Write Through Doors

As I write this, my laptop rests on a round yellow pillow with a picture you’ve seen:  the happy face emoji wearing sunglasses. I love the sun, I love fun, and I love writing.

In 2021, I completed my memoir, From the Period. To the Colon: Memoir of a Child Writer.

Even though I like to write, I don’t always get myself to sit down and do it. But I do have methods—timers, rewards, sayings I’ve made up:
I’m smart enough to know I need to trick myself to get some things done, and I’m dumb enough to fall for my own tricks.

For fifteen years, Debbie Merion has used writing prompts to help students write their best possible college essays. In her memoir, From the Period. To the Colon: Memoir of a Child Writer she uses the same prompts to get to the heart of her own story. Whether as a handwritten list of her third-grade ambitions for adulthood or her story about conquering her fear of dogs as an adult, writing felt good to Debbie from the age of eight.

In her Northeast Philly neighborhood in the ‘60s and ‘70s, persistence, grit, tenacity, and determination—whatever you call it—informed Debbie’s life, and those of her parents and grandparents. Debbie captures both this moment in time and her love of the written word through story and photos, making the past suddenly become present.

[Read these chapters:  “Did You Ever Get Into Trouble as an Child?”  and “Did You Ever Get Into Trouble as an Adult?“]

2 The stories are supported by over 100 period photos of people, places, and carefully preserved childhood stories and poems.

Review readers say the book evoked positive and long-forgotten memories of where they were and what they were doing with grandparents and family in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

4. It’s written using a new format/process.

Thinking about writing your own memoir? Using Storyworth.com solved a common problem for me and many writers: getting it done and editing what you’ve written.

5.  Maybe you know someone who is in the index and the book!

Adams, Carol, 46, 47, 139, 141, 289

Adams, John,141

Adams, Sarah,150P

Adele,63

Adler, Donna,287P

Arena, Adam,22, 227P, 238P, 293P, 316, 320,

Arena, Alison,8, 11, 22, 44, 99P, 100, 148, 167P,  228P, 229P, 234, 238P,288 293P, 320

Arena, Jordyn Grey,5, 22, 27, 28P, 113, 121P, 227P, 238P, 293P, 311-317, 317P, 321

Armstrong, Peggy,289

Baum, Edgardo, 63

Baum, Enrique,63

Berman, Sandra,291P

Billings, Zachary 105

Blackman, Faye,83

Boshoven, John 231

Bradbury, Ray, 248

Broido, Andy,99P, 100

Burroughs, Augusten,301, 302P

Carson, Richard  ,252P, 253

Charles , Ray ,64

Connolly, Julia,100P, 101

Connolly, Patrick,100P, 101

Connolly, Sadie,100P, 101

Connolly, Suzanne,100P, 101

Corrado, Jeff,99P, 100, 238P, 293P

Cutshaw, Susan,287

Danza, Tony,260P, 261P, 262

Dean, Penelope,287P

Didion, Joan,11

Domenici, Judy,90P, 100P, 101, 236, 321

Domenici, Leah,100P, 101, 236

Dowshen, Joseph,80, 81

Dowshen, Morris,80, 81

Dowshen, Rose,80, 81

Duckworth, Angela Lee,265, 269,

Eisenberg, Bill,38, 153

Eisenberg, Carly ,27, 99P, 100

Eisenberg, Fred,253

Eisenberg, Gail Rothberg,252P, 253, 255P

Eisenberg, Gary,22, 79P, 90P, 95P, 96P, 99P, 100, 100P, 101, 103, 152P, 153P, 236

Eisenberg, Helen,29, 30, 96P, 97P, 98P, 100, 103, 107P, 116P, 117P, 118, 121P, 122P, 115-133, 152P, 153P, 169-186, 198-200, 213

