George Allen / EducateMHC Blog Mobile Home & Land Lease Community Advocate & Expert

Blog Posting # 849; Copyright 4 July 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction). Routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’), comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC vis (317) 881-3815; email  gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lese communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institutes (‘MHI(‘), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for the MHInsider magazine.

An Introduction to this week’s Blog Posting – describing a Vietnam incident from 57 years ago

STAR SPANGLED FOURTHS OF JULY, 50 & 200 YEARS AGO

On the fourth of July, 1968, my combat engineer platoon worked and lived at landing zone Stud, later renamed Vandegrift Forward Combat Base. Stud was located a few miles east of the infamous, only recently vacated Khe Sanh combat base in the Republic of South Vietnam.

The day was like any other, for a combat engineer platoon. During daylight hours we cleared roads of landmines, built command bunkers, strengthened the perimeter defense, and helped wherever needed. All hot, dirty work, but what we were there to do.

The night also began like any other. At first, all was quiet and dark, no moon. Above ground light, even candlelight was prohibited, lest it draw sniper fire from enemy troops in the hills surrounding our remote position. But around 2200 hours (10PM), someone popped a bright white star cluster pyrotechnic high into the black sky.

Usually, star cluster pyros are launched from hand held devices – hollow aluminum tubes 2” diameter X 12” long, to show helicopter pilots where one’s position is in darkness, identify medical evacuation pickup points, or where to drop needed supplies.

Well, that first star cluster burst was immediately followed by a whole bunch more – of varied colors, accompanied by a host of M16 assault rifles fired on full automatic – adding combat sound effects to the cacophony, along with the distinct odor of burning cordite. Also launched skyward, a couple illumination flares, dangling from mini-parachutes, drifted high above the base, and out over suspected enemy positions. This continued for a few minutes, and then stopped as abruptly as it had begun.

In military parlance, this chain of events is known as a ‘mad moment’, usually occurring in training scenarios to familiarize Marines with the sights, sounds, and smells of combat. And ‘mad moments’ do occasionally occur in combat environs like this, to celebrate a holiday.

Yes, one might view ‘mad moments’ as a waste of ammunition and signaling resources, also compromising one’s position, but know what?

During that ‘mad moment’ on the fourth of Jul 1968, at LZ Stud, I envisioned standing next to Francis Scott Key, in 1818, watching the bombardment of Ft. McHenry, and him penning the poem which would later become our nation’s hallowed anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.

And today, 200 years later, 50+ for me since 1968, nary a 4^th of July holiday occurs, without fondly, sometimes tearfully – but always gratefully, recalling being right there during a very special ‘mad moment’ in my life and that of our nation. God Bless America!

George Allen, lieutenant colonel, retired, USMCR

Note. This short story was penned more than a decade ago and has often been shared during 4^th of July Celebrations in communities across the U.S. Feel free to reprint and share with your circle of friends, family, and fellow Americans. This short story and several others, of like genre, are contained in my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, available from educatemhc.com

Blog Posting # 848; Copyright 27 June 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’), comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via 9317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha 6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 30 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for the MHInsider magazine.

WHERE WILL YOU BE ON 18 AUGUST 2025?

500+/- of the most well-known and successful manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industry entrepreneurs, trade association executives, along with their friends and families will be at the annual RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, the evening of 18 August 2025!

How ‘bout you? For more information about this stellar event, and to make reservations, visit the website at: https://www.rvmhhalloffame.org/2025_rsvp? Aldo phone (574_ 293-2344.

So, what happens at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction Banquet? First and foremost, the 2025 Class of Inductees will be welcomed into this prestigious dual industry lifetime personal honor!

And who are these folk?

Chad Reece, RV manufacturer Winnebago in Forest City, Iowa

Garry Bewernick, RV parts distributor, Atlas Trailer in Chestermere, Alberta, Canada.

Larry Trout, dealer, Toppers RVs, in Waller, TX  

Jason Lippert, RV supplier, Lippert Components, in Elkhart, IN.

