This Writer’s Life: The word of the day is SYNERGY.
Our book, The Sunday Story Club, which advocates deeper connections through face-to-face conversations, was found at the Melbourne Airport bookshop next to Maybe You Should Talk to Someone. (Below)
I’d call the synergy. The later book is a memoir of a therapist.
For a writer of my generation, it comes as a surprise how important online reviews are to the success of a book.
So glad to read The Infernal Fang Girl’s Heaven review on INSTAGRAM (@theinfernalfangirlsheaven) and on her blog. It was such a thoughtful and considered review. (Below)
Sick of chitchat, we started our Sunday Story Club to encourage a deeper conversation. The results were so uplifting and moving we wanted to share both some of the stories and also how to run your own story salon so others can experience this magic too.
Now a 5 STAR review on Amazon shows authentic stories – not the curated FACEBOOK versions – are both moving and inspiring. These stories connect us beyond stereotypes.
THIS WRITER’S LIFE: Finding out the company your book keeps on book shop shelves is often hilarious.
WORSE CASE SCENARIO: Once I found a copy of the comic memoirs of my childhood on the bookshop shelf between WHAT TO DO WITH A WILLIE (A penis-based cartoon collection) and the KARMA SUTRA FOR CATS (pop-up version). I just rolled my eyes. These are 1-joke books. The cover says it all. At least I’d written -OMG! – complete paragraphs!
My recent book, THE SUNDAY STORY CLUB, written with co-author Doris Brett was spotted by a friend’s daughter at the Canberra Airport bookshop. And there we are in the illustrious company between Russell Brand and Stephen Hawking! Ha!
Parents get a lot of information from other parents. Those parents, however, who believe their STYLE of parenting is the ONLY style, tend to lecture others. In other words, parenting is competitive these days. My co-author Doris Brett and I had a wonderful conversation about non-competitive conversations with Shevonne Hunt on her FEED PLAY LOVE podcast when we were in Sydney recently.
The podcast topics show a huge range of things parents worry about today. Whereas for me, I was lucky. My mum just made parenting look like a lot of fun. So my style of parenting was mostly, I guess, Bumbling Through.
LISTEN to PODCAST HERE:
AMAZON
BOOKTOPIA
My co-author, Doris Brett & I, were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm for The Sunday Story Club at The Happiness & It’s Causes Conference in Sydney a few weeks ago.
THE SUNDAY STORY CLUB (PanMac) shows how to ask questions that open up a conversation. The conference delegates that bought a book said they would use these questions to facilitate better conversations in aged-care, youth groups, and the workplace.
The Sunday Story Club. We all carry stories within us – wrenching, redemptive, extraordinary, and laced with unexpected and hard-won wisdom. These stories define you. Deep conversation has the power to enlighten, heal and transform.
Your curated, online persona is NOT you. You need to talk.
The stories you tell yourself define you. But are they accurate? Could there be another version?
In The Sunday Story Club, we ask questions that sidestep the prepared narratives participants often use to explain their life experiences to themselves and others. In this way, you learn something new about yourself. You can find out how to run your own salon in the book.
We talk. We text. We email. We might even Tweet and post on Facebook and Instagram. But too often we are just skimming the surface of our lives.
There are many benefits to spending time reflecting on your life through a deeper conversation.
Here is our interview with Cassie McCullagh, ABC Sydney, about our book The Sunday Story Club.
We would love others to engage in a deeper conversation by running their own story clubs.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
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