Customer Reviews

Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors Who Want to Write

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"Seniorwriting" is a short and easy read that offers a more open and creative approach to writing life stories and also contains examples based on the author's life stories. Legacy journals are commonly given to grandparents whose families want to unlock the treasure chest to delight in the pearls, but those journals are filled with so many questions that they may be daunting (Is this homework? Must I answer ALL these?!), and one of the biggest complaints is there not being enough space to write. On the other hand, just sitting down to write one's stories can feel overwhelming without at least some kind of guidance or structure. Here's where "Seniorwriting" steps in.

"Seniorwriting" provides a relaxed approach to writing that makes the capturing of stories more fun and enjoyable. This book would be of great help to those who are not as experienced in writing and would also be a great tool for family members to use to encourage their older relatives to tell stories that they can then write down and type for them, as I had to do with my mother. I am going to give my copy of this book to my dad, and use what I have learned from it to work more with him so our family will have his book of stories, too. This simple guide may be all that's needed to inspire you or someone you love to capture the memories before they are lost.

"Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide For Seniors Who Want To Write" by Marlys Marshall Styne is a succinct 81-page instruction manual specifically designed and intended for older men and women wanting to record their thoughts, their memories, their experiences, their observations, and their commentaries for the benefit of themselves, their friends and family, and future generations. Short writing examples and samples are provided based on Marlys Styne's own writing skills, expertise, and personal experience as a retired college English teachers who took up writing an award-winning book at the age of 73. "Seniorwriting" is a non-technical 'how to' manual and guide that is ideal for those who have never written anything before -- and holds much of value for those who have written things earlier in their lives, but who have not done anything along those lines since. There are no rigid rules or straight-laced requirements in "Seniorwriting", only practical advice, inspiring examples, alternative ideas, and motivating choices. If you are a senior and would like to record your thoughts be they simple observations or the next Great American Novel, then give "Seniorwriting" your attention. It will be one of the most rewarding reads you can do!

Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors Who Want to Write lives up to the promise of its title. It is brief: 81 pages. I consider this a good thing. Too many books that purport to help others to write are unnecessarily wordy. This in itself can be discouraging.

However, the brevity and straightforward quality of this book succeeds in making the writing process more fun and less intimidating than other books of its kind. (Another good thing: seniors are open to being encouraged. They deserve nothing less.) Its author, Marlys Marshall Styne, writes about what she knows. A retired teacher, she wrote this book at age 73 and self-published it through a reliable company. I am impressed when a writer practices the words she preaches; she guides seniors through the process of writing their memoirs, having written her own memoir in a book entitled Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor (Infinity, 2006). She also writes two blogs, "Never Too Late!" and "Write Your Life!".

Early in her book, Ms. Styne makes the point that "Many people are better writers than they think they are." She believes that there is no absolute right or wrong" way to write. I heartily agree with this. In my view, writing requires a healthy dose of self-confidence. Without it, the discipline necessary to sit down, to take oneself seriously and hold to the task, will not be strong enough.

The cover of Ms. Styne's book offers four good reasons to write about oneself: to discover, to heal, to reinvent, and to share. Any one of these, I feel, would be reason enough to take pen (or computer keyboard) in hand. She stresses that our experiences and ideas have value in and of themselves, that the important thing is not so much what we write about as that we write. She believes that the details, not just the major events, are important, and that the idea that "our life has not been interesting enough" is poppycock. Every life is interesting and worthy of reflection and recording. And she strongly recommends the practice of journal writing.

Ms. Styne compares the benefits of journal writing for the writer to the benefits of warm-up exercises for the athlete. The journal, she says, is the place where we do our practicing, where we warm-up our writing muscles (our ideas), where we get ourselves started. At first, what we wish to write about may not come easily. She urges us to sit and be patient. Journaling for only fifteen minutes a day, she feels, will get the flow started. But she is not rigid and admits to skipping days here and there when she writes not one word.

Writing, she tells us, can be a process of discovery, revealing our inner natures and teaching us things about ourselves that dwell beneath our conscious thoughts. Writing our true feelings instead of hiding them or pushing them away can be a great release. A lot of energy goes into repressing feelings, and I can attest to how much better I feel when I talk to myself on paper. I feel pounds lighter as I let loose my thoughts, and sometimes laugh when I read my rantings and ravings to others. And, especially, when I see a few heads nod in agreement, I realize none of it is as terrible as it seemed.

As we learn who we are, we begin to see that change is a constant in our lives. "Over the years," Ms. Styne quotes David Debin, co-founder of the Third Age Foundation, "I've been convinced that only when you bring forth that which is within you can you see who you truly are. And only when you see who you truly are can you begin the process of change, from what you are now to what you are meant to be."

Ms. Styne's excellent guidance is supplemented with a plethora of excellent ideas and examples of how to get us started: ideas for writing in one's journal, ideas for writing to discover oneself, ideas for writing to heal, as well as practical information about organizing one's work and getting it published. I can promise that this book does not disappoint.

by Duffie Bart
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

I was disappointed in this offering because it is so slight, and because it seems to offer little to a senior who wants to write a serious novel, for example, instead of a boorish "My Life" book. I would have noticed it before I bought the book if I had read all the existing reviews more carefully, and that's why I'm giving it 3 stars instead of 2. Not what I wanted, however. It calls itself a "Brief Guide" and that it is. It practically disappeared when I placed it on a book shelf.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (10/07)


In "Seniorwriting" Marlys Marshall Styne writes, in non-technical terms, guidelines for stimulating ways to transform memories from the mind to words on paper or to your computer. This compact, user-friendly book is divided into three parts.

Styne begins by sharing the results of writing, answering the question, "Why write." Discovery, healing, rejuvenation and enjoyment top the list. Her chapter titled: "Your Training Camp: Your Journal" offers ten suggestions for getting started. Another nine suggestions are offered that help answer the question, "Who am I?"

Some health benefits are offered in chapter four with pointers how to get started with six positive suggestions for thoughts to include in a "Healing Journal."

In an earlier book "Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor," Marlys related how, when facing the challenge of retirement, widowhood, and depression, she set out on a quest to find contentment through reflection and writing. She writes now to encourage people of every age, especially seniors to follow her example in their quest for meaning and purpose.

Part two of the book offers ten examples of recreating experiences and memories. Marlys has taken actual journal assignments from writing classes and provided examples from her essays to illustrate how the assignments might be approached. Personal observations, family tales, imagining a windfall, holiday memories, and favorite things are only a few of the topics developed.

Part three helps the reader (the writer) put the finishing touches on their project. Organizing the material, planning, revising, editing, proofreading, printing, and publishing are all covered in this important section.

"Seniorwriting: A Brief Guide for Seniors Who Want to Write" is actually a book for every generation. For the senior it is important to realize that the time is now. Leave a legacy of family memories with your treasured heirlooms in the form of a written record of your values, dreams, and accomplishments. This important guidebook will get you started, move you beyond writer's block, and amaze you with the results. "Seniorwriting" is an important addition to any writer's library.

Book received free of charge.