charge him less than clients who needed my help placing articles.

Typically, though, I would propose an article to a trade magazine in my client’s name, then proceed to research and write the article, although the client would usually supply the research material. I wrote articles about taxes, small business record keeping, and financial planning for accounting and finance clients. I wrote about investments for a client who was a stockbroker. By the way, that was a field that I knew absolutely nothing about in advance! And I wrote a variety of articles for other clients.

Clients usually hire ghostwriters who have marketed their services to them. Corporate and business executives don’t normally ask their friends or colleagues for referrals because they don’t want their peers to know they are using a ghostwriter. So don’t be shy about getting your name and information out to prospective clients so they’ll know what you can do, and how well you can do it.

The really rewarding part of ghostwriting articles is that some of your more successful clients may want help writing a technical book or an autobiography about themselves. Naturally, you will land on their short-list of writers to help them produce a full-length book. I’ll cover ghostwriting books in next month’s newsletter and tell about one former acquaintance who made an excellent living doing only ghostwriting.

Another source of information about magazines

A good article by Christine Venzon appeared in July 25, 2008 issue of Writers Weekly about checking the media kits from magazines to understand their readership and focus. These are the information kits that magazines send out to the media and advertisers, and as writers, we are also part of the media and can get access to the kits to help us understand the magazines market, especially if they don’t have writers guidelines to send writers. Read the article by clicking here: http://writersweekly.com/this_weeks_article/004767_06252008.html, or go to www.writersweekly.com and click on “articles” at top of page, which will take you to the archived articles.

Gas Prices Got You Down?

Gas prices reached record highs this spring and summer, then dropped a little, and now they’re climbing again. What’s an RVer to do?

The day before we left Arizona on our trip on March 15th, we gassed up in town. Gas had zoomed up overnight from $2.89 to $3.02. “Oh well, what’s new” we asked ourselves? Our next tank of gas the following evening was purchased in California at a whopping $3.50, and it climbed steadily upward as we made our way northward to Washington. Before we would head back to Arizona in July, it had reached well over $4.00 per gallon, then on our last day of travel, July 17th, it reached the highest price ever recorded! Such is our luck every time we travel in the motorhome! As we pulled into our campsite back in AZ, local gas stations were already lowering their prices by a few cents.

But we learned long ago how to compensate for volatile gas prices. Our previous trip back from Washington happened over Labor Day weekend in 2005, and I guess you can all remember what happened. Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and gas shot up from $2.50 to over $3.00 per gallon overnight. Ouch! When we’re traveling in an RV and something like that happens, nothing is going to stop us from reaching our destination, especially if we’re in the north and it’s getting up into fall. We don’t do cold! Well, not intentionally! This was one time when we had to get back right away.

So how do we compensate when we have the luxury of being able to plan ahead? By traveling slowly and spreading our travel costs out. We plan to go as far as we feel comfortable traveling, which is usually decided by a set budget. Then we settle in for anywhere from a week up to a month. Rates for RV sites are always a little cheaper by the week, and usually quite a bit lower per month. We’ve also kept our overnight costs down by joining Passport America, which provides one-half price camping spots scattered across the country, and Escapees Club, which owns several parks around the country. We also belong to Thousand Trails and can stay in their parks for free for up to two weeks before we have to move on or start paying. Unfortunately, these campgrounds are not always located on the routes we want to travel, but sometimes they are. And sometimes we route our trip specifically to take advantage of them.

Also, while traveling, we always watch for Walmart Supercenters, where there is room to park the motorhome to shop, and where grocery prices are generally lower than nearby chain supermarkets. We also watch for produce stands that we can pull into to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Before we leave on a trip, I usually cook up some hearty soups and bread and freeze them in meal-size portions. Then we only have to find a spot off the highway big enough to pull over and run the generator for a few minutes to thaw and heat them for lunch.

One of our biggest expenses is eating out, which is both an educational and culinary treat as we travel through different regions, so if we need to cut back on expenses, that is often the only area we have to seriously cut.

