Just get started. That's the advice Gloria VanDemmeltraadt has for anybody who has ever thought about writing their memoirs.
The Lake Elmo resident fused together her favorite memories and menus in her book, "Musing and Munching: A Memoir and Cookbook," which was published just over a year ago.
"It's been one of the most rewarding things I have done," said VanDemmeltraadt, 69. "I am glad I did it."
Now she's encouraging others to put their stories into words. VanDemmeltraadt will lead a class called "Memoir Writing" at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Oakdale Library. The free one-hour session is part of a series of mini-classes for adults offered on the second Wednesday of each month. Future sessions include programs on how to remove clutter and organize your home, retirement planning, beekeeping, landscaping and playing China's favorite game, Mahjong.
VanDemmeltraadt said she never gave much thought about writing her memoirs, let alone publishing them, until her six children asked her to write down some of her life stories. She penned a few, made copies on a printer, and gave them as Christmas gifts. They told her "you know how to tell a story. More people should see this," she recalled.
She jotted down stories and favorite memories from various points in her life, drawing on everything from being a mother and grandmother to her experience with the Northfield Theater Guild and other arts organizations and her career as a technical writer. She started by delving into her difficult childhood and branched out from there.
"I say pick a pivotal moment in their life, an event that caused you to think about life, or a person who had a huge impact on you," she said. "It could be a memory of a visit to the zoo with your grandfather, or your first bicycle. You could write a whole book on that."
While writing a memoir might seem like an overwhelming task, VanDemmeltraadt tells people that there are no deadlines and that it's a process and journey. She took 18 months to gather recipes from family and friends and then write, rewrite and edit her book, in which she shares personal stories and how they relate to food.
