Telltales

Telltales We at Telltales are fans of the story: of the telling, and of the listening. We're here to help you preserve them.

11/11/2020

I will be retiring this page. Time to let go of what is just not meant to be. If you want any help or advice on your own storyline, hit me up via email.

08/07/2020

As with so many things, this pandemic has derailed my momentum on projects.

Yet I’m reminded to just take small steps toward the finish line.

An outline completed.
Dad sending me his life wisdoms via email.
Writing my own responses each day to show how life is changing.

Small steps. Let’s go.

04/22/2020

As with many things, this virus has changed my path for doing books for my parents. So now we move to video chats, things to actually write down, and filling in gaps. Then to organize the story.

This is going to be good.

01/23/2020

I have started prepping to write my mother’s and fathers books. Outlines, going through pictures and belongings, interviewing. I must say...it is bringing up so much emotion and curiosity. These people - my parents- still full of surprises, things I didn’t know. It’s a lot to process. I hope to share my own journey about my process...hopefully it will inspire you. Onward.

When you have 6 big bins filled with your dad’s life staring you in the face, a personal history project can feel...daun...
11/24/2019

When you have 6 big bins filled with your dad’s life staring you in the face, a personal history project can feel...daunting. Overwhelming. With no idea where to begin.

What do I do? Chunk it down. First, I take a look at what I have, then start putting it all into categories. Today I simply worked on sorting his school items and the bin that contained his Navy/Vietnam time as a journalist. And in that bin I found a little gem: my dad taking a picture of Danny Kaye who had come to entertain the troops. I never knew he met him.

I spent the day with my dad making wooden boxes. His shop is amazing to me. Full of all the tools he uses in his craft o...
11/18/2019

I spent the day with my dad making wooden boxes. His shop is amazing to me. Full of all the tools he uses in his craft of making calligraphy pens and boxes.

I learned some new things about him today as we chatted. And I’m almost 50! Keep asking questions. Keep listening. Be open. Keep recording. Keep writing. These are the tools of storytelling.

Goodness, autumn is messy. Looking around my garden beds, I heaved a sigh. So much work. So much brown and chaos. But I ...
11/04/2019

Goodness, autumn is messy. Looking around my garden beds, I heaved a sigh. So much work. So much brown and chaos. But I also thought just how much is happening out of sight.

Seeds are being held and distributed for next spring. Bugs and newts and other little beings are making homes under that dead material, and others are finding nourishment from it. Mycelium weaves its web under the soil. There is still order under all the chaos.

Sometimes it feels like writing is the same. A mess on top, but some ordering influence underneath. If we can be with the mess and the rot for a while, we will see the sprouts and blooms in the spring. Then we clean things up, remove the dead and weeds, spread a little good dirt, and things are off and running.

Yesterday was the dark moon. I like using spiritual tools to engage with a deeper part of myself, and then I write about...
10/28/2019

Yesterday was the dark moon. I like using spiritual tools to engage with a deeper part of myself, and then I write about it.

Using a simple 3-card tarot spread, I looked at what needed addressing right now in my life, what my strength is right now, and how these two would come together into actions I was to take.

This opened up writing about masks, how I am being called to drop them and start living the real me and not what society wants me to be (which is a deep conversation since I’m about to turn 50 in a few short months), fear, who I really am, and what I’d like my next adventures to be. It also began some wondering about the dark part of the year, what light sustains me, my shadow parts.

Try it. Perhaps it will open up some wonderful areas for writing exploration.

10/27/2019

Sometimes, life requires courage.

“Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth.”
― Rumi, The Essential Rumi

With the turning of the seasons, we move into a more introspective time of year. Summer is ending. And there is so much ...
10/14/2019

With the turning of the seasons, we move into a more introspective time of year. Summer is ending. And there is so much change on the horizon.

My writing has been hurried, determined, a gush on the page. Because there is suddenly so much to say, so much to remember, so much to pass along.

With the coming of the dark part of the year, it is a perfect time to write. Our souls speak to us more urgently during this time. Be willing to listen, and perhaps write back.

09/30/2019

Writing will help you unravel the knots in your heart. ~Louise DeSalvo

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