On the cover rant: Even sticking with a photo, that cover could have been beautiful. E.g., photographer Ben Depp (National Geographic, etc.) makes art prints of the degenerating wetlands in Louisiana that are both gorgeous and devastating.
Wonderful suggestions. I wouldn't have sought out these things. Very glad to have the links. The interview on the podcast made me go look at maps! As I am lucky enough to have two of your paintings of my hometown SF, I have used them to kick start my "story worth" writing. Thank you so much for being so generous with your gifts of teaching, writing, art and gardening. I've benefitted so much.
I do love the Storyworth idea. I would have liked to have this tool years ago to take my granny's life on paper. Anyway I will use it for sure as a gift for someone this Christmas. On top of that, it's not an object, so it doesn't take place in apartments full of things. So, thank you for the gift idea!
I like very much Timeline. There is another simple and short game very funny. It's called "Herd Mentality". You win if you answer as the majority of the other players. You lose if your answers are too sofisticated.
Alexander McCall Smith wrote a book based on old archive pictures he got from a newspaper. He made up stories about each one. It is lovely! If I was not quite so old I would be able to tell you the title…alas!…..but worth figuring out…
yes, I so often see old photos or articles that I think should be a story! Just yesterday my husband found a $5 bill tucked inside a letter that was sent at the beginning of the Great Depression. The recipient was in a terrible financial situation and obviously missed the fact that money was tucked into the envelope. What a loss for them at that moment! And now we have the $5, and it's practically worthless to us.
According to Scott it's not worth anything more than $5. Like books, old money has to be both rare and in excellent condition for people to pay top dollar for it.
Somehow your rambling Substack post fit right into my rambling morning. I particularly like the beginning section where you talk about telling your life story week by week. Amy, you know me from your Eureka days, when I was ostensibly your editor (for your lifestyle columns) so you can guess that I have led what seems to me to be an interesting life. Lately I’ve been writing about my life and how it fits into other people’s lives, but somewhat randomly. For example, I’ll post a comment on my sister’s Facebook using something she wrote as a prompt. I have a fairly large FB following locally so there are endless opportunities for more of the same. And I’ve begun doing the same here on Substack. I’ve been reading a bunch of Substack writers’ posts and I think I’m ready to actually write some of my own here. Maybe that service could help organize my randomness.
It's a good starting point, and I like the fact that if you don't like a particular question, you can pick another one to answer. For instance, my great-aunt got a question about military service, which didn't apply to her, so she chose another one. Plus, any question (like a question about your first car) might lead to an interesting tangent on another topic entirely. I think it's a cool idea.
I bought the Storyworth for my dad for Christmas after hearing about it on my fave podcasts for weeks. Their marketing team loves a niche audience. I know you didn't post about it because you have a deal with them, and the service is really lovely (free with the subscription I got to add my mom and brother as authorized to pick the prompt questions throughout the year, etc) but soft suggestion you should contact them for an affiliate link? Looks like you already drove them some traffic!
On the cover rant: Even sticking with a photo, that cover could have been beautiful. E.g., photographer Ben Depp (National Geographic, etc.) makes art prints of the degenerating wetlands in Louisiana that are both gorgeous and devastating.
Agreed!
So much good stuff here; thank you! Love the cover rant. 💯
Keep those cover rants coming’
Wonderful suggestions. I wouldn't have sought out these things. Very glad to have the links. The interview on the podcast made me go look at maps! As I am lucky enough to have two of your paintings of my hometown SF, I have used them to kick start my "story worth" writing. Thank you so much for being so generous with your gifts of teaching, writing, art and gardening. I've benefitted so much.
Wow, thanks so much! My pleasure!
I do love the Storyworth idea. I would have liked to have this tool years ago to take my granny's life on paper. Anyway I will use it for sure as a gift for someone this Christmas. On top of that, it's not an object, so it doesn't take place in apartments full of things. So, thank you for the gift idea!
I like very much Timeline. There is another simple and short game very funny. It's called "Herd Mentality". You win if you answer as the majority of the other players. You lose if your answers are too sofisticated.
That's great! I think this would make a great gift. I will check out Herd Mentality, sounds like my kind of game.
Love your posts! This is especially helpful with the reference to writing and bringing personal history into discussions. Thank you!
Thanks Claire!
Lovely post. Now following on Insta!
Oh great, thanks!
Alexander McCall Smith wrote a book based on old archive pictures he got from a newspaper. He made up stories about each one. It is lovely! If I was not quite so old I would be able to tell you the title…alas!…..but worth figuring out…
yes, I so often see old photos or articles that I think should be a story! Just yesterday my husband found a $5 bill tucked inside a letter that was sent at the beginning of the Great Depression. The recipient was in a terrible financial situation and obviously missed the fact that money was tucked into the envelope. What a loss for them at that moment! And now we have the $5, and it's practically worthless to us.
But it’s an antique fiver, right? Don’t people collect old money?
According to Scott it's not worth anything more than $5. Like books, old money has to be both rare and in excellent condition for people to pay top dollar for it.
Somehow your rambling Substack post fit right into my rambling morning. I particularly like the beginning section where you talk about telling your life story week by week. Amy, you know me from your Eureka days, when I was ostensibly your editor (for your lifestyle columns) so you can guess that I have led what seems to me to be an interesting life. Lately I’ve been writing about my life and how it fits into other people’s lives, but somewhat randomly. For example, I’ll post a comment on my sister’s Facebook using something she wrote as a prompt. I have a fairly large FB following locally so there are endless opportunities for more of the same. And I’ve begun doing the same here on Substack. I’ve been reading a bunch of Substack writers’ posts and I think I’m ready to actually write some of my own here. Maybe that service could help organize my randomness.
It's a good starting point, and I like the fact that if you don't like a particular question, you can pick another one to answer. For instance, my great-aunt got a question about military service, which didn't apply to her, so she chose another one. Plus, any question (like a question about your first car) might lead to an interesting tangent on another topic entirely. I think it's a cool idea.
I bought the Storyworth for my dad for Christmas after hearing about it on my fave podcasts for weeks. Their marketing team loves a niche audience. I know you didn't post about it because you have a deal with them, and the service is really lovely (free with the subscription I got to add my mom and brother as authorized to pick the prompt questions throughout the year, etc) but soft suggestion you should contact them for an affiliate link? Looks like you already drove them some traffic!