All in all, 2011 was fairly decent with a few lows and many more highs. As we say “so long” to 2011 and hello to 2012, I felt the need to be self indulgent and review my year with you!

2011 was the year my book, Unfinished Projects published by Main Street Rag, debuted. I traveled about 5,000 miles this year promoting my book throughout the Carolinas along with visiting New York’s Book Revue Bookstore and the St. Louis poetry scene. I met so many fantastic people on all of my road trips, but my favorite gigs were in Charleston and Waynesville, NC. I don’t think I laughed so hard in Charleston after the Monday Night Poetry and Music show in April—ever. (I think it involved not getting caught on Spruill Ave, Hurricane Katrina and Star Wars tattoos—thank you, Aaron, Kevin and Katrina!) Waynesville (about 20 min west of Asheville) was also a trip and a half. My hosts from the Mountain Writers Club took me and my best buddy/honorary poetry roadie Jane to the Sweet Onion where the conversation was a lively as an electric eel. Stay tuned for more road trips in 2012 when I visit Columbia, SC, Asheville, Charleston and Hickory to promote my new book, After the Steaming Stops, coming out in March or April.

2011 was the year I cut my hair. I was so bored with my long hair and tired of strangers telling me I looked like Kathy Griffin, the comic. So I got my hair cut in mid-May. It was a good cut, but so…different. I couldn’t style my hair like before and my husband kept calling me “Prince Valiant.” Oy. The good news was that folks said I looked younger than my 29 years. I’ve got my hair now to about my shoulders after 7 months and I want to go long again. Another part of the good news is that I found a curling iron that keeps up with my style even in bad humidity and my long hairs don’t clog our sinks anymore.

2011 was the year I became a Reiki Level II practitioner. Reiki has helped calm me down—but only so much since as you all know I’m a very intense person. I’ll be training to be a Reiki Master this spring! I’m using my Reiki to be more aware and intuitive, plus with my hair growing longer, my intuition will only get stronger! (there’s a theory that the longer your hair, the better your psychic abilities)

2011 was the year I called 9-1-1 after my three-year-old daughter Erin severely sliced open the bridge of her nose when she jumped from the bathroom sink onto the edge of a plastic trash can. I guess she was practicing for a role in Spiderman? I remembered my health ed classes and kept steady pressure on her wound. She was cool with everything and found it interesting that her older brother practically fainted when he saw her five stitches. 2011 was also the year my son wandered into the deadly April 16 Raleigh tornadoes—I wrote a poem about it. He ended up safe but you should have been a fly on the wall when my husband, who was at work at the time, asked me where Daniel was and I said, “IDK!” and then he said, “Well, the roof of the Lowe’s in Sanford just blew off!” Daniel followed a neighbor with Chihuahuas back to her townhouse to ride out the storm. Oy vay.

2011 was the year I got Craig-Listed by my boss. I was the editor for a fledgling magazine for three months and the publisher (I use that term loosely) put my position up on Craig’s List with me still in the job! I quit the next business day. I have to say I met SO many awesome people in that position that it was worth the time. But I realized I don’t want to take a “jobby job”—I’m having too much fun as an entrepreneur where I set my own hours and have the opportunity to increase my income. Take this job and shove it!

2011 was the year I sang in public for the first time in 10 years. I got the singing bug back, so watch out! I want to take singing lessons next. 2011 was the year I gave blood again after 10 years. And 2011 was the year I took a humor workshop AND wrote and performed five humor-themed speeches. I used one of those speeches in my emcee duties at the CHERUBS Angels Masquerade Ball for babies born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), but I cheated since I made fun of Charlie Sheen the whole time.

2011 was the year I visited the Ozarks, Fort Smith and St. Louis for the first time with my husband. In St. Louis I saw my first cousin KC after 17 years! That was cool. 2011 was the year I took up running again and published a blog post once a week—do or die!