Thomas Irons, RV OEM supplier, ASA Electronics, in Middlebury, IN.

Bill Poynter, MH manufacturer/retailer, Guerdon Industries, in Lexington, KY

Kurt Kelley, JD., insurance executive, American Insurance Alliance, in Spring, TX.

Nelson Steiner, MH community owner/operator, Steiner Communities in Tampa, FL.

Mark Raukar, MH retailer, Little Valley Homes, in Novi, MI.

Steven Schaub, MH community operator, YES! Communities in Denver, CO.

Last week’s blog posting (#847) announced a Writer’s Workshop scheduled for the morning of 18 August 2025, in the auditorium of the RV/MH Hall of Fame. So, whether you plan to attend that evening’s festivities or not, know you’re welcome to spend three or so hours (i.e. 9AM-Noon) learning the role of memoir writing (a.k.a. your short stories) and preparation of one’s autobiography. This short, and often small group, presentation has oft occurred at this location in the past and resulted in several self-published books now in the RV/MH Hall of Fame library and sold in their bookstore. Specifically, they are No Respect At All…A PATH TO MILLION$, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, and SWAN SONG. Cost? Minimal; just enough to cover the expense of handout material (e.g. Copies of ‘How to Be Remembered By All!’ and other writers’ resources. Maybe $25-50 max. per attendee. Registration deadline? 1 August 2025. Let me know of your plan to attend via gfa7156@aol.com

SECO+

Now is also not too early to plan to attend yet another spectacular annual manufactured housing and land lease community event – the 12^th (I think) hosting of the popular SECO conference in Atlanta, GA. What’s with the (+) notation? I’ll ‘splain’ a little later. Anyway, this year the SECO hosts are once again emphasizing the importance of MH2X, the self-promotional effort within manufactured housing to double new home production during 2025 & 2026. This means going from 103,314 new HUD-Code homes during 2024, to nearly 200,000 by year end 2026 or before.

Now about the (+). This year, SECO is welcoming I’m HOME conference attendees to participate in SECO’s highly regarded educational and discussion sessions. Here’s how this unique partnership is described in a recent Press Release:

‘The SECO Conference and the I’m HOME Conference, prominent events in the manufactured housing sector, have partnered with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and ROC USA to advance affordable housing initiatives. SECO, known for its focus on land lease community ownership and operations, and I’m HOME, which emphasizes policy and technical advancements in manufactured housing, are collaborating to integrate their strengths. The Lincoln Institute, steward of the I’m HOME Network, brings expertise in land policy and affordability, while ROC USA contributes its model of resident-owned communities to promote housing stability and availability.’

How can you not want to attend this several day program involving four major players in the housing industry: SECO, I’m HOME, the Lincoln Institute, and USA ROC? See you there! For more information visit the SECOconference.com website.

George Allen

SPRAWL OR NOTHING!

This article title in the New York Times Magazine (Sunday) got my attention. And the subtitle pulled me into the article – for a while. “The word (Sprawl) has become an epithet for garish, reckless growth. But top fix the housing crisis, America needs more of it.” Didn’t get too far into the article before I came across a paragraph that is so typical of what we all read, time and again, about the housing crisis in the U.S.

“Similar laws throughout the country have slowed the pace of construction and made housing far more expensive, contributing to one of the worst affordable housing crises in the nation’s history. After two decades of underbuilding, economists estimate the country’s housing shortage at somewhere between four million and eight million units. Last year was among the most difficult on record to buy a home; a quarter of tenants now spend more than half their income on rent and utilities, and the most recent homeless count, at about 770,000, was up nearly 20 percent from the previous year.”

Well, like other pundits holding forth on this subject, I could not identify much of substance to solving the problems cited. So I thought I’d, once again, add my two cents to the mix. Here goes.____________________________________________________________________

Blog Posting # 847; Copyright 20 June 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-cased, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’), comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production beginning in 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 30 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institutes (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fam enshrine, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for the MHInsider magazine.

