family

Soul-bearing writing–writing personal essays that are a little too personal for comfort

beccakinla authors, family, grandmother, parenting, parents, publishing, writer, writing, writing process Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Tablet published a new piece of mine today, about the untidy family life of a person who is an Orthodox Jew with relatives who are devout Christians. The comments are busy, and no trolls have appeared so far (meaning that anyone who disagrees with me does so with politeness and reflection).

I’ve published the piece because the problem I described in the article is a surprisingly common one  (among the “baalei teshuvos” who come to religiosity as adults) that most people ignore.

It’s sorta mortifying. This is a problem that is very private for me, and–like many who share it–it is a source of pain that I usually sweep under the rug. I’ve had to explain the absence of half of my family to many people over the years, and it’s never comfortable. Now the entire world can read about it (and share! and comment!).

In general, I don’t write about my family unless it is 100% positive. I felt that this needed to be an exception, in order to support people who share this type of situation. I intentionally omitted the name of my father’s family, and I tried to protect their identities. I wanted not to expose them, but the problem. Nonetheless, one of the commenters pointed out that I was still airing my family’s laundry in public.

I’d love it if readers weighed in here (in a comment below) or in the comments section on Tablet.

<a href=”http://www.makealivingwriting.com/?p=2538″><img src=”http://www.makealivingwriting.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/MALW_linkparty1.jpg”/></a&gt;

Believe it or not! Writing reality that’s stranger than fiction

beccakinla family, good news, Jewish, Judaism, passover, pesach Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments

Tablet just published a personal essay about my grandfather.  Please check it out. (And share, and like, and comment!)

Passover seder has been a bit spooky (in a good way) for me ever since childhood, when my sister and I were convinced Elijah the Prophet was none other than the Bogey Man.

And then we had a real ethereal visitor during Pesach.

It’s one of those stories that you tell and people think you are making it up. I probably would have thought that it was a figment of my imagination if my husband hadn’t recalled the event, as well. I feel a little more confident about the subject matter now, too, since the daughter of Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg (zt”l) described a similar encounter by her parents in a recent issue of Binah Magazine. 

Have you ever written a piece of non-fiction about something readers might not believe is possible?

On Writing About Writing: a guest post by Miriam Hendeles, author of Mazel Tov, It’s a Bubby!

beccakinla advice, blogger, blogging, blogs, family, words, writer, writing, writing groups Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments
Mazel Tov! It's a Bubby!

Miriam’s Book!

Today’s guest post is from my partner in crime writing, Miriam Hendeles.

What do writers write about? We write about our lives and our families. Some of us write about our struggles and triumphs. Others write about philosophies and opinions; hope and dreams.

We tell stories, and conduct interviews; we compose lists and craft essays.

We even write about “Writing.” Now what is there to tell, conduct, compose and craft about Writing?

So much. We can write about the writing process, solutions to writer’s block, publishing opportunities, strategies for success, online writing techniques, SEO, PLR and myriad other acronyms. Bloggers and gurus craft advice to the masses on how to become the most polished, pithy, and popular Writer. You see, many writers choose to write about Writing, because if we write about Writing, we know we are guaranteed an audience, comprised of the following loyal and faithful readers:

Writers. Wannabe writers. Bloggers. Publishers. Agents. Editors.

But when we do not write about Writing? Then who is our audience?

Random Interested Persons of Non-Writing topic.

For example, Continue reading →

Coming clean: sometimes you’re supposed to do housework instead of writing

beccakinla advice, authors, family, frustration, how to write, mother, writer, writing, writing process Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

G-d wanted me to do the dishes this morning.

I finished a large-ish writing project yesterday, then pulled open another document to begin the next assignment. I got the first paragraph written, and then every ounce of creativity in my brain dried up. Okay, I had a couple ideas, but they weren’t RIPE. More like literary fetal tissue than the next baby ready to be birthed.

Those who know me or who regularly read my blog know that I rarely get writer’s block. I usually have more ideas in my mind than really is good for me. Sometimes I can’t sleep at night, because my mind is so busy that the ideas are dripping out my ears.

kitchen photo

See this immaculate kitchen? Clearly not mine.

