Personal Relections
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How to write your story

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Suggestion: Print and keep this portion of this notice for your records

You may write about anything you like as long as it’s true and isn’t harmful to anyone. Don’t worry about your writing ability—our editors will help.

We’re especially interested in:

  • Any memories from your childhood
  • Funny or embarrassing experiences
  • Odd, unusual or mysterious happenings
  • Memorable people or local “characters”
  • True ghost stories
  • Local or family myths and legends

The important thing

is to sit down and begin writing. The memories will follow—we promise.

HERE ARE SOME MEMORY JOGGERS:

  • Wood cook stoves
  • Castor oil
  • Outhouses
  • Old radio programs
  • Party line phones
  • Windup record players
  • Old cars & Drag racing
  • Tin tub baths
  • Drive in movies
  • Corn shuckings
  • Wringer washers
  • Feed sack dresses
  • Saturday movies
  • Bad storms
  • Farm animals
  • Homemade toys
  • Skinny dipping
  • Chamber pots
  • Hog killings
  • Old stores
    and “filling stations”
  • How you met your spouse
  • First Kiss/First Love
  • School days
  • The old home place
  • WWII & The Korean War
 

INSTRUCTIONS.  PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.
(Your stories may be rejected if these aren’t followed.)

1.    Include the Submission Form with your letter.
2.    Your submission must be original, in your own words, and must not have been previously published in any form.
3.    Do not send poetry, fiction, clippings or photocopies.
4.    Your letter may be handwritten or typed but we are more likely to get it right when typed.
5.    You may submit as many different stories as you like, but send all at the same time.  DO NOT send more later.
6.    Length limit (applies to your entire submission.): as short as one paragraph, but no longer than 3 pages (about 2,000 words). Write on one side of the paper only.
7.    Do not send photographs until we ask for them.
8.    You accept full responsibility for what you write and assure us it is not copyrighted.
9.    You give us permission to edit and publish your letter in any of our publications.  We will mail your edited material to you to check for errors before it appears in the book.  
10.   We reserve the right to edit or reject any material at any time, and to assign titles.  Your original letter can’t be returned, so be sure to keep a copy.
11.   BE SURE to give the names of the people you write about unless it would embarrass or harm them.

  • Deadlines

Email, Submit online or Mail your letter, by the deadline shown below, to Hometown Memories, 2359 HWY 70 SE, Suite 350, Hickory, NC 28602.

Book Deadlines

We are now accepting stories for 8 new books in 2013. The deadline is the end of April 2013.

Call the editor, Karen Garvey, toll free, at (877) 491-8802 if you have questions.


New in 2011 Book 57

Tennessee-57-Cover4web

Moonshine & Mountaintops
Tales From the Good Old Days in Northeast Tennessee

Hometown Memories

TalesfromtheGoodOldDays

Hometown Memories, LLC
2359 Hwy 70 SE, Suite 350,
Hickory, NC 28602

(828) 239-1602 or (877) 491-8802