Write it

June 25, 2024 Leave a Comment

Capture Your Travel Stories – Preserve Your Globetrotting Experiences

Travel stories are like hidden treasures waiting to be shared. But sadly, the memories fade into oblivion if we don’t take the time to reflect on our adventures and document the untold stories. Yes, we may collate our photos, either digitally or in photograph albums, but without the narrative – the who, what, why, when, where and how, the stories and the feelings associated with them, are lost. Documenting your travel stories helps to preserve your unique experiences; the characters you met along the way, the joyful moments, the mishaps, the adventures, the tastes and smells, the scenery and the impact these had on you at the time. In essence, capturing these memories gives the writer a sense of fulfilment achievement that can be cherished for a lifetime.

There are four basic components to consider if you are keen to capture your travel stories.

The Planning Phase
The Reality of the Trip – the adventure
Reflection on the Trip – what you’ll document.
Tips on Structuring Your Travel Story

The Planning Phase

Most of us spend considerable time planning the details for our trips. This includes but is not limited to:

Who we’ll travel with
Where we’ll go and why
What we’ll do on route and when we get to our destination
When we’ll go on this trip and why
Transport options/choices
Accommodation
Budget
Luggage – what we’ll take with us and what we’ll bring back
Travel insurance

If travelling with others there are likely to be countless discussions to refine the details. What is the story behind your trip? Reflecting on the planning stage, what were your expectations once you’d made the arrangements?

The Reality of the Trip – the adventure

What took place? Refer to the memorabilia you would have collated along the way e.g., postcards, maps, tickets, photos etc. Chart your experience.

Reflection on the Trip – what you’ll document

Be selective when choosing what you’ll write about. Consider the plan versus the reality of the trip. Focus on the highlights, the enjoyable moments, the mishaps, and the unexpected. What was interesting, funny, frightening, surprising? Include geographical details, the customs the practices, and the historical background if relevant. Incorporate your personal insights – what you experienced, how you felt, lessons learned, and the impact your travel adventure and the characters you met along the way have had on you. Bring your story to life with colourful examples, dialogue, photos and other pertinent memorabilia.

Tips on Structuring Your Travel Story

Like structuring a speech, a story can be divided into three distinct parts.

The Introduction. This is where you set the scene providing a sense of time, place, situation, and where you determine the focus of your story.
The Body of Your Story (the content). This is where you share your adventures, your personal experiences. The reality of the trip based on your personal insights, reflections and reactions. Capture the essence of your unique experiences using examples and photos. Be sure to eliminate irrelevant and unnecessary information so the narrative is engaging and doesn’t read like a train timetable.
The Conclusion. Conclude with a summary of the highlights of trip, reflections on the lessons learned, and key takeaways – what you’d do the same or differently next time around.

Documenting your travel stories helps to preserve memories of your globetrotting experiences that can be cherished for a lifetime. The purposeful process provides an opportunity to recount the sights, sounds, and the adventures you encountered. It also creates a huge sense of perspective and personal achievement and enables you to share your travel experiences with family, friends and the wider community.

Life is short. Don’t let your travel experiences go untold.

Angela Robertson is a writer, inspirational speaker, and workshop facilitator. Her non-fiction books are available in paperback, Kindle, and eBook formats from online bookstores. Amazon.com: Angela Robertson: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

December 16, 2023 Leave a Comment

The Spirit of Gratitude

With the festive season upon us, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and the joyous memories that make this time so special. In the spirit of gratitude and sharing and creating lasting moments with the important people in your life, here are some heartwarming ideas to help you savour, capture, and cherish the happiness of times past. Writing has therapeutic benefits for your physical well-being. It’s not just an intellectual exercise; it’s a way to express and release emotions, reduce stress, and promote overall wellness. Give it a go and see for yourself.

If you are getting together with family and friends

Encourage everyone to jot down a few bullet points about their favourite moments from the past year. Then take turns reading and reminiscing about the shared joy.
Organise a festive photo scavenger hunt. Create a list of holiday-themed items or activities and capture them with your camera or on your phone.
Start a writing project. Collate the memories of shared joy, the snapshots you’ve taken, add some narrative. Transform this into a cherished album (or two) and share it with your loved ones.