So what are the best ways you can cut expenses to make up for expensive and rising gas prices?

1. Join a discount camping club so that you can cut costs of overnight stays. Make sure you talk to other campers before you join anything, and go back to your rig and figure out just how much you will actually save before signing on the dotted line. Salesman will tell you that you must make up your mind immediately to get their “special” price, but we’ve found that going back the next day hasn’t cooled their enthusiasm for selling us a membership. Meanwhile, we’ve been able to make an educated decision.

2. If you really can’t afford higher gas prices AND an overnight RV site, you might try bookdocking or dry camping. That means finding a place to park overnight for free, and with no hookups. Some county parks around the country provide free overnight camping, and some states allow overnighters to spend the night in rest areas, but always check first and make sure it looks safe. Some Walmarts also allow overnighters, but check with the manager before attempting it because you don’t want be awakened in the middle of the night by authorities threatening to haul you away because it’s illegal in that particular municipality.

3. If you use gas cards, make sure they aren’t for gas stations with the highest prices, and get one that offers a cash rebate. We’ve found that Sam’s Club gas prices are almost always cheaper than surrounding gas stations. You can purchase a Walmart Road Atlas and pay less for it at (guess where?) that lists all the Walmarts and Sam’s Club locations across the country.

4. Don’t leave home without signing up for emergency road service. We use Good Sam’s, which costs around $100 per year, and they will send a tow truck no matter how far you may be from civilization and haul you to the nearest reliable repair facility. There’s never any money out of pocket for this service.

5. Plan out your trip to fit your budget. If you want to travel for a few months, determine just how far you can afford to go each month, then find a nice but inexpensive place to put down roots for a short period. It’s a perfect way to really explore an area in your toad (towed car). Don’t haul one, or you travel with a trailer or a Fifth Wheel, and your only drivable vehicle is an expensive, fuel-guzzling truck? Then get together with some of your fellow campers and see if you can maybe join them on jaunts around the area, and split the fuel costs.

6. If gas shoots sky high and you’re thousands of miles from home, it pays to have a Visa or Mastercard, or a savings account that you can access on the road for just this type of emergency. Believe me, that’s what’s saved our “can’t stand the cold” booties more than once! There also may be times when an equipment break-down breaks your budget, and you need that extra cushion to tide you over.

For most RVers, there’s no reason to panic about gas prices yet. We may hang up the keys when it reaches $5.00 a gallon, but until then, we plan to continue our journey along America’s backroads. Maybe we won’t travel as far each trip, or we’ll take longer to get to our destination, but we’re not letting fuel prices determine our RVing future just yet.

P.S. Don’t tell the oil companies, but we may take a trip back East in a couple of months. This time though, we plan to leave the motorhome parked on its site and take the car, which gets around 35 miles per gallon. Won’t that just upset the order of things for the gas stations along our route?

Writer's Relief Available Online

One of the most annoying problems I’ve noticed in the past couple of years is that some writers put punctuation marks like commas and periods outside of quotation marks.

For instance, they’ll write: Mary said, “We’re going shopping as soon as I finish the laundry”.

Rules for grammar do change over time, and I've seen writers make this mistake so many times lately, I was beginning to wonder if I had missed the memo on new rules about placing punctuation marks outside the quote marks.

However, according to today’s Writer’s Relief newsflash, the most common grammar problem lies in placement of punctuation in relation to quotation marks. Here’s what they say, which by the way is exactly what we all learned in school:

The standard rule is to include periods and commas within the quotation marks.

Writer’s Relief offers monthly newsflashes that provide good, helpful information to those wanting to get published. Although it is supposedly sent monthly, I receive something from them weekly. You can sign up to receive the newsflashes at: Writer’s Relief, http://www.wrelief.com.

This month's focus is on print-on-demand publishers
This month they have a good article titled: The Ins and Outs of Self-Publishing. Although some of the terminology is odd and the information could have been more complete, I suggest that anyone who is interested in getting a book published, read this important article.

