Thoroughly enjoyed this Sharon. I do love the verse you highlighted in vs 20 of the parable - “while he was yet far off.” As it happens, this verse is applicable to my own story from just 2 years ago (almost to the day), when I renewed my faith after years of wandering in the desert following my divorce.
God is GOOD! And your faith is inspiring. I appreciate you sharing your journey and look forward to Part 3. Oh and I still need to read Part 1! :)
Thanks so much, Mike. Divorce is tough. I’ve not gone through it, but my husband has, and it broke him. He had been divorced about 10 years when we met, and the hurt was still evident. Yes, you’ve got to read Part 1. Can’t miss all the excitement that started me on my journey. 😊
The love for men and the love for Christ can sometimes feel like the same thing so entertained but somehow if taken in the right path so reading mean in full of healing energy Sharon.
I loved how you broke this down and how you detailed every paragraph it's amazing and thank you so much ma'am ☺️
I’m enjoying your journey. I should write mine too. My editor had me cut 70,000 words from my memoir because it was reading like an autobiography. I’ve got another book in the cuts. Are you going to write a book using these posts? It might be a good idea. ☺️
Thanks for the encouragement, Charisse. Actually, my husband and I were discussing this very thing this morning after I published this piece. The answer is I'm not sure yet. I'm also not clear on the difference between autobiography and memoir. I read something yesterday that said that one of the criteria for a memoir is that it has to be true. But wouldn't an autobiography need to be true, too? Both have a story arc. The only thing I get is that writing memoir is supposed to be crafting scenes of your story that have a single theme or purpose, and that's definitely what I'm attempting to do in My Spiritual Journey.
So, is your book about being saved in a Biker Bar a memoir? I know you have quite a story, and I need to read more of it.
My replies keep disappearing while I'm writing them. I hope I get to finish this one. My editor explained that a memoir covers a specific time, whereas an autobiography covers a life, or at least a significant part of it. I told a lot of stories from my past to explain why I was the person I became, and it was too much. She explained that every time I took her away from Johnny's, where the story was unfolding, she wanted me to take her back there. I had a really good editor. I think my autobiography would be interesting too. Like you, I thought they were supposed to be true, also. I was saved when I was 9, but as many young people do, I abandoned a life honoring Christ for decades. I came back into my relationship with Jesus when I was running the bar. I'm considering sharing chapters on Substack to bring my book on Amazon to life. I just haven't figured out a way to do it yet. If you can afford to attend a writing conference, it's worth it in so many ways. You meet people who can point you in the right direction and teach you so much. I found my editor at the Southern California Writers Conference. Her class was titled 'Do you have a story? She went around the room asking people what their book would be about. I said, "I'm a Christian woman, I own a world-famous biker bar, and I'm married to an alcoholic." She said, "You have a story."
Thanks for sharing what your editor said. That makes sense. Based on that, then I’m definitely a memoirist. And I understand about bringing the story, in your case, back to the bar. Even though this series covers 15 years of my life, it’s actually one story with a number of scenes. God handed me the intro. In essence, that framed the boundaries of my story. I began by asking the question: what do I mean when I say I’m a not-your-average Jesus follower?
Every part builds upon the previous, and part 4 will conclude the series by tying everything together and answering that question.
But this is far from a complete picture of my life. It’s merely the starting point of my spiritual journey. And I have tons more memoirs to add to this. No lack of material here. 😄
What about you? Are you working on another book? What are your plans for your Substack?
I need to write the sequel. I've been asked when I was going to write it for a long time. I think Substack will help immensely in marketing my next book. I hope to use my Substack to inspire others to give back during retirement and cultivate a genuine relationship with Christ through my Content. It would be great if I had enough paid subscribers to make up the difference for the "friend" I sold the bar to, who isn't making the payments. If I didn't know that God had my back, I'd never sleep.
Thoroughly enjoyed this Sharon. I do love the verse you highlighted in vs 20 of the parable - “while he was yet far off.” As it happens, this verse is applicable to my own story from just 2 years ago (almost to the day), when I renewed my faith after years of wandering in the desert following my divorce.
God is GOOD! And your faith is inspiring. I appreciate you sharing your journey and look forward to Part 3. Oh and I still need to read Part 1! :)
Thanks so much, Mike. Divorce is tough. I’ve not gone through it, but my husband has, and it broke him. He had been divorced about 10 years when we met, and the hurt was still evident. Yes, you’ve got to read Part 1. Can’t miss all the excitement that started me on my journey. 😊
The love for men and the love for Christ can sometimes feel like the same thing so entertained but somehow if taken in the right path so reading mean in full of healing energy Sharon.
I loved how you broke this down and how you detailed every paragraph it's amazing and thank you so much ma'am ☺️
Thanks so much, Ral. I'm pleased to know my story touched you.
I’m enjoying your journey. I should write mine too. My editor had me cut 70,000 words from my memoir because it was reading like an autobiography. I’ve got another book in the cuts. Are you going to write a book using these posts? It might be a good idea. ☺️
Thanks for the encouragement, Charisse. Actually, my husband and I were discussing this very thing this morning after I published this piece. The answer is I'm not sure yet. I'm also not clear on the difference between autobiography and memoir. I read something yesterday that said that one of the criteria for a memoir is that it has to be true. But wouldn't an autobiography need to be true, too? Both have a story arc. The only thing I get is that writing memoir is supposed to be crafting scenes of your story that have a single theme or purpose, and that's definitely what I'm attempting to do in My Spiritual Journey.
So, is your book about being saved in a Biker Bar a memoir? I know you have quite a story, and I need to read more of it.
My replies keep disappearing while I'm writing them. I hope I get to finish this one. My editor explained that a memoir covers a specific time, whereas an autobiography covers a life, or at least a significant part of it. I told a lot of stories from my past to explain why I was the person I became, and it was too much. She explained that every time I took her away from Johnny's, where the story was unfolding, she wanted me to take her back there. I had a really good editor. I think my autobiography would be interesting too. Like you, I thought they were supposed to be true, also. I was saved when I was 9, but as many young people do, I abandoned a life honoring Christ for decades. I came back into my relationship with Jesus when I was running the bar. I'm considering sharing chapters on Substack to bring my book on Amazon to life. I just haven't figured out a way to do it yet. If you can afford to attend a writing conference, it's worth it in so many ways. You meet people who can point you in the right direction and teach you so much. I found my editor at the Southern California Writers Conference. Her class was titled 'Do you have a story? She went around the room asking people what their book would be about. I said, "I'm a Christian woman, I own a world-famous biker bar, and I'm married to an alcoholic." She said, "You have a story."
Thanks for sharing what your editor said. That makes sense. Based on that, then I’m definitely a memoirist. And I understand about bringing the story, in your case, back to the bar. Even though this series covers 15 years of my life, it’s actually one story with a number of scenes. God handed me the intro. In essence, that framed the boundaries of my story. I began by asking the question: what do I mean when I say I’m a not-your-average Jesus follower?
Every part builds upon the previous, and part 4 will conclude the series by tying everything together and answering that question.
But this is far from a complete picture of my life. It’s merely the starting point of my spiritual journey. And I have tons more memoirs to add to this. No lack of material here. 😄
What about you? Are you working on another book? What are your plans for your Substack?
I need to write the sequel. I've been asked when I was going to write it for a long time. I think Substack will help immensely in marketing my next book. I hope to use my Substack to inspire others to give back during retirement and cultivate a genuine relationship with Christ through my Content. It would be great if I had enough paid subscribers to make up the difference for the "friend" I sold the bar to, who isn't making the payments. If I didn't know that God had my back, I'd never sleep.