WRITER’S WORKSHOP

‘Preserving Personal & Corporate Legacies via Memoirs & Autobiographies’

Several weeks ago this weekly blog posting asked, ‘Will You Be Remembered or Forgotten?’ Two weeks later we shared, ‘Here’s How to Be Remembered by All!’ Well this week we’re taking that question and answer a step further.

I’m planning to host a morning-long Writer’s Workshop on 18 August (i.e. 9AM-Noon) at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN.  Yes, this is the same day as the annual RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction Banquet at that same location. So, why not arrive in Elkhart the previous day (Sunday) or early on the 18^th and join us for the 1) Writer’s Workshop; then, 2) spend the early afternoon visiting the world class RV and MH museums to see our industry legacy on display. Then, cap off the day at the 3) RV/MH Hall of Fame reception, dinner, and induction ceremony!  Oh, and 4), if you’re really into perfecting  your ‘new MH home sales education’ – stay over and attend the MHFacTOURy Summit  the next  two days!

‘Writers’ Workshop’ registration. All I have to know is that you plan to attend. Let me know via gfa7156@aol.com  Cost? Minimal; just enough to cover the expense of handout material (e.g. Copies of ‘How to Be Remembered By All!’ and other writers’ resources. Total $ estimate? $25-50. Per attendee. Registration deadline? 1 August 2025. Ideal workshop size? Ten to 20 individuals. And know this; to date, several MH aficionados have penned their memoirs, and one autobiography, after attending a previous Writer’s Workshop.

RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction Banquet. Best to visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame website: rvmhhalloffame.org and/or phone (574) 293-2344 for information and to register. More than 500 expected to participate! This event has become the MH industry’s annual social event of note!

MHFacTOURy Summit. For more information and to register, visit mhinsider.com/2025.  This two day program started in 2016 and has been an annual event ever since, except for 2020/COVID. Some attendees return year after year to hone their MH marketing and sales skills. How ‘bout you?

OK, now for a content summary planned for the ‘Writer’s Workshop’ on 18 August 2025:

9-10AM.              Introductions of attendees and distribution of training aids. Introduce and briefly review

The 12 MH autobiographies and corporate histories archived in the RV/MH Hall of Fame

                              library’s George Allen Collection.

10-11AM             General introduction to memoirs (i.e. short stories), autobiographies, and corporate

                              histories. For which audience(s) will you write? Family, friends, business associates,

employees, others? It does make a difference. Will you go it alone or enlist the assistance of a ghost writer or co-author? Know that 33% of MH autobiographies have been co-authored. So, you’ll likely self-publish (Not as difficult as you might think) – We’ll tell you the best resources. Only one of the dozen MH autobiographies was published (i.e. printed, bound, & distributed) by a traditional book publisher. 

11AM-Noon        Key Steps to Preserving Your Life Story, Legacy, and or Corporate History

                              SET GOALS.

                              BE PATIENT & WRITE!

                              EDIT WITH A PASSION

                              DECIDE WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

                              SEEK ASSISTANCE WITH PRE-RESSS MATTERS

Resources:          List of good books on memoir and autobiography writing and self-publishing

George Allen’s Personal Writing & Editing Rules of Thumb; also, the WRITE RIGHT plastic wallet card, and more.

Hope you decide to join us the morning of 18 August at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN.

George Allen

Blog Posting # 846; Copyright 13 June 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’), comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 882-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (Tis book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production levels since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 30 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for the MHInsider magazine.

TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS DURING APRIL 2025

‘Onsite & Offsite Construction Completion Totals Combined’

This Total U.S. Housing Completion Report combines input from the U.S. Census Bureau (i.e. Monthly onsite construction completions); and, offsite construction completions via a combination of formula (re: modular & panelized units estimated to be 2% of onsite construction completions), Institute for Building Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’) monthly survey data of HUD-Code manufactured housing production and shipments; and finally, RVIA website announcement of Park Model RV production data, all for the month of April 2025.