Eisenberg, Jill,99P, 100, 167P

Eisenberg, Meyer,75, 76P, 77, 79P

Eisenberg, Mitchell,167

Eisenberg, Morton,29, 30, 35, 36P, 71 P, 78, 97P, 116P, 119P, 151-167, 152P, 153P, 156P, 158P, 159P, 169-186

Eisenberg, Nancy,99P, 100, 100P, 101, 236

Eisenberg, Reese,27, 99P, 100

Eisenberg, Rob,38

Eisenberg, Robin,99P, 100

Eisenberg, Seth,99P, 100, 167P

Eisenberg, Sophie,75, 76P, 77-80, 79P

Emerson, Ralph Waldo,264

Evans, Diane,135

Fiorina, Carly,136

Fox , Harold ,35, 158

Frank, Anne,15

Freedman, Judy,291P

Frydman, Joe,281P

Frydman, Phyllis,281P, 282-287

Gardner, Paula,321

Garshman, Ida Dowshen, ,80, 81

Gold, Andrew,319

Goldberg Anna Dowshen, ,80, 81

Goldberg, Natalie,20, 230, 232, 298P, 299, 300P,

Goldstein, Alex,287

Goldstein, Beth,203, 288

Gomez, Lynne Edelstein,258

Gorman, Daniel,100P

Gorman, Lizzi,100P, 101

Gorman, Margie,100P, 101

Gorman, Scott,100P, 101

Governale, Bobby,262

Haley, Alex,75

Harris, Neil,252P, 253

Haskin, Steve,307

Henderson, Kelly,281P

Hilton, John,321

Hoffnung, Gerald,61

Hope, Lee,321

Johnson, Diane ,236

Johnson, Terry,236

Jones, Arden,100P, 101

Jones, Jared,100P, 101

Katz, Lena Dowshen,80, 81

Kitzis, Jorge,63

Koffler, Abigail,100P, 101

Koffler, Karen,99P, 100, 100P, 101

Koffler, Lynne,80, 91 P, 99, 99P, 100, 100P, 101, 236

Koffler, Neil,99P, 100, 100P, 101

Koffler, Sharon (now Sharon Correll),86P, 87P, 91P

Koffler, Steve,99P, 100, 100P, 101, 236

Kuhn, Jeremy,281P

Lamott, Anne,20, 301P

Lane, Nina,236

Levin, Laurie,256, 257P

Lidman, Marcy Cohen,258

Lieberman, Joe,304P

Liftman, Carol Eisenberg,37

Litman, Lisa,236, 259P

Markel, Geri 231

McCredie, Karol,281P, 287P

McLinden, Sue,287

Menaker, Daniel,321

Merion, Bob,20, 97P, 99P, 100, 100P, 101, 149, 161, 196P, 226P, 228P, 235, 238P, 250P,251-264, 282, 287, 292, 293P, 308P, 317P, 319

Merion, Chester,45-54, 52P, 53P, 54P

Merion, Margy,97P

Merion, Milton,97P

Merion, Sarah,7, 9P, 11, 19,44, 88, 148, 149P, 150P, 167P, 228P, 229P, 238P, 288, 293P, 316, 320

Merion-Billings, Janice 105P

Meryurin, Lazaro,63

Metzendorf, Lauren,203

Morrow, Beth Siegel,236, 292

Ohren, Joe,291

Onassis, Jackie Kennedy,119

Oomen, Anne Marie,321

Phillippe, Ryan,263P

Purtan, JoAnne,234P, 305P, 306P

Rabinowitz, Adrienne,273-287, 280P, 281P

Roberts, Karen,287P

Roosevelt, Eleanor, 66

Rose, Annie,139, 143, 291P

Rosen, Rebecca,140-145, 292

Rudie, Sheryl,258

Rudnick, Bebe,72, 118, 119P, 280

Rudnick, Bessie,40, 75, 76P, 80, 81, 84P, 85, 86P, 87P, 95P, 96P, 97P, 98P, 99, 105, 108-113, 135-145, 292