2011 was the year every single one of my dresses, save one or two, came from the boutique consignment store, Our Friends Closet in North Raleigh off of Durant Road in Falls River Town Center. 2011 was also the year of teaching fantastic writers in my memoir workshops, fiction editing workshops and blogging workshops (both in person and online)—may the knowledge continue in 2012! I taught poetry at the Nazim Hikmet Festival in April, sponsored by the American Turkish Association and the Town of Cary, and will return to teaching at the Festival this year as well. I do it to be invited to the crazy Turkish after-party, but please don’t tell anyone that!

Well, goodbye 2011 and I know 2012 will create a wealth of good memories and fun! In 2012 I’m going to keep posting my blog once a week, memorize a classic poem every month and practice my singing and comedy routine, along with writing some more riveting poetry—so watch out!

Your Turn:

How did you survive 2011? What are your promises to yourself for 2012?

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Today we welcome back guestblogger, Ashley Acornley, RD, LDN to Write from the Inside Out. Ashley blogs at Fresh From the Farm, which is packed with useful information about finding nutritious and tasty farm fresh foods in your area.  Please check it out! Enjoy as Ashley shares her first food memory.

For those who have read MFK Fisher’s The Gastronomical Me, the author describes her first food memory as eating warm peach pie with thick cream poured on top. Her father served this dessert to her and sister Anne while traveling back home after a trip to Los Angeles. She states that she does not remember what she ate, except for the peach pie at the end of the meal. She describes her food experience by saying, “Perhaps that is because it was the first conscious one, for me at least; but the fact that we remember it with such queer clarity must mean that it had other reasons for being important. I suppose that happens at least once to every human. I hope so.” I can relate to MFK Fisher with my own food memories throughout my life, because most of the time it isn’t the foods that are important to you, it is the people that you shared the foods with and the experience you had at that time.

My earliest food memory dates back to when I was about four years old. My younger brother and I absolutely adored Christmas morning when we were children, and we used to get up really early in the morning and wake our parents out of bed in order to open up our gifts. My parents of course did not want to wake up as early as my brother and I did, so we were told that we could not open any gifts until breakfast was made and coffee was prepared. In the meantime, my brother and I would impatiently sit at the top of the staircase, staring down at the glowing Christmas tree in excitement with all of our mysterious gifts placed underneath the tree.

My mother was always the first one to get out of bed, and while still in her pajama bottoms and white shiny Isotoner slippers, would carefully hurdle over my brother and I at the top of the staircase to start the coffee in the kitchen. At the time I did not drink coffee, but I can distinctly remember the strong, bitter aroma that encompassed the entire house and the sound of the coffee percolating into the pot. Then, my mom would reach into the refrigerator and pull out a cylindrical tube of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls. I know this may sound very trivial to others, but baking Pillsbury cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning has turned into a tradition since that year. I can remember the distinct “pop” of the can and the sound of the cardboard and foil unraveling in order to get to the dough. I can smell the vivid and sweet aroma of cinnamon and bread seeping from the oven for the short ten minutes they take to bake. Once the cinnamon rolls were finished baking, that was a sign to my brother and I that it was time to race downstairs and open up our gifts.

I always waited until I finished unwrapping my presents to go into the kitchen and select a cinnamon roll to eat. I enjoyed savoring the smell of the rolls cooling off in the kitchen while opening my presents, and eventually the smell made me so hungry that my stomach would start to growl. I selected the largest cinnamon roll in the batch, and remember taking a blunt butter knife and spreading a heaping portion of gooey white icing on top of the roll, making sure to melt the icing into all of the nooks and crannies of the roll. To be honest, I do not remember exactly what the cinnamon roll tasted like at that time in my life, I just remember all of the events that preceded the consumption of my cinnamon roll on Christmas Day.

From that year forward, the smell of Pillsbury cinnamon rolls baking in the oven and coffee brewing reminds me of Christmas Day.  Not only do I love the taste of cinnamon rolls, but I enjoy reminiscing about what that food represents to me. It brings me back to my childhood and being together with my family. It reminds me of when my parents were still happily married, and the biggest concern my brother and I had were the gifts underneath our Christmas tree. Just like MFK Fisher says, “When I think of that food, it is the people I see.” Although my mom cannot fully replicate the memories behind baking the original Pillsbury cinnamon buns now, she still continues to bake them every Christmas morning with a steaming pot of hot coffee, and I get excited to open my Christmas gifts once again.

