A few of my favorite things

I ran across a teacher's homepage (Mrs. Hoffman) on the Internet and under fun things to know about her, she posted her favorite things. You can see her list by clicking here. The idea of listing my favorite things intrigued me, so here are mine:

Daisies… coffee… writers pod… Texas… road trips… Blue Bell ice cream… motorcycles… fireworks… pajamas… wood burning fireplaces… church music… my children… books… beaches… midnight… Our Lady of Guadalupe… autumn leaves… breakfast for supper… my cousin Bubbles… telling stories… country people… small towns… Murray family reunions… fudge… chick lit… painted toenails… Italy… puppy dog kisses… Spanglish… peach tea… poetry readings… funky earrings… cheeseburgers & fries… pine trees… limes… candles… quilts… homegrown tomatoes… afternoon naps… Christmas… springtime… Willie Nelson… diet Coke… friendship… Holy Communion…Levi jeans... fireflies… boot-scootin’ music… rocking chairs… bookstores… freedom… silver dollars… log cabins… symphony… Festival Hill… summer rain… kissing… daydreaming… laughter… Grand Canyon…


Now its' your turn.

Writers' retreat

I spent last weekend in Round Top, TX at Festival Hill. This is a place where fairies play with muses and our retreat leader Susan Wittig Albert regularly sent us out to play with our words amidst the butterflies and buttercups.

We each brought a short narrative piece, and over the weekend we added dialogue, speech tags and even a meaningful flashback and a metaphor or two that added meaning and interest to the piece that merely "telling" did not do.

Is it possible to remember conversations accurately? Susan says no. She points out that most of us can't remember even our part of a conversation that we had a breakfast, never mind a conversation we had with our mothers twenty years ago. If we do remember a part of a conversation ("Because I'm your mother, and I said so.") it is probably because we've heard that sentence repeatedly. (Oh, yes.)

Even though entire conversations can't be recollected, we can use dialogue to make a memoir more interesting. For example, instead of writing My parents were so proud of me, you could create dialogue:

"Feel how heavy it is," I said as I handed my dad the first place medal.

"I couldn't be any prouder if I'd won it myself," Momma said slipping her arm around my waist.

Dad ran his thumb over the engraved brass. "You ran a fine race, kiddo." His eyes gleamed with pride.

Momma hugged me. "She's got the fastest feet in the family."

Okay, now you try...

Prompt: Write about a time when someone said "I love you," and meant it.