Title Your Own Chapter

Porch Swing Tip of the Week: My Childhood, Part One: The People

To tell about your childhood, you need not begin with your birth. Stories about the people who influenced you can be told in any order. What is a fond early memory of your mother, or of your father? Who was your closest childhood friend, and what did you enjoy doing together? Who did you admire or consider a hero as a child? Share about family get-togethers and traditions. Name one enjoyable memory with each of your siblings. Remember that the family members you knew as a child were very different than from how your children or grandchildren knew them later. 
 
Need additional help? Contact us at 833-767-2411 or inquiries@porchswingstories.com 

We’re always here to help.
 
Jayme & John Resnik and the Porch Swing Team

Porch Swing Tip of the Week: Searching for a meaningful Valentine’s Day gift?

Why not express love for your sweetie with a Porch Swing gift certificate?  Go to our website at  www.porchswingstories.com to get more information on how to encourage a loved one to write and accumulate their stories into a keepsake book. He or she will feel valued and special because you facilitated the preservation of their most treasured remembrances. Later, reading the completed book will warm your heart and remind you of why you chose that Extraordinary Person as your Valentine!

Need additional help? Contact us at 833-767-2411 or inquiries@porchswingstories.com 

We’re always here to help.
 
Jayme & John Resnik and the Porch Swing Team

Porch Swing Tip of the Week: Beating the wintertime blues by walking down memory lane. 
 
We just had the winter solstice, and if you’re like me and lots of people I talk to, the early sunsets and late sunrises seemed to sneak up on us this year. As the days get shorter and the weather less conducive to spending time outside, many people – millions even, according to WebMD – suffer with Seasonal Affective Disorder. SAD. Hmmm…..

If wintertime makes you feel blue and less energetic, it might help to take a walk when you can out in the sunshine. Then take a walk down memory lane, remembering and recording happy experiences on your StorySite. You can change your perspective from feeling sad that you can’t do things that warmer weather allows, to being grateful that you have some time to get your stories written down. 

Need additional help? Contact us at 833-767-2411 or inquiries@porchswingstories.com 

We’re always here to help.
 
Jayme & John Resnik and the Porch Swing Team

Porch Swing Tip of the Week: “Nobody will read my stories.” Hogwash!
 
If you’ve thought about writing your life stories, but a negative voice in your head-the one that sounds like Winnie the Pooh’s donkey friend, Eeyore- just keeps saying things like, “Nobody will read my stories,” or “I really don’t have the time,” or “I’m not a trained writer or an English major,” well, then we say, “Balderdash!” “Fiddlesticks!”

The people who love you will certainly want to read the stories that show how you came to be the way you are. If this project is important to you, some other busy-ness can take a backseat for a while so you can have the time and space to preserve the account of your life. And if you think you might need some help, we are all over that! The story prompt questions on your Porch Swing StorySite, as well a our story coaches and editors, will inspire, stimulate, and encourage you from start to finish. We want you to succeed!

(If you want a good laugh, look up synonyms for “hogwash” in a thesaurus, and say them to the Eeyore in your head next time he tries to discourage you. “That’s flapdoodle!”)

Need additional help? Contact us at 833-767-2411 or inquiries@porchswingstories.com 

We’re always here to help.
 
Jayme & John Resnik and the Porch Swing Team

Porch Swing Tip of the Week: Giving and Receiving

You may be familiar with the saying, it is more blessed to give than to receive. At this time of year, it would be logical to think this is totally about gift giving. But think of all the ways you could bless other people by giving that have nothing to do with an actual material gift!

What about the gift of listening? People want to know that you care about what they have to say, so lend your ear! (You’ll get it back when they’re done.) What about the gift of time? We’re all busy so it’s a great sacrifice to stop what you’re doing and spend unhurried time with someone, especially if they’re sad or lonely. And here’s one that just might smart a little: your undivided attention. Show your loved one how much they mean to you by putting away your device(s); prove that he or she is more important to you than whatever could possibly come up in your social media.

Then there is that good, old-fashioned hug, where the giving and receiving are simultaneous!

So, what stories can we help you with?

Need additional help? Contact us at 833-767-2411 or inquiries@porchswingstories.com

We’re always here to help.

Jayme & John Resnik and the Porch Swing Team

Porch Swing Tip of the Week: Our Family Holidays

Recently helping edit a Porch Swing life story, I had to research some of the holidays the author mentioned, because they are not ones I’m familiar with — and they were so interesting! Probably her family knows all about why the family celebrates each holiday, who is usually invited, what foods are traditionally served, even what clothing is customary. What about when later generations read the stories? Will they know or remember? You know where I’m going with this….

Even if you think your readers will not need an explanation, putting those details into your book will help make clear what is important to you and why the information has been passed down over the years. This is essential when you consider that each family celebrates in their own unique way. Every family has entertaining stories to tell about “that one year on Rosh Hashanah when …” And your own perspective needs to be preserved because no one can know nor research the individual outlook of you!

Need additional help? Contact us at 833-767-2411 or inquiries@porchswingstories.com

We’re always here to help.

Jayme & John Resnik and the Porch Swing Team

Porch Swing Tip of the Week: Gift Certificates: Easy & Thoughtful

Are there people in your life whom you have encouraged to write the stories of their fascinating lives, but they’ve just been a little reticent? Help them over their reluctance by giving them a Porch Swing Stories Gift Certificate!

Go to www.porchswingstories.com and scroll down to the five different available plans. Once you’ve decided which product fits your budget and provides the right encouragement, go to the Give as a Gift banner, just above, and click on Learn More to choose the package you would like. Now purchase and our Porch Swing team will take it from there by personalizing the certificate to your needs. If you’ve previously completed the process of writing and publishing your own book, you can also give your expertise as a bonus!

Need additional help? Contact us at 833-767-2411 or inquiries@porchswingstories.com

We’re always here to help.

Jayme & John Resnik and the Porch Swing Team

Porch Swing Tip of the Week: Eat ’til your stomach hurts – or stop while you’re ahead?

Feasting at noon – or in the evening? Football game on TV – or out in the yard? The good dishes – or whatever dishes we have enough of? Candied yams – or ewww, yuck? What does Thanksgiving look like to you? ‘Cause it’s different for everyone. You might even know people who don’t actually have turkey. Wait, what?!

Now think back to your past and write down for your children and grandchildren how your family celebrated when you were a child. Does your holiday revelry look like your grandparents’? What is similar, and what is completely different? Likely some things have changed and it’s always fun to understand how things were done “back in the day.” Give your loved ones a glimpse into your cherished memories of Thanksgiving past.

Need additional help? Contact us at 833-767-2411 or inquiries@porchswingstories.com

We’re always here to help.

Jayme & John Resnik and the Porch Swing Team