Ashley Acornley, RD, LDN

Ashley is originally from Philadelphia, PA and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Kinesiology from Penn State University in August 2008. She completed her Dietetic Internship at Meredith College in Raleigh, NC in May 2010 and is currently working on completing her Master’s Degree in Nutrition. Ashley is also an AFAA certified personal trainer and has been training clients for the past four years. She enjoys staying active by participating in 5Ks, triathlons, and other competitive events. She also practices boxing, yoga, and strength training at her local gym. Besides physical activity, Ashley has found a new interest for cooking, baking, and visiting the local farmer’s markets in Raleigh. Ashley is especially interested in wellness and sports dietetics and enjoys teaching her clients how to stay healthy, motivated, and physically active!

Ashley’s blog, “Fresh From the Farm,” can be found here

Your Turn

What are your favorite food memories and how could you turn them into material for your poetry/fiction/nonfiction/memoir? 

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Today we welcome back regular contributer, Dave Baldwin who will share his thoughts with us about Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Thanks again, Dave!

I first read The Art of War in 2009, when the library didn’t have the book I was looking for. I kicked myself for having not read it sooner. I had heard a lot of people recommend it, but I didn’t understand what it was. When I started to read the material, I realized that it has nothing to do with warfare – unless, of course, you’re at war. It’s an operating manual for solving any conceivable kind of problem. One might just as well call it The Art of Productivity, The Art of Writing, The Art of Dance, or The Art of ___________.

Sun Tzu’s prose is elegant and simple, and the English translation reads with a soft, steady cadence. It is a fun book to read, and it really made me think. I consult it often when dealing with difficult problems. The first line that stuck with me: “One who knows when he can fight and when he cannot fight will be victorious.” I have only recently begun to appreciate the depth of this profound statement. Weighing my options against this statement has become routine and habitual for me since reading The Art of War. I often ask myself, “Can I win the battle I’m about to fight here?”

To decode the metaphor and make it relevant, I will sometimes replace words throughout the text with more specific language, and it works like a charm. Here’s one example of how I applied the text to a challenge with my writing. I was coming up against self-doubt about the material I was creating and whether it really had value.

The passage that I consulted:

“In the practical art of war, the best thing of all is to take the enemy’s country whole and intact; to shatter and destroy it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture an army entire than to destroy it…”

I did a little bit of substitution:

“In the practical art of writing, the best thing of all is to keep one’s self-doubt whole and intact; to overcome it is not so good. So, too, it is better to recapture a stream of negative thoughts than to suppress it.”

I realized that Sun Tzu was right on the money. Trying to overcome my self-doubt might get me over a short hump, I saw, but I would never achieve lasting and permanent victory against it. Instead, I saw, I needed to use my writing to bring my fears and doubts into the open. This insight occurred early during the writing of a new book, which is still underway at this time. I started to write about the struggles I was going through, and the book came alive. I read a passage aloud to a few people, who all gave me very positive feedback. My writing was real again, and other people could find inspiration in it.

In context, Sun Tzu was referring to the idea of taking over an opposing army. I realized that I could do the same thing with my own fears. I could take them over and use them as an asset in my writing.

Sun Tzu’s manual is chock full of practical applications like this. I will continue to explore the depths of this book for the rest of my life, and I’m sure that I will manage only to scratch the surface a bit more. Don’t just read this book. Apply it.

About Dave:
Dave Baldwin is a writer who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina. He currently works for Bottom Line Internet Business Consultants, a local online marketing firm

How do you overcome self-doubt when it comes to writing? Any practical tips you’d like to share?

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Today we have regular guestblogger Dave Baldwin to talk about Stephen King’s On Writing with us!
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After countless urgings from numerous friends (some writers, some not), I finally broke down and read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. I’m glad I did, and I expect to give the book a second reading. As any King reader might expect, this book has great entertainment value in addition to the helpful tips that the seasoned author offers to aspiring writers.