If you’re interested in getting your book published, I would also recommend checking out www.Booklocker.com to see what they offer to self-publishers. They provide a complete print-on-demand service, or writers can choose to use the services they want. For instance, if you have your own artwork or know someone who can create the bookcover design, that’s okay. Have your own editor? That’s okay, too.

Booklocker’s quality control is excellent, the prices are lower than most, and royalties are higher than other POD companies, plus the owners are very easy to work with. And they’re honest, something you don’t always find in this day and age. Writers own all rights to their work, and the contract between writer and Booklocker can be cancelled at any time if a better offer comes down the pike.

Sometimes a bestselling author on Booklocker’s list will receive a contract offer from a traditional publisher. Having had experience with a traditional, although small publisher, I’m not at all sure that I would ever accept an offer from a traditional publisher again, although to be honest, none have approached me on my two latest books because neither is a bestseller. Even if one approached me with a multi-million advance offer, no strings attached except that I produce the manuscript, I might not sign it, but frankly, since I’m not a celebrity and my books don't cover a celebrity or dish dirt on one, that’s not going to happen!

After doing all the work necessary to create a bestseller, why on earth would an author then turn it over to a traditional publisher so they can receive an 8-10 percent royalty when Booklocker pays 35 percent? True, traditional publishers have big advertising budgets and they can get placement on the shelves of major booksellers, but neither of those steps will guarantee that I’ll sell more books. My books are offered through the top bookstores, and anyone can walk in and order them and have them within 10 days. Maybe a few more books would sell if buyers saw them on display in a store, but who knows.

One troubling aspect of bookstore display can be seen at Barnes and Noble. If you’ve been in one of their stores lately, you’ve probably seen people using the store like a library. They take a book from the shelf and sit down to spend the day reading. Speed readers like me can whip through a 200-page book in a couple of hours. My question is, why would anyone pay for a book when they can read it for free?

Amazon, the major online bookstore force in the world, has my books listed on its site, but my page doesn't offer the option of browsing inside. For people who want to read a one- or two-chapter excerpt, they can do that at my page on Booklocker's site. But if they want to read the entire book, they can buy it.

If you decide to use a POD publisher to get your book published, make sure they offer your books through the biggest bookseller sites on the Internet—Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. You’ll be way ahead of the game. And make sure your book is listed in Ingram’s directory, which means it will be available to all booksellers and libraries. Then any one of them can order your book. I noticed that a library somewhere purchased several copies of my book, and can only assume they found it listed in Ingram’s catalog.

Print-on-demand publishing services are growing as more and more authors, even those with previous publishing house contracts, try their hand at self-publishing to make more money. And for newcomers, sometimes this is the only game in town except for completely striking out on their own and finding their own printer and paying upfront for printing costs, formatting their manuscript into book form, paying for the artwork, storing printed copies of their book, marketing and advertising, distributing, and all the other details of getting a book on the market.

Self-publishing has been around for years, and many top-earning authors began this way, but now it's been made a whole lot easier with P.O.D. publishers.

GRAMMAR! G-R-R-R

Grammar! It’s what we all learned in school, but there were so many rules that it’s easy to forget some of them, especially years after we’ve graduated. And for those of us who haven’t written for a living or used written grammar in our everyday work, it becomes even harder to recall everything we learned.

For instance, what is a participle, and what, for heaven’s sake, is a dangling participle? If grammar questions like these plague you when you sit down to write, you can sign up to receive daily grammar lessons plus archive past lessons at: http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.shtml, This is a fascinating site worth checking out even if you think you remember everything you learned.

If you do remember all the rules, let me know your secret to perfect recall. I could certainly use a little help, even though I’ve made my living at this for more than 20 years.

RV Parks that deliver

A few weeks ago I wrote about one of the worst RV parks we have stayed in, and I promised to also write about the really good ones that we encounter. This past trip we had many opportunities to stay in RV parks in California, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, although some were on military installations and one was connected to the Camplex in Gillette, Wyoming. They were fine places to stay, especially the FamCamp at the Air Force Academy, but the military installations are not usually open to anyone who isn’t an active duty member of the military or retired.

