Looking for Love
My kitty needs a new home. True confession: I am no longer a good cat mom – I travel too much. When I took in Miss Mitzi, my dainty...
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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
- Jul 11
- 2 min
The Conundrum of Mother’s Old Curls
Do mementos have a “best by” date? While recently deep cleaning to amass a load for Goodwill, I discovered a box containing my mother’s...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Jun 3
- 2 min
Plum Island: A Tranquil Getaway
Parker Wildlife Preserve in Newburyport, MA, offers natural refreshment. A native of New Hampshire, I grew up in its countryside close to...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Mar 18
- 2 min
Mud Season Loses to Singapore
On getting lost, getting oriented -- and getting up to speed When I had to choose between Mud Season in New Hampshire and a few weeks in...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Mar 9
- 2 min
Once More to Singapore
A few tips for long-haul travelers of a certain age This is what happens when you let your kids play with maps: Globetrotting becomes...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Feb 16
- 1 min
Save the Date! August 13-15, 2024
"Write Your Memoir: Cherish Your Story" retreat led by Gail. Online registration opens Wednesday, February 28, 2024. Refresh yourself and...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Jan 6
- 3 min
Frozen in Time
Ice skating memoir evokes childhood freedom, security. This week I invited my memoir class to write about a favorite childhood memory of...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Nov 11, 2023
- 3 min
Buffalo in a Row: An All Souls' Day Reflection
"... What is life? It is a flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime..." -- Chief Crowfoot Perhaps...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Mar 24, 2023
- 3 min
Stopped Clock Shock
How I overcame S.A.D. writer's block and redeemed my Gift My folk art clock stands still. Last week without provocation, it fell off the...
Gail Thorell Schilling
- Nov 7, 2022
- 3 min
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...
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...
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