I read a handful of Stephen King’s novels as a teenager and throughout my twenties, including The Dark Half, Needful Things, The Dead Zone, The Dark Tower I, The Talisman, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Stand, and The Green Mile. I also read some of his novellas: The Sun Dog, The Library Policeman, The Langoliers, The Running Man, Rage, and The Long Walk. I always admired King’s unparalleled ability to foreshadow dreadful events, leaving enough uncertainty to keep me turning the page to find out what would happen next. King also did a masterful job creating raw, authentic characters: good, evil, and all shades in between. Naturally, I was eager to hear what King had to say on the subject of writing.

King shares slices of his personal story dating back to his early childhood, and King’s prowess as a master storyteller shines through once again. He holds nothing back as he recalls the rough beginnings of his own writing career in a string of colorful and amusing vignettes. For one example, he recalls having accumulated a stack of rejection slips from magazine publishers that he collected on the end of a nail. He eventually had to get a bigger nail because the stack was so thick. King also recounts an incident where his school principal harshly rebukes him after catching him selling plagiarized manuscripts in the schoolhouse, suggesting that he needn’t be wasting his time writing.

King covers all of the basics in this book, including character development, plotting, grammar, style, publication, and a handful of other essentials. He intermingles his personal story with these elements using real-life examples of the challenges he encountered while writing specific books. He also illustrates how real people and events in his life inspired characters in his books (such as Annie Wilkes, the deranged nurse who holds author Paul Sheldon captive in the silver-screen novel Misery).

King makes it clear that while learning to write isn’t easy, it is accessible to anyone with a real desire to do it. I’ve always believed that writing is the sort of thing that most people either love or hate to do, and that an idle romantic fancy is not sufficient to motivate true success. King seems to agree with me on this score. In fact, his story seems to suggest that rising to greatness as a writer requires obsession with the craft. I’ve always supposed that this is probably true when it comes to being great at anything. Conclusion: while anyone can theoretically be a great writer, most people lack a sufficient yearning to do so.

I consider myself primarily a business writer and aspiring novelist. I say “aspiring” because I have yet to complete my first novel. As such, I found On Writing a source of encouragement on several fronts. I made the commitment to write full-time in 2007, and I’ve experienced a roller-coaster of emotions as well as a temperamental muse that seems to come and go in fits and starts. By the time I was done reading On Writing, I found myself nodding my head in slow acceptance. The road ahead of me will continue to be long and bumpy – and I can honestly say “that’s just fine.”

King helped me to realize that while some aspects of writing never get any easier, they do become more rewarding over time. That alone was enough to reinforce what I already knew: my passion for writing is worth as many decades of setbacks as it’s going to take. He successfully motivated me to dust myself off and keep at it. His story will motivate me to do so again.

Caveat: Stephen King’s advice pertains mostly to novel writing. While I wouldn’t dare argue with a highly-successful author whose track record leaves mine in the dust, I might suggest that the ideas presented in this book might not bear the same relevance to other areas of writing. Also, the world of self-publishing has changed considerably since 2001 when On Writing went to press. Print-on-demand was non-existent back then. Therefore, you won’t find anything on that subject.

Anyone with any serious interest in developing a writing career should read this book, regardless of field or chosen specialty. It has something for everyone. While techniques and strategies vary, the basics never change. If you’re sitting on the fence as to whether a career in writing is for you, On Writing will help you make up your mind.

Pick up a copy and get started; it’s a quick read.

Dave Baldwin is a writer who has lived and worked in Raleigh, NC since 2007. He has self-published two books: Pied Piper Entrepreneurship (2009) and Get That Book Out of Your Head! (2009).

Your Turn:
Have you read On Writing and if so, what was your experience with it? How did it help you get started? What do you remember best from this book?