After leaving the crowded parking lot-style and perfectly horrible RV park in Spokane, we next went to Anaconda, Montana. Fairmont RV Resort is a large park with widely spaced sites, making it great place to stay. Outside the park on one side were horses in a pasture; on another side, a resort. We belong to Passport America, which gives us half-price camping at many RV parks throughout the country, and that’s how we found this park several years ago. The valley where it is located is surrounded by snow-covered mountains (at least in June), the air is fresh, and the deep blue sky seems endless past the mountains.

Our next really great RV parks were located in New Mexico, just off I-25 and I-40. In Las Vegas, N.M. we decided to stay at a state park since the one commercial park was unappealing, and that’s being kind. We headed to Storey Lake State Park just a mile or so further down the road, where we found great pull-through sites with covered picnic casitas overlooking a blue lake. These get reserved early, so overnighters might have to stay in a back-in site, plus it appeared that people who didn’t even own tents could reserve the casitas and sleep in them. We were plucky enough to ask about the pull-thrus after being assigned to a back-in site, and lucky that there was one available for one night, which was all we needed. Storey Lake State Park would make a really fine destination for those wanting to spend a week or so where they can also enjoy their boat, and it’s conveniently located just outside of town.

Then there was Gallup, New Mexico, where we had been forced to stay in a dirt pullout off the freeway a few years ago because no RV parks were listed in our directory. But this time we made reservations at U.S.A. RV Park, and we were pleasantly surprised. The park looks fairly new and is clean and spacious. We had a pull-through site near the office and entertainment area, and were handed a menu for our evening meal when we checked in. The offerings mostly consisted of barbeque sandwiches and hamburgers, but they were deliciously prepared by a young man who is a culinary student, and prices were very reasonable. They also served breakfast, but we passed on that. I’m sure it was also wonderful. Hey, I love a place where good food can be had within walking (or waddling) distance.

Neither of the parks in New Mexico were Passport America or otherwise discounted parks. Apparently, few parks in New Mexico feel it necessary to offer discounts, but for a few that offer an Escapees membership discount, which is usually 10-15 percent.

I shouldn’t forget the RV parks we stayed in on our way through California, Oregon and Washington. We went a few miles out of our way on the first night on the road, and because of a low tire that had to be changed (by emergency road service), it got dark before we arrived at Twin Lakes RV Park in Newberry Springs, CA. The park was down a narrow road off I-40 (also, access off I-15), and after first missing it, we managed to get the RV (after taking the car off the dolly) turned around and headed back. Inside were dirt roads and it was impossible to tell what condition the park was in, but we felt sure it was safe. Were we ever surprised when we woke up the next morning to find a small lake outside our window with ducks placidly floating back and forth? The park was a little rundown, but that mattered little after we spent some time watching the ducks with our very happy and excited cat. This was also one of the Passport America parks, so the price was way less than we would have paid anywhere else, and that made it worth the few extra miles.

We also stayed at Mountain Gate RV Park north of Redding and just off I-5. We had stayed there before, so knew it would be beautiful—especially in the spring. This is where our right front wheel on the car slipped over the front of the car dolly as we headed downhill and made a sharp turn. No problem for the hosts there. They hauled out two hydraulic jacks, and with the aid of our pitiful car jack, the car was soon back where it belonged and we had no further problems.

Our next stop was in Sutherlin, Oregon, where we usually stay at the Escapees park, which is absolutely beautiful. This time, since we were only stopping overnight, we turned left off I-5 and drove about one-half mile to the Hi-Way Haven RV Park. We had stayed there overnight before, so knew that it was neat and clean, and just an overall nice park. We also knew about the outdoor movie screen, which had been left in place after it was turned into an RV park. What we didn’t know was that on weekend nights when the weather is nice, you can sit right in your RV and watch the feature movie that the park runs. We were there on the wrong night, but had there been a movie, we were parked directly below the screen and would have had front-row seats. So if you’re pining to watch a movie at an old-fashioned drive-in theater and you also need a pull-through RV site for one night, this is a great place to stay.