Rudnick, David,19, 75, 76P, 80, 81, 82P, 84P, 99, 104, 108, 115-132P, 118P, 123P, 145

Rudnick, Herman,72, 92, 101, 104, 132P, 280

Rudnick, Jean,80, 105, 132P

Rudnick, Jeff,90, 100P, 101, 236

Rudnick, Lois,100P, 101

Rudnick, Michael,90, 100P, 101, 237

Ruiz, Don Miguel,315

Rushdie, Salman,321

Sandberg, David,286

Schwartz, Helen 105P

Schwartz, Morton  105P

Servetnick, Marc,252P, 254, 258P

Shanbag, Priyanka,279

Silberman, Eve,321

Silver, Lindsay,27, 99P, 100, 236

Silver, Madison ,27, 99P, 100, 236

Silver, Marisa,99P, 100, 167P, 236

Silver, Scott,99P, 100, 167P, 236

Snellenburg, Mickey,100P, 101

Snellenburg, Susan,100P, 101

Soskin, Eric,269

Soskin, Karen,203, 265, 288, 307

Spilker, Emily,280P, 281P

Stamberg, Susan,303P

Stein, Buddy,280

Stollak, Sondra,276, 278, 279, 280P, 282-287

Strand, Clark,165

Streisand, Barbra,63

Talens, Jim ,236

VanderTuig, Marcy,274, 287

Warren, Elizabeth,297

Wilder, Damian,63

Wilder, Marta,63

Wilder, Rob,321

Wilder de Baum, Felisa,63

Winkelman, SarahJane,11,13

Wiseman, Frederick,260

Wittenstein, Fred,252P, 253, 256P, 257P

Wolf, Paula,100P, 101

Wolock, Annie, 290

Zappa, Dweezil,307

Zappa, Frank,307

Zirinsky, Bill,321

 

Even though I like to write, I don’t always get myself to sit down and do it. But I do have methods—timers, rewards, sayings I’ve made up:
I’m smart enough to know I need to trick myself to get some things done, and I’m dumb enough to fall for my own tricks.

For fifteen years, Debbie Merion has used writing prompts to help students write their best possible college essays. In her memoir, From the Period. To the Colon: Memoir of a Child Writer she uses the same prompts to get to the heart of her own story. Whether as a handwritten list of her third-grade ambitions for adulthood or her story about conquering her fear of dogs as an adult, writing felt good to Debbie from the age of eight.

In her Northeast Philly neighborhood in the ‘60s and ‘70s, persistence, grit, tenacity, and determination—whatever you call it—informed Debbie’s life, and those of her parents and grandparents. Debbie captures both this moment in time and her love of the written word through story and photos, making the past suddenly become present.

“As Debbie Merion so rightly says, sharing our real-life stories is a refreshing antidote to the flood of fake news and lies that are drowning us on the internet. Reading her memoir will provide you with the prompts and inspiration to get the treasured details of your own best anecdotes down on paper.  And if, like me, you are the same age as the author, her inventory of everything from cap guns to flowered bathing-caps will bring back the best memories of your childhood.”

–Eileen Pollack, Paradise, New York

 

“Debbie’s juxtaposition from photos to text takes us on a whimsical ride into her rich past in the form of a book created for future generations.  It’s a loving tribute to family, literature, music, faith and friends.”

–Carrie Jo Howe, Island Life Sentence

 

“Debbie Merion has taken the pleasures of her daily life from childhood and beyond, and transformed them into a whole bunch of practical wisdom and life-sharing.”

–Anne-Marie Oomen, Uncoded Woman

Debbie Merion, MFA, MSW is a mother, the award-winning author of over 100 publications including Solving the College Admissions Puzzle, and the founder of EssayCoaching.com. She has helped thousands of students and authors learn the secrets for telling their story in a unique and appealing way.  Debbie supposedly lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but can rarely be found there.