- \n
- generosity,<\/li>\n
- kindness,<\/li>\n
- empathy<\/li>\n
- and a commitment to living well by living simply.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Shirley\u00a0writes about her\u00a0life as a\u00a0farm girl among the “plain” people of Lancaster County and her yearning for the “fancy” world.\u00a0\u00a0She went on to become the president of Goshen College and a foundation executive at The Fetzer Institute. Now she lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she is a writer, speaker, blogger, consultant, and in my opinion, a truly remarkable\u00a0“beacon of kindness.”
\n![\"author](\"https:\/\/tracyrittmueller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/screen-shot-2014-05-02-at-12-13-40-pm.png?w=198\")
<\/a>Shirley Hershey Showalter<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nIf you seek\u00a0to emulate generosity and empathy in your life and through\u00a0your writing, adopt\u00a0Shirley Hershey Showalter as one of your author-mentors.
\nHere’s how to learn from an author-mentor<\/strong> (an author who writes in your chosen genre):<\/p>\n- \n
- Read her book, and then re-read it\u00a0while you’re writing your own.\n
- \n
- Take notes: notice what you like\u00a0and why; pay attention to structure; look at how she handles time and transitions; study her use of sensory details; consider how she uses language and imagery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Follow her on her social networks (Shirley is on Twitter (@shirleyhs); also on Facebook<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Subscribe to her blog. (click here for Shirley’s blog<\/a>). You’ll widen your\u00a0community of writer-pals if you participate in the conversation going on via\u00a0the comments. You’ll find me there because\u00a0I enjoy, and benefit from, engaging with everyone there, especially Shirley.<\/li>\n
- Whether you’re writing memoir or fiction, sign up for Shirley’s weekly Magical Memoir Moments right now by clicking here<\/a>. You’ll get photos and writing prompts designed to bring out the storyteller in you.\n
- \n
- I’m working on a novel these days.\u00a0I follow Shirley’s weekly\u00a0prompts by making my characters write their memoirs–I get\u00a0into their\u00a0heads and write\u00a0in my their\u00a0voices. And I’m loving<\/em>\u00a0it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
And after you’ve learned\u00a0from Shirley Hershey Showalter\u00a0how to more effectively write\u00a0your story, don’t neglect\u00a0to thank her for so generously sharing her knowledge–write and tell her that you appreciate her, and tell others about her book, her blog, and her email prompts.
\nThank you, Shirley Hershey Showalter, you shine<\/em>!
\nWho has been\u00a0beacon of light for\u00a0you?<\/strong><\/em>
\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I am pleased and privileged to introduce you to one of my new favorite authors, Shirley Hershey Showalter. I encourage you to read her memoir\u00a0Blush: a Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World, to gain\u00a0insight into the Mennonite culture and the values it instills in its members– generosity, kindness, empathy and a commitment to living well …<\/p>\n
- Subscribe to her blog. (click here for Shirley’s blog<\/a>). You’ll widen your\u00a0community of writer-pals if you participate in the conversation going on via\u00a0the comments. You’ll find me there because\u00a0I enjoy, and benefit from, engaging with everyone there, especially Shirley.<\/li>\n
- Read her book, and then re-read it\u00a0while you’re writing your own.\n
![\"author](\"https:\/\/tracyrittmueller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/screen-shot-2014-05-02-at-12-13-40-pm.png\")
<\/a>