I’m pretty sure we spent one or two other nights on the road, but apparently the places we stayed were forgettable. We ended up in Tacoma, Washington at one of our favorite places to stay since it is lakefront and only one-half mile down the shore from where we used to live. It is also located on a military installation, so isn’t open to the general public. Three military installations operate FamCamps in this one area just south of Tacoma, luckily for us—because there are no other RV parks in the immediate area—and that’s exactly where we needed to be.

If you are eligible to stay in military parks, contact me for more information on military FamCamps or you can purchase a directory to all FamCamps across the country at base exchanges. The parks are not necessarily inexpensive, but sometimes they’re the only game in town. And sometimes they offer great views overlooking water or are located in pristine wooded areas.

If you’re interested in Passport America’s discounted program, their Website is at: www.passportamerica.com. Our first three nights on the road back in 2003 saved us the membership price. It’s so worth the cost!

Help Organizations Honor Their History
Based on chapter from the book, Portable Writing by Kay Kennedy

If you have a case of the summer doldrums, there is something you can do right now that will earn enough money for next summer’s RV or plane trip. Usually when any business, civic or business organization, school, church, college fraternity or sorority, or local government gets ready to celebrate a major anniversary, such as the 25th, 50th, 100th, or higher, they want a history of their organization compiled to mark the occasion. And they’re going to need a writer to pull the facts together.

One way to find out about upcoming celebrations is to talk to people who belong to those organizations. Ask them when it was founded, and if a big anniversary is coming up, get the name of a contact person and find out if they have made plans for a written history book to honor their past.

Another way is to go to the library and look up the history of your region. Try old newspapers from way back. Look for nearby townships, churches, businesses, organizations, etc. that were founded about 23-24, 48-49 or 98-99 years ago, then check current telephone books to see if they are still operating. Next, try to find out the name of a contact person, or call the organization and ask for the name of someone who might be in charge of planning an anniversary celebration.

Still another way is to watch the daily newspaper, either the society pages (if your newspaper still carries them) or the business section, for any news about upcoming plans for an official observance or reunion to celebrate a landmark anniversary.

And quite possibly, you belong to a group that has a big anniversary coming up. It could be anything from a local preservation group for a museum, church, school, library, scenic railroad, or fairgrounds to the local chapter of the Elks Club. Think of all the groups you belong to and ask your friends and family about organizations they belong to. Somewhere among your acquaintances and the newspapers you research, you will surely locate one group that has an upcoming anniversary.

Once you have a contact person at such an organization, call them and ask if their organization has discussed having a history of their group compiled into a commemorative book. If they say no, or they haven’t heard of anything, ask if there is someone you can contact who might know, or who might be in charge of collecting and maintaining historical documents. The person most likely to know about such things would be the head of the organization, but it could be someone in charge of volunteer activities or even a secretary who has been put in charge of keeping historical files.

Pitch your idea to the person in charge on the telephone and offer to write a letter outlining your ideas. That way, they will have something in writing and can also see that you have the writing skills necessary to undertake the job. If you’ve ever put together any book or any kind, offer to make an appointment to show your examples and to discuss the project further. And you’ll discuss what type of book they would like to see: whether it will be a large, souvenir hardcover book or a smaller, paperback copy, or even a pamphlet, and whether photos will be included, and then if there will be any color photos.

When you find a group that wants to have a book compiled, present them with a contract (a copy of one can be found in my book, Portable Writing). Get at least a 1/3 deposit on the total amount up front, with another 1/3 due when manuscript is completed, then the final 1/3 due when the book goes to the printer.

You’ll want to have access to their records and any historical photos. You will also probably want to interview people still living who had a part in the founding and former employees familiar with the history and operation of the organization. If founding members are still alive, interview them to learn their original ideas and plans for their organization, and how they view its growth.

