In this issue...

• Letter from the Editor
• 2005 Spring Writing Contest
• What's New in our Readers' Circle
• Some Tips from our Writers' Circle
• Some Creative Writing Exercises
• Visit our Feedback Forum

"...In that early spring of 1947, a beautiful red tulip grew in our backyard, by the stoop where I used to sit and watch the sunrise. Daily, I thought, wished, and hoped that one day I would find a slice of this wonderful life, which included peace and freedom..."

Read more in Radenko Fanuka's "America"
http://www.memoirsbyme.com/fm03.html

Try some of these to get your juices flowing:

• I can't stand it when...because...
• I've always wanted to go...but haven't yet because...
• I've always wanted to be a...because...
• I used to hate in when my mother would say...because...
• My greatest achievement to date is...because...
• My best teacher I had in school was...because...
• The funniest movie I ever saw was...starring...The funniest part was when...
• When I was little, I used to play with...because...

Find more by clicking here: http://www.memoirsbyme.com/journal-writing-prompts.html

Exciting Ways to Tell Your Story

Keeping a personal journal/diary is an excellent way to begin your memoir-writing project.

Read more on this by clicking here: http://www.memoirsbyme.com/keep-a-journal.html

Have you considered the stories told in your life through correspondence? If you are a packrat like me when it comes to keeping old letters, this would be an excellent enhancement to writing your memoirs. Whether they are letters from a loved one in the military, emails from an online romance, or cards from old friends who have moved away, these are precious gems to be treasured and worthy to pass on to future generations.

For more on this, click here: http://www.memoirsbyme.com/write-a-letter.html

Scrapbooking is yet another excellent way to capture and showcase your memories. It can be as simple as enhancing a photo album with descriptive captions or as ornate as a highly embellished creative work of art. If you have a pile of pictures you'd like to put to good use, consider trying your hand at this.

Read more about it here: http://www.memoirsbyme.com/start-a-scrapbook.html

Learn of the many ways to share your story:
http://www.memoirsbyme.com/published.html

• Choose a family member you consider totally unlike yourself and explain why. What does he/she look like? What are your similarities and differences? How old is he/she in relation to you?"
• Describe the last place you visited out of state and why you went there. Who went with you? When did you go? How were the weather conditions? Would you go back again? What stands out most in your mind about that trip?
• Retell an event where you experienced a natural disaster firsthand. Some examples might be an earthquake, hurricane, tornado, flood, blizzard, avalanche, tidal wave, etc. Describe your situation just before the event, the event itself, and the after.

For more, click here: http://www.memoirsbyme.com/homework.html

Register on our Feedback Forum and not only will you be able to read what everyone has to say, you can join in on the discussions yourself. Don't worry, it's easy!

Click on this link: http://www.memoirsbyme.com/phpbb/index.php

At the top of the forum you will see the word "Register", click there and you will be taken to a screen giving the ground rules, then click the appropriate link. A username is required but then you can complete the remaining fields only if you desire. You're in!

Introduce yourself in our Meet & Greet | Intro's Forum. Click "New Topic" and tell us about yourself and perhaps what interests you about our site. Also take a few moments and meet some of the members who have come before you.

If you have any general questions or comments, go ahead and post them in the Feedback & Comments Forum. We're all ears.