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I teach memoir because I want to help others remember the past.  I want others to preserve their memories so no one’s left wondering what happened? Writing down the past provides a link, like a rope between the past and the future. Some people want to capture their stories to give something real and tangible to their grandchildren; others want to feel that their life meant and means something.
Writing your memoirs can also teach you to stop cycles of abuse and give logic to highly charged emotions. Writing down your memoirs may not eliminate family secrets but it can create reckoning and growth. Memoir writing helps you control something in the present you weren’t able to control in the past and that is so powerful.

I think it’s a shame that we cannot be witness to so many of our grandparents’ lives because they didn’t leave a record for their descendants. For instance, I hardly know anything about my French grandmother, born in 1895, died in 1995. My namesake. I know she could sew and cook and lost three brothers (or was it an uncle in WWI in Northern France?) but I don’t even know what she looked like before the age of 50. She didn’t like to have her pictures taken and my mother told me she burned all of her photos because she didn’t want anyone making fun of the clothes she wore back in the day. At least I had a chance to know her, while my younger brother probably only remembers a very old woman yelling at him in French. They didn’t have much of a relationship as he was 10 the last time he saw her, while I was 14. If she had written a letter to both of us or exclusively to my brother (who was named after her husband, my grandfather), my brother would have felt much more connected to his grandmother and she to him.

On the other hand, my father’s father kept meticulous records and I have many of his framed postcards and ship paintings hanging in our house. He was a retired naval captain who served in Bremerhaven after WWII and commanded a ship in the Pacific during WWII. On the backs of the postcards and photos he lists where/when and who. He was a nonfiction writer who wrote for Naval Proceedings and in later years for the Op-Ed section of his local paper in Annapolis, Maryland. Because of Grandpa Osborn I have my childhood photos of me at age 3 and 5 from his mantle. My parents and I are estranged from each other and I don’t have any photos of myself that I didn’t take. So my grandfather’s photos of me are the only ones I have which I acquired after he died in 1998.

When you write down your memories you’re also preserving them and you help connect others to your life. If you are interested in learning more about writing your memoirs and are ready to jump in, sign up for my “Sharing Your Story: A Beginning Memoir Experience” at A Place for Women to Gather in North Raleigh starting Tues. January 11th to Tues. February 15th (six weeks) from 11:30-1:30pm. No previous experience is required and all writers at all levels are welcome to join us. And don’t let the name fool you—gentlemen: we welcome you, too! Cost is $60, which is extremely reasonable—only $10 a 90 min class. You can register online HERE

Looking forward to having you share your story with us!

Sharing your Story: A New Beginning Memoir Experience
Location: A Place for Women to Gather, 8380 Six Forks Rd, Suite 201, Raleigh, NC 27615
Starting Tues Jan 11th through Tues Feb 15th  Duration: 6 weeks
Suggested Donation: $60
Time: 11:30-1:30, participants bring their own lunch. Drinks and dessert provided.
To Register, click HERE or email Alice or call Alice at 919-971-9414

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I look forward to seeing you in many of my 2010 workshops this year! I’ve tried to have offerings for everyone, whether you’re a  memoirist, budding creative writer, entreprenur who’s ready to blog or a seasoned poet. I’m offering workshops in the daytime, on weekday evenings and on a few Saturdays. And for the first time, I’m offering a poetry correspondence course. So, peruse these offerings and tell your friends. 2010 is your year to make your writing a priority!

Blogging for Business with Alice Osborn and Eileen Batson
Location: Calm and Sense in Glenwood Village Center
2603 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC 27608
Date: Wed. January 13th
Time: 7-9:30pm
Cost: $30, call: 919.787.1799 to register. Major credit cards accepted.

In this course, students will learn about what a blog is, how to write one and how it can be used for a small business and tips and tricks for getting your blog read and remembered. Small business experts, writers and marketers, Eileen Batson and Alice Osborn will help you construct your blog, give you pointers on making it shine and will help bring visitors to your blog, which will help you grow your business.

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NEW Correspondence Course for Poets!  

Look for more details coming out on this exciting opportunity to have Alice mentor your poems and get YOU published in 2010.
$295 for 12 months of hand-written poetry critique (1 poem per month). Add $95 to $295 for 3 personalized phone coaching sessions
Register today: Course starts Feb. 15. Class limted to 6 poets.