You will need to wade through founding papers, board meeting minutes, marketing materials and articles that might have appeared in local newspapers or magazines over the years. Document how the company or organization has grown.

Then put the story together, and get approval from the person in charge at several points along the way to make sure you are on track with their concept. Also show them the final proof, and have them proofread and approve it with their signature affixed before you proceed any further.

This type of project might take a year or a month to complete, depending on the size of the organization and the type of final presentation wanted, but it is possible to work on two or three of these projects at one time, especially if one or two are small pamphlets and booklets and one is a large-scale book. And remember, every one of the projects you complete, including the small pamphlets, can lead to bigger, more profitable projects in the future.

Wanna’ Write? Check Out This Article on Taking a Chance

I want to direct you to a July 30 article titled: “Take a Chance,” by Doreen Rosevald in WritersWeekly, http://writersweekly.com/success_stories/004834_07302008.html, to find out what she has learned that might be useful to other writers. She was a farmer’s wife with two babies who dared to take a chance and ended up with her own newspaper column, and much more. Her experience was much like mine when I approached a newspaper publisher at a networking meeting and was offered a regular column plus getting feature articles on a variety of business topics published.

Getting into writing is really that easy! And if you don’t succeed the first time, or it doesn’t work out as you expected, try again. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. What’s the worst that can happen? The word "No"? We’ve all heard that word before, some of us over and over again, so what’s another "No" if you desperately want to write and be published? Just another tiny speed bump on the parking lot of a typical writer’s life.

On the other hand, take a chance and you might just find that there really is a paying outlet for your writing. Shucks, you could very easily become rich and famous.

Gas too high? Find vacation treasures near home

The summer doldrums have ambushed me! We’ve had hot weather here, but not that hot, and the summer monsoons are back, which means we get some really nice afternoons and evenings to get outside and walk around the park, enjoying the fresh scent of rain. Best of all, many nights we can sleep without air conditioning. As a result, I’ve been too busy enjoying nature to remember the other important things in my life like writing.

August is one of the most popular months for families to go on vacation as summer activities start to wind down. In the South where I was born, it is hot and muggy and everyone hides from the heat inside their air conditioned homes or at a favorite lakeside beach. In New England, where we have family and where we spent a summer in the mid-nineties, everyone seems to own a lakeside retreat or rent a camping spot for the summer where they spend all of their free time enjoying the woods, lakes, or ocean beaches. In Washington, where we spent so many years, it might be cool and wet, but usually it is warm and sunny throughout the month of August, so everyone takes part in activities like hiking, boating and going to the beach—activities that many avoid during the many months of overcast skies and rain.

In California, where we spent a lot of years, activities tend to revolve around the kids’ schedules. If they’re out of school, it’s a great time to drive up to the mountains, which are only a few hours drive from most urban centers in the state. The same for the beaches, which are within reach of most people living in California. Now the metro-link trains in Southern California can whisk families living inland to the beaches cheaply and quickly. Then there’s Hawaii, where we lived for three years when we were young and where America goes to enjoy the beaches and a somewhat foreign culture within our own United States.

We have been lucky enough to have lived in some of the greatest places in the States, and to have traveled to most of the others since we started RVing. And one thing we’ve discovered everywhere we went, with the exception of the lower deserts in the Southwest, is that summer is the time to throw aside the daily grind of life and get outdoors. Even people who are used to the heat in places like Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma get out and garden, take a bike ride, or hike in the early morning hours before the day heats up. And luckily most of them have sky islands nearby where they can escape to and enjoy the cooling winds and rains of the monsoons.

This summer, gas prices are keeping many people from traveling great distances, but there are lots of wonderful places in this great country that have nearby tourist attractions or beaches or mountains that don’t require a lot of gas to get to. I hope you are all enjoying the relaxing activities that summer offers in your area.

No matter what your plans for this last great summer month, travel safely.