Shades of Meaning
Autumn foliage prompts memoir on my writing craft For the past two days I've been trying to think of the exact words to describe the last...
top of page
Blog
Weekly blog by author and writing instructor, Gail Thorell Schilling, shares slice-of-life memoir posts and prompts to invite women of a certain âge to write their memoirs alone or in her workshops. Her travel memoirs and spiritual writing posts, both mainstays, provide motivational examples.
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Oct 31, 2022
- 2 min
The Worth of Weeds
A fallow season can refresh the soul... As you can see, my garden didn’t flourish this summer. Neither did I. Some years are like this....
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Jun 20, 2022
- 3 min
Spiritual Refreshment at the Shaker Village
What is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days… --James Russell Lowell My memoir group and I shared spiritual writing...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- May 11, 2022
- 3 min
Wearing a Mattress and Other First Jobs
Memoir need a boost? Remember those first jobs! While driving the other day, I spied a young woman on the sidewalk wearing a mattress....
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Mar 20, 2022
- 3 min
A Child’s Memoir of War
Ghostwriting memoir for a child of war -- a painful privilege. This morning a photo of a child refugee in Ukraine triggered memory of...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Feb 5, 2022
- 2 min
A Cure for Cabin Fever
Even inspirational writers wrestle mid-winter blues Shortly before winter solstice, when plants die and darkness falls far too early, I...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Dec 6, 2021
- 3 min
Still Learning from Saint Nicholas
In the spirit of the season, I'm challenged to find a need and fill it -- in secret. Today is the Feast of Saint Nicholas of Myra, a...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Oct 19, 2021
- 1 min
Imagination, Unlimited ... continued
Betula, the bark horse sculpture by Nancy Sander, has moved from Maudslay State Park to the Sanctuary Arts Center, 117 Bolt Hill Road,...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Oct 19, 2021
- 3 min
Imagination, Unlimited
Joyful imagination need not end with childhood mud pies and memoir; women of a certain age can still craft their visions. The other...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Aug 24, 2021
- 2 min
Perfection in an Imperfect World
A single rose revives my spirit The other day on my walk around the neighborhood, I stopped and gazed, really studied an Old English...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Aug 7, 2021
- 1 min
Offshore and Off Grid
Off to this magical place to refresh my spirit. See you next week!
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Jul 31, 2021
- 5 min
Yarns from a Windjammer Cruise
A Windjammer knitting cruise – ideal post-lockdown travel for women of a Certain Age. Where do you cast off before casting on? On a...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Jun 18, 2021
- 3 min
Daddy's Two-Ton Galento
A Father's Day Remembrance While I was still little enough, my father would lift me to touch the ceiling. How I loved that! Then one day...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Jun 12, 2021
- 2 min
Little Green Thumbs: A Family Legacy
Sharing a love of growing things with the next generation runs in our family. A short memoir. In her family’s garden, my grand-daughter,...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Jun 6, 2021
- 3 min
Muddy Water … Becomes Clear
How cleaning my fish tank teaches spiritual self-care. Dear Friends, Only five weeks into this blogging endeavor, and I’ve already missed...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- May 29, 2021
- 4 min
Memorial Day Silent Reunion: A Memoir
All my ancestral family has passed, but a Memorial Day visit to the cemetery reunites me with their spirits. Memorial Day in my childhood...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- May 14, 2021
- 3 min
Daddy’s “Two-Ton Galento”: A Father’s Day Remembrance
While I was still little enough, my father would lift me to touch the ceiling. How I loved that! Then one day he told me I was too heavy....
Gail Thorell Schilling
- May 13, 2021
- 3 min
My Turkish Haircut: Who Needs English?
Thanks to Covid-19 restrictions, most of us are wearing our hair longer these days and ready for that badly needed trim. Since lockdown...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- May 6, 2021
- 3 min
Art of the Journal: Follow Your Senses to Memories (Or How I Followed Lilacs to Flat Feet …)
Each morning, I gaze out my window, coffee at hand, and begin a journal entry. I just jot what I see, weatherwise. This exercise is a...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Apr 30, 2021
- 2 min
6 Reasons to Write Your Memoir, Anyway
“How can I tell what I think till I see what I say?” – E.M. Forster Curious about memoir? Unsure where to begin? Wondering who would – or...
bottom of page