Members

[Lou Barron]

I see that we now have reached the 10 ,000 members on this site it just shows that there is still interest in the MN

[Lou Barron]

I would still like to write a book but I am getting stuck how to map it out there is that much to say but I am still trying

[robpage]

Start at the beginning Lou , then after it is all written on a computer , you can give it the polish it may or May not need. , I'll order one now , see you have already made a sale

[happy daze john in oz]

I would still like to write a book but I am getting stuck how to map it out there is that much to say but I am still trying

I have written my life story up to a few years ago. Start at the begining by making notes then start writing, it is amazing once you start on one thing how others come to mind.

[Richard Quartermaine]

I would still like to write a book but I am getting stuck how to map it out there is that much to say but I am still trying

Lou, I've been working on mine and will send you a pm.
Cheers, Richard

[Ivan Cloherty]

Lou, remember the most recent events you can remember, they do not have to be chronological, you will be surprised how an seemingly unimportant event, will lead to a memory of something in the past. Remember the stories on this site, they will trigger something in your own past, don't worry if you get the dates wrong, they can be corrected at a later time, when you remember something else and you then remember that B actually happened before A (if you see what I mean). Once you've started you will not be able to stop. Keep a pen and pad by the bed, because lucid thought comes in the night when you least expect it, don't say I must jot that down in the morning and then go back to sleep, as you will have forgotten it, just jot a couple (or even one) words down, it will refresh that memory. Keep a small notebook in your pocket, you will be surprised what triggers your memory of the past, it could be a pretty girl, even an ugly one, a flower, a bush (now now boys) or some other seemingly unrelated object.

I have reached over 98,000 words and not even reached the age of 27 years old in my past, don't expect an overnight success in recalling those memories, they took a long time to accumulate and they will take some time to put down, and it's not important that they be in chronological order, sometimes wandering up and down your life's adventures can be more interesting and you've certainly have had experiences that most, if not all, are glad we never had. Good luck Lou, the first sentence on the blank page is always the hardest, but after that it flows like a river, there are floods of words and then the memory ebbs but comes flooding back again, go with the flow, good luck.

[Richard Quartermaine]

That is very sound advice Ivan. It is encouraging to find that our members are delving into their memory banks and recording the highlights - and perhaps some lowlights - of their lives, experiences and journeys. Some of us like to write and some would also like to write but are hesitant for fear of being tagged a boaster or bs artist. What a sterile void we would be in if there was no recorded history, poetry, fact and fiction. There is so much to tell and as you say, the more you look back into your past and, as we do here, bounce it off each other, the more we recall and enjoy (and maybe shudder about) those precious memories. Writing gives life and perhaps perpetuity to those times.
Richard

[alf corbyn]

first list your ships in seperate order plus dates if possible. then thinkof each voyage all you can remember then go to next ship etc. have each ship on a seperate page you can always go back if you remember something. good luck

[robpage]

What I think is important Lou , is to put those thoughts down , even if you never put the book together the memories will be important to your grandchildren , but you lived through a period of history that man must never let be repeated , My late father was a Marine who landed in Singapore 4th September 1945 , and could never speak about what he saw there , in its true colours , he had many stories , but what he saw in man's inhumanity , made a lasting impression , so I always had it drummed into my head , never let what happened and who did what to others ever be forgotten , the more guys who write their stories , the more chance that tomorrows generation will listen , and maybe , just maybe , we won't let it happen again , you need to write it

[Ivan Cloherty]

Think I've mentioned this before to all those who have jotted down their memoirs or are in the process of doing so, give them a title, doesn't matter what it is, advise your local University Librarian, you can get his/her name from the local library and they will lodge your jottings/memoirs in their data base for their students future reference. You have a choice of choosing a University in the town where you were brought up or where you currently live, (you didn't have to attend the University as most in our age group only attended the University of Life) but rarely both. Mine are lodged with Hull University but the copyright remains with me, (it always remains with the author in these circumstances) so that in the unlikely event that I ever publish it, I can do but nobody else can, nor can they plagarise it. Grammar and spelling are not important, so don't let the thought of those bugbears put you off, they are interested only in first hand accounts of your own experiences be it during the war as an adult or child, your time at sea etc etc, they are not interested in giving you marks out of ten for spelling/composition etc.

So go for it, what have you got to lose, you are not after the Nobel Peace Prize or Book of the Year, but who knows you may inadvertently accomplish the latter