Bottom line? Unlike the U.S. Census Bureau Report that tallies only onsite construction completions; adding to it, IBTS’ HUD-Code manufactured housing production volume, as well as modular & panelized housing formulaic estimate, and RVIA’s Park Model RV unit count, this ‘Total U.S. Housing Completions Report’ presents a far more accurate, albeit all-encompassing picture of total U.S. housing completions for the month being reported!

For the month of April 2025, the U.S. Census Bureau reports 121,500 new single-family, site-built, privately-owned onsite housing completions (i.e. annual tally of 1,458,000 divided by 12 months); while the monthly grand total, inclusive of four types of offsite construction (Again, HUD-Code housing + modular & panelized homes + Park Model RVs, totals 12,299 units) is altogether, 133,799 for the month of April 2025 – that’s 12,299 more housing units than the onsite housing completion total reported by the U.S. Census Bureau! Think about it.

So, what tells the more accurate and useful housing story? Just the limited view of onsite construction alone, OR the total when offsite and onsite housing completions are combined?

Once again, this ’Total U.S. Housing Completions Report’ is a work in progress. Please let us know what you think of this all housing inclusive concept, via gfa7156@aol.com

Based on a suggestion from one blog reader we’re adding a new category of reporting:

Year to Date or YTD totals (January thru April 2025) for three housing categories:

521,053 new single-family, site-built, privately-owned onsite housing completions

35,642 new HUD-Code manufactured housing completions (not including mods & RVs)

568,124 new onsite & offsite housing completions. What will be total by end of 2025?

THE REST OF THE STORY…

Do you receive and read the periodic ‘Manufactured Housing Insights’ report prepared and distributed by Berkadia Research? What follows is extracted from the May 2025 report, a report reliant on “MH Insider’s extensive data gathered by surveys related to manufactured housing community trends….”

First off, did you realize that 84 percent (actually 83.9%) of the national HUD-Code manufactured housing market is supplied by the Big Three C manufacturers: Clayton Homes, Champion/Skyline, and Cavco Industries? Now that’s an eye-opener statistic.

Second. I don’t believe the land lease community (a.k.a. manufactured home community & ‘mobile home park’) rental homesite rate, on average, is as robust as claimed in this State of the Industry report. According to said report, the average rent rate among ‘All Ages’ communities is $698/month; and, $796 in ‘Over 55’ communities. Overall average is cited at $732.00. I believe these rental homesite rates are typical of larger communities (more than 100 rental homesites per property), not inclusive of the 85 percent of land lease communities nationwide containing fewer than 100 rental homesites per property. This should be made clear in the report; else owners/operators might use the skewed data to justify rent increases in small (10-100 sites) communities. By the way, this ‘truth’ has been known among the ‘players’ for 20+ years.

George Allen

Blog Posting # 845; Copyright 9 June 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’), comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans and real estate mortgages) describe the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email: gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production level since 1955.

And my autobiography, from SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 30 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist and editor at large for MHInisder magazine.

Here’s How to Be Remembered by All!

Last week’s s blog posting asked readers, ‘Will You Be Remembered or Forgotten?’ Then I identified dozens of individuals in and around MH and land lease community businesses who, in my opinion, should recollect, write, and self-publish personal and or career memoirs (i.e. short stories) – even their autobiographies, as a record of adventures, experiences, Lessons Learned and more, for family, friends, business acquaintances and interested parties.

Well, I certainly received responses to this suggestion! One friend wrote to another and copied me: “I agree with George, you should write your book, if not for those of us who follow you, but for your sons and their families. My dad and uncle wrote books telling about growing up on the farm, plowing and clearing fields, the games they played, and how they made their money. Hope you think about it.” DR

And this from a California land lease community pioneer. “George, hope all is well with you and your family. Appreciate the recent mention of me in your blog. It’s hard to believe our firm has grown from just me and one employee to more than 400 today. Lots of stories as your suggest.  By the way, a local writer is drafting the story of Lido Peninsula Resort (land lease community).  I’ll send you a copy when completed. The resort was built in 1949; so a lot of history on how a ’26 MHs per acre’ property became one of the most prestigious communities in the U.S.A.”DB

So, where does that leave us? Ready to answer ‘