I spent the rest of yesterday taking care of my kids, feeding them and hubby (not to mention myself), and finishing Bird by Bird. (More on that later this week.) Then I had a Tiferes meeting, but before I left, I checked my email. A girlfriend would be dropping by Tuesday morning.

Oh, no.

You see, my back had been out, and then there had been Shabbos, and then I was writing on a “finish ASAP–please!” type deadline. Result–my house was a wreck. Continue reading →

With Chanukah just over…

beccakinla fake, family, newspaper, purim, shpiel, spiel, writing process 1 Comment
Two Men Reading Paper

If Chanukah is over, it means just one thing in the Klempner household: time to prepare our annual Purim Spiel. Traditionally, a Purim spiel is a play, but in our household, we’ve transformed it into a pseudo-newspaper. Our friends and neighbors always enjoy receiving our Purim Spiel, and we put a lot of work into it to make it as wacky as possible.


Picture credit: 
http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/63100/63192/63192_men&paper.htm

My husband, eldest child, and I actually collect material for our fake news stories and ads all year round, but it’s only after Chanukah that we start fleshing the ideas out and laying them out to look like a newspaper. I start collecting all the little bits my husband has emailed himself and scour my journal for bizarre thoughts I’ve scribbled (off-the-wall shaggy dog stories to make people groan, truly terrible puns that would make great names for sham products, off-beat reflections about life in L.A., and so on). As Purim gets closer, we usually mix in more time-sensitive material that’s based on current events.

As much pleasure as our readers get, we also get the pleasure of  knowing that we’re using our talents for goofiness to brighten people’s Purim. (Plus, I love the voicemails people leave for a week after Purim telling us which parts were their favorite.)

What’s really strange is that the more I write for professional purposes, the harder the Purim Spiel gets for me. I noticed it last year, and this year the feeling’s even stronger. It’s still fun to make (especially as it’s a family endeavor), and I still enjoy our readers’ reactions, but my energy is differently directed these days. Luckily, I have family members to keep me in line. We’ll get it done even if I’m distracted, IY”H.

Jewish Sci-Fi Update

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Yaakov the Pirate Hunter
Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is the new-ish novel for tweens by L.A. local Nathaniel Wyckoff. Yaakov Peretz has just started summer vacation, and an accident with one of his family’s robots results in his discovery of a treasure map. Wacky adventures result from the Peretz’s choice to seek out the treasure so it can be returned. It’s all reminiscent of a Geronimo Stilton book, but with no mice and only black and white print.
I remember reading a while ago that the way George Lucas and Steven Spielberg invented Indiana Jones was by fantasizing about all the coolest scenes they wished had been in matinee serials and adventure novels pre-1960, and then binding these scenes together with a plot. You know: Trapped in a pit with snakes–check! Fight with strongman who gets too close to a propeller–check! Pretty but tough girl gets trapped in a basket, but which one?–check!
That’s what Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is like. What would tween boys most like to read about? Robots–check! Pirates–check! Bumbling cops–check! Kids save the day–check! It makes perfect sense for this to be the novel’s general impression, too. Wyckoff originally invented the story to entertain the kids in carpool (How’s that for a successful carpool strategy?). With all those elements, how could it go wrong?
The recipe works like magic. Yaakov the Pirate Hunter is pure fun. My 9 year old son LOVED it. Like begged to find out if there’s a sequel in the works kind of loved it. (Answer: not in the immediate future. Alas.) He also loved that the book is set in Los Angeles, not the NY metro area or Israel, like most Jewish books.
I’d recommend this book for 7-11 year old kids, especially boys. It could work as independent reading or a bedtime read-aloud. Here’s a link to Amazon if you want to purchase it: http://www.amazon.com/Yaakov-Pirate-Hunter-Nathaniel-Wyckoff/dp/1456452495/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313374964&sr=1-1

There was also an outstanding sci-fi story FOR ADULTS (shocker!) in Binah Magazine’s Aug. 8th issue (thanks to Miriam Hendeles for the heads-up). It was authored by the wonderful Yael Mermelstein, and it’s so good, it should be anthologized or something. It would be a pity if its only appearance was in a single magazine issue.