If you can’t get together in person

You could host a virtual gathering with friends or family to share your favourite memories. Whether it’s a hilarious holiday mishap or a heartwarming moment, the joy of reminiscing together knows no bounds. If you document these memories afterwards, you could send everyone a copy in the mail.
Pen a heartfelt letter to a loved one, recalling shared moments and expressing gratitude. It’s a timeless gesture that will be treasured.
Start a new hobby. Compile a family/friends recipe book featuring the favourite dishes from past holiday gatherings. Include anecdotes about why each recipe is special. It’s a delightful way to preserve culinary traditions and memories. It’s also makes a great birthday or Christmas present for the future

Wellbeing matters. Express gratitude and savour, capture and cherish the happiness of times past, and notice the benefits. Let me know how you get on 😊

Dr Angela Robertson is an author, inspirational speaker, and facilitator with more than 40 years’ experience in adult and community development. She inspires and supports individuals of all ages to maximise their potential to enhance the quality of their lives, work, and relationships. Working with individuals, groups, and communities she encourages people to broaden their perspective on ageing, continually expand their horizons, take advantage of the opportunities around them, channel their energy into activities that matter. She also provides one-on-one professional support to assist families create living legacies for future generations.

January 27, 2022 Leave a Comment

Made A Commitment to Your Writing Project?

Like any project, we all start off with good intentions, but it’s easy to get de-railed if we don’t commit to a plan and develop the writing habit.

Research shows that if we set a specific time to complete a task and have a plan of how we will achieve it, we are 8 times more likely to get on with it.

Being specific about these details makes a difference to your level of commitment to your goal. Decide:

Which days of the week you’ll write? Be realistic
Identify the time of day you are most productive. Schedule some of this time for your writing project
Where you will write? Make sure your documents and toolkit are handy
Track your progress. Find out what works best for you and stick with it.

This is how I approach my writing projects. It works for me so it could work for you too. If you need support and/encouragement, reach out. I’d be happy to help.

Angela Robertson – Author, Speaker, Facilitator and Coach

Kiaora@angelarobertson.nz www.angelarobertson.nz Amazon.com: Angela Robertson: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

November 11, 2021 Leave a Comment

Remembrance Day

It was the 20^th anniversary of my father’s death that triggered this blog. A former Royal Marine, he was awarded the Burma Star for operational service in Burma during the second world war. Throughout his life he was a proud member of the Royal Naval and Burma Star Association and regularly took part in their activities. In his late 70’s, he died in the UK, the day before Remembrance Day. We were heartbroken.

Dad was born and raised in the heart of the Midlands and joined the marines in his teens. Like many young men of the day, he hadn’t travelled far from home and had no experience at sea. No matter, it was wartime and being a member of the UK’s Commando Force and the Royal Navy’s amphibious troops appealed.

Following his basic training he served on several ships including HMS Phoebe, a light cruiser he was particularly fond of. He wanted to name his first-born Phoebe in memory of this ship, fortunately my mother put her foot down. My sister Linda considers this a near miss and is forever grateful.

Dad saw active service in the Far East, Egypt and in various countries the Mediterranean including Malta. As children, we were enthralled with his stories of life at sea. We loved to spend time looking at his photos in various uniforms; his regular uniform, dress uniform – the one got married in, and the tropical gear he wore in India, Ceylon, Burma and Egypt. Looking at each photo brought back treasured memories, he could recall where he was at the time the picture was taken and could name the other guys he was with at the time. It all sounded exotic and fun to us kids. I wish we had written all of this down.

While he enjoyed the camaraderie life in the service provides, and his time at sea and abroad, it wasn’t an easy occupation, either during the heat of the war, or post-war as our family lived in the Midlands. Dad signed up for the long-term, he wasn’t conscripted. He was released from service when he contracted tuberculosis. A sick man, it took two years for him to recover during which time my mother went back to work to support the family.

Remembrance Day was very important to my dad – lest we forget. I am reminded of the poem by John McCrae “In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow. Between the crosses, row on row. That mark our place, and in the sky. The larks, still bravely singing, fly. Scarce heard amid the guns below”. My dad, as the saying goes, is always on my mind, forever in my heart.