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Sharing Your Story, a Memoir Experience with Alice Osborn
Location: A Place for Women to Gather
8380 Six Forks Rd, Suite 201, Raleigh, NC 27615
Dates: Mondays from Mon. Feb 1st – Mon. March 8th
Duration: 6 weeks
Suggested Donation: $60
Time: 11:30-1:30, participants bring their own lunch. Drinks and dessert provided
Register by calling 919-846-3601 or register online here.

We all have a life story inside of us, but we may feel that what we’ve experienced is not relevant or important. In this workshop taught by experienced workshop leader and teacher, Alice Osborn, you’ll learn how you can harness the power of your stories for future generations and that what you’ve learned over a lifetime is a treasure that must be shared. In-class writing exercises that invoke food memories and the six senses will play a strong role in this lunchtime workshop series. Feedback from Alice Osborn will help you generate memorable prose and you’ll also learn techniques to keep up your writing practice after the class concludes. We welcome all levels and all experiences.

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Business Writing Classes at Team Nimbus, 3801 Computer Dr., Suite 101 Raleigh, NC
Dates: 4 Classes on Various Fridays: 2/19, 3/12, 4/9 and 4/23
Time: 9:30am-11:30am
Cost: $49 per class (Team Nimbus members, $37) or buy the package at $147.

Sharing Your Life Story, a Memoir Class with Alice Osborn
Seniors Only, 55+
Location: Apex Community Center
53 Hunter St. Apex, NC 27502
Dates: Wednesdays from Wed. Feb 17th – Wed. March 24th
Duration: 6 weeks
Cost: $13 (Apex Resident), $18 (Apex Non-resident)
Time: 2-4pm
To Register, call 249-3402. Checks made payable to “Town of Apex”
Click here to download the Spring 2010 Apex Program Guide and Registration Forms

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Presenting Your Words Without Fear with Alice Osborn
Location: Meredith College, Raleigh, NC
Dates: Wed. April 14, Wed. April 21, Wed. April 28
Time: 7-9pm
Cost: $60, Register here or  call 919-760-8450

Public speaking can build your self-esteem, open new professional doors, and it can help you conquer many of your fears and anxieties. Experienced speaker and presenter, Alice Osborn,will help you prepare to speak in public so that you can become the go-to expert in your field and chart your own speaking endeavors. You will also learn how to fit your talk to your audience and how to develop short and longer talks. This class is ideal for those who want to conduct more public speaking for groups or for their work. Participants will learn how to organize a talk as well as their introduction and will have their presentation videotaped and critiqued.

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Marketing and Publicity for Writers, with Alice Osborn Class ID# 12894
Location: Duke Evening and Weekend Courses: The Bishop’s House, Room 107
Date: Sat. May 15th
Time: 9:30am-12:30pm
Cost: $85 Regular, $75 if enroll by 5/1 and $68 for Duke Employees
Materials Fee: $3
Register here.

This workshop is for both published and yet-to-be published writers who need help crafting a marketing strategy for getting the word out about their books via social media networking, websites, blogs, and other tools. If no one knows who you are, how will they buy your book? She will give tips and tricks from her own experience as a successful published writer/editor and will provide generous take-home resources.

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Intermediate Creative Writing: Focus on the Memoir
Location: Sertoma Arts Center, Millbrook Rd, Raleigh, NC
Dates: Wednesdays from July 14- Aug. 4
Time: 7-9pm
Cost: $56
Online Registration here or call to register at (919) 420-2329

We all have a life story inside of us, but we may feel that what we’ve experienced is not relevant or important. In this workshop, you’ll learn how you can harness the power of your stories for future generations and that what you’ve learned over a lifetime is a treasure that must be shared. In-class writing exercises and feedback from the instructor will help you generate memorable prose and you’ll also learn techniques to keep up your writing practice after the class concludes. This is class is designed for students who have previous writing experience or who have been working on their memoirs. Computer access is recommended.

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