My academic training is in psychology. My “therapist skills” have been very useful while researching and writing Scraps of Hope. My most important tool as a psychologist is listening, and while working on this book, I have listened a lot. I have listened carefully to my mother’s stories and thought about what was most importantContinue reading “Psychologist as Educator”
Category Archives: Writing
In Search of a Title
I decided it was time to name my book. It isn’t finished yet, but the title has been a thorn in my side for a while now. I started with a working title of “Tutti & Popje.” It was cute and it worked in my mind. I thought the book would be told from theContinue reading “In Search of a Title”
The Devil Really is in the Details
How do I turn a vague memory into a well-written moment in my book? My mother remembers that her father’s car (before the war reached the Netherlands in 1940) was light blue and had a rumble seat. Her parents rode in the front and when the weather was nice, she got to sit in theContinue reading “The Devil Really is in the Details”
Home from the Writing Seminar
Where do I begin — with the clothes piled in the hampers or the rewrite of a chapter that is swirling in my head? I have been at an intensive week-long writing seminar and re-entry into the real world is difficult. I have spent the last five days focused on free writing. Our teacher, theContinue reading “Home from the Writing Seminar”
Research Dreams
Recently I have been delving into new questions related to my book. I want to know more about the falsified passport that saved my grandfather from being sent to Auschwitz. This is what I know so far: It was obtained from the Paraguayan Consulate in Bern Switzerland. I say “obtained” because I do not knowContinue reading “Research Dreams”
The Most Important Critic – One Year Later
I printed off a copy of my manuscript and sent it to my mom. She has spent the better part of yesterday and today reading it, interrupting herself occasionally to call me with a question or email with a comment. A few minutes ago, this is what she sent: You are able to put yourselfContinue reading “The Most Important Critic – One Year Later”
I finished my first draft! Now what?
First of all a glass of wine and a shout out: Yippee! Hooray! This weekend I finished the first draft of my book. At this point all the chapters have been written — some several times and some just once. The pictures have been chosen and inserted into the text. I even have a tableContinue reading “I finished my first draft! Now what?”
Stuck
Like many writers, I have hit a spot where I am stuck. This isn’t writer’s block. It isn’t due to a lack of imagination or time or effort. I am stuck because I can’t quite fit together the pieces of history that I have unearthed. I have my mother’s memories and the stories she hasContinue reading “Stuck”
Why Bobby?
On the evening of January 16, 2014 I arrived in Tilburg. This small city in the southern province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands is home to a little over 206,000 people, more than 60% of whom are Roman Catholic. The next largest “religious” group are the atheists who make up about 20% of the population.Continue reading “Why Bobby?”
Acceptance Letter
Today I received my first “acceptance letter.” You might be thinking I am talking about a literary agent or a publisher. Sorry, nothing that bold as yet. Today’s letter came from the resident of one of my mother’s addresses during the war. I am preparing for a trip to The Netherlands to doContinue reading “Acceptance Letter”
K Heidi Fishman (Popje and Me) 