Don’t leave it until it’s too late. Capture your memories for your family and friends. Reach out if you need a hand. I’d be happy to help. Contact me Kiaora@angelarobertson.nz www.angelarobertson.nz

September 12, 2021 Leave a Comment

Why I Write Non-Fiction

Encouraged by my parents and older sister, for as long as I can remember I have always enjoyed reading and writing. Inspired by my Form 1 English teacher Miss Kennedy, I sketched out my first novella – the tale of the week-long camping trip with our 20^th North Coventry Girl Guide Company. I recall it was all very exciting as I’d never spent this long away from my family, and apart from family holidays, the only sleep overs had been with extended members of our family. As an impressionable 12-year-old, the camping adventure without my parents, miles away in the Forest of Dean, a historic national park in Gloucestershire England, marked the transition from childhood to adolescence. Independence and inter-dependence were encouraged. The notion of responsibility was fostered. We, (the troop), literally did everything for ourselves; erected the tents, took turns with the daily chores, built and lit the fires, cooked in the open air, fetched the water, did the dishes, went tramping the bush, and created our own entertainment. We relied on one another. The impact was immense. I had so much fun and learned so many skills. It was so easy to write about the adventure and the people associated with it and through the process I got to re-live the experience. Decades later, the very thought of writing that story it makes me smile as I reflect on my younger self. In hindsight, I learned that non-fiction writers immerse themselves in real life events.

In the years that followed my writing focused on developing individual and organisational capability in the workplace and the community. In this capacity I researched, developed and facilitated professional development programmes and resources. In my spare time I spent many years documenting my Masters and Doctoral theses. It was a very challenging and fulfilling career and I learned that non-fiction answers questions, informs, educates, motivates and solves problems.

Much as I enjoyed the process, it was such a joy to change direction in later life, meet new people in the wider community, and re-discover the art of writing non-fiction for pleasure. Interested in how others make a transition from one stage of life to another, I read widely on the subject, but I wanted to hear personal stories from ordinary everyday people, who were also on this life journey. Quite by chance, I began to capture the context of their earlier lives, their plans, the opportunities and the challenges they face and their lifestyle choices. It’s been a privilege to have met so many amazing men and women from all walks of life, who generously share their stories with me. Their stories, including the ups and downs many of experience on life’s journey, are inspiring. Their attitudes to life and their perspectives on ageing are insightful, uplifting and nourish the soul. They show us that life is a continual adventure, depending on your mindset. With their permission I shared their stories and through this process I learned that non-fiction storytelling is liberating and can make a positive and meaningful difference to one’s own and other people’s lives. Driven by a strong sense of purpose I believe non-fictional stories about real people, when shared, can change lives.

That’s why I write non-fiction, and why I facilitate workshops to encourage others to write.

Angela Robertson is an inspirational author, speaker and workshop facilitator. She encourages people, regardless of their age and stage, to continually expand their horizons, channel their energy into activities that matter, and enjoy life. In her ‘Older and Bolder’ books she shares inspirational short stories about everyday men and women who are flourishing in the second half of life. Inspired by their example, whatever our age and circumstances, so can we!

Do you write non-fiction? If so, I’d like to know what inspires you to write about real life events? Email me at Kiaora@angelarobertson.nz

If you liked this post and would like to read more, check out this website. Amazon.com: Angela Robertson: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

September 5, 2021 Leave a Comment

Writing Prompts

Writing our personal story is a creative and rewarding activity, but we all have off days when we feel stuck and are unsure of what we want to say. One of the best ways to kick start your daily writing ritual and get into the regular rhythm of writing is to refer to a list of writing prompts. These prompts can be just one word, a sentence, a phrase, a photograph or an image e.g., paintings, postcards. Quotes, song titles and headlines from online articles, newspapers and magazines also make great writing prompts. Here is a short list of ideas you can use to start your collection of writing prompts for your project.

• Cherished childhood memories
• Family traditions
• First trip overseas
• Favourite toys and games
• The 3 people I admire the most
• The last time I saw ……..
• Musical memories of people and places
• Friends’ past and present
• A letter to my younger self
• Why I write …..

Grow you list of writing prompts over time. When writing, refer to your list of prompts, select one that resonates with and just start writing. Get those first few words written down, trust the process and let your imagination flow. Remember, your prompt is just a starting point to help trigger your ideas, so don’t edit as you go. If the one you have selected isn’t working for you – move on and choose another. Don’t let the perfect get in the way good, and remember, no need to rush, you don’t have to do it all today.
Keep in touch. I’d like to know which writing prompts work best for you and why.