Resources

Resources—Please help yourself to the following information regarding Writing, Living Aboard/Travel and Homeschooling. Along the way, I have come across some excellent books/websites that I tend to treat as I do my friendships: I pick a few fantastic ones I can relate to and stick with them. Here’s what has worked for me.

Writing

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. Fantastic coaching on the writing process by the woman who wrote such well known spiritual memoirs as Traveling Mercies and Grace Eventually. Ms. Lamott used to teach writing classes and this book will guide you through everything from the writing frame of mine to how to write good dialogue.

The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield, also the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance. If you are serious about writing, as in “I hope to make at least $50 from a year’s worth of effort,” then this is the kick in the pants you need. Consisting of numerous, short, ruminations on the discipline it takes to sit down day after day and put something on the page, this book will inspire you to practice, practice, practice until, like a virtuoso, you can play Mozart. Mr. Pressfield turned my hobby into an occupation.

Read anything you can find by William Zinsser, who has been around the writing craft for more than thirty years and written for numerous magazines including the New York Herald Tribune as well as authored at least 17 books. He taught writing at Yale for a number of years, before moving to the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. I received some of the best writing instruction from his book, On Writing Well, but also worthwhile is his book on constructing a memoir, Writing about your Life.  He recently edited the anthology Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir, well worth checking out to see how other creative non-fiction types practice the craft. Even if you are a fiction writer, I guarantee you will come away with a better understanding of the writing process through his tutoring.

And in what might appear to be a grandiose attempt at brown nosing: I want to give a plug for my publisher, Lynn Price’s book, The Writers Essential Tackle Box: Getting a Hook on the Publishing Industry. To be honest, at the moment I have only read several parts of the book, but if the rest is anything like  what I have read so far, you’ll glean a ton from this well-written and informative guide to getting your book published. Chock full of great advice and tips, just like her blog, www.behlerblog.wordpress.com. I would definitely add it to your repertoire.

For inspiration, to fill up the ole writing gas tank when I’ve been staring at a blank page for several days (or more), I turn to Image: A Journal of Arts and Religion. Every time I pick up this periodical (every time!) I come away inspired by the impressive gathering of artists who contribute here. The discussion of film, poetry, paintings, literature in light of our spiritual journeys always breaks through my dead lock. And it’s great to chew on even if you don’t have writers block. Check it out at  www.imagejournal.org 

Living Aboard/Travel

If you are interested in actually living on a boat, or just curious about the lifestyle, here are a few books that helped me step off land permanently (well, at least for the time being).

Changing Course: A Woman’s Guide to Choosing the Cruising Life, by Debra Cantrell. Discussing everything from fear and relationships to smart ways of making cruising more enjoyable, this book coached me down the dock. If your wife is still a little uncertain about living aboard, give her this book for her birthday.  

Just Cruising: A Family Travels the World-Europe to Australia, by Liza Copeland. I owe Liza, whom I have met at several boat shows, a great debt. A veteran sailor and knowledgeable live aboard, she and her husband have cruised the world and Liza has written several rewarding books about their travels with sons in tow. The Copeland’s gave me a picture of what living on a boat with a family looked like. And it looked good.

The Voyage of the Northern Magic: A Family Odyssey, by the late Diane Stuemer. This is THE book that gave me the final shove off the dock. A memoir following the journey of the Canadian Stuemer family who spent four years circumnavigating the globe in their sailboat, Northern Magic. Shortly after the family returned to Canada, Diane passed away from cancer. Visit their website www.northernmagic.com and be enlightened by this brave, journalist mom who ended up glad she took the risk when she did.

And recently I read, Vagabonding, by journalist Rolf Potts. Here you have decent practical advice for anyone wishing to travel for an extended period of time. Financial planning, traveling with kids, and lists of great resources to assist you in making extended travel a reality. You can also catch up with Rolf at  www.rolfpotts.com

Take a gander over at  www.worldhum.com for the latest travel info and www.gogalavanting.com and www.wanderlustandlipstick.com on travel from a woman’s perspective.  Bon Voyage!

Homeschooling

If you are at all curious about homeschooling, please read my “homeschooling” page under “pilgrimage.”   Yes, there are some detriments: time commitment on the part of the parents and in some cases, loss of a second income, but the rewards loom large. With a wide variety of curriculums and homeschool support groups involving social activities for students of all ages in almost every city across the States, it is far easier than you might imagine. Here are a few books and websites I found helpful along the way.

The Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling, by Debra Bell. One of two books on homeschooling I brought with me on Chrysalis. A public school teacher who homeschooled her own kids from K-12 and close to her PhD in Education, Ms. Bell is a wealth of educational knowledge. Discussing whether or not homeschooling is for you, curriculums, and the teen years—this book is invaluable. I still refer to mine from time to time.  

Homeschooling the Teen Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 13-18 Year Old, by Cafi Cohen and Janie Levine Hellyer. Takes your hand and explains what’s out there in the way of homeschooling for teens. Resources, trips, online options, I found this to be a good overview for preparing for homeschooling during the teens. Cohen and Hellyer help you to take a breath. It’s not nearly as complicated as you might think.

100 Top Picks For Homeschool Curriculum: Choosing the Right Educational Philosophy for Your Child’s Learning Style, by Cathy Duffy. Simply the most thorough guide to choosing a curriculum out there. Discussing the different learning styles, Duffy then takes you, subject by subject, through the best curriculums.

Also check out www.homeschoolcentral.com  www.homeschool.com and if you are interested in checking out the online/correspondence high school we used, go to www.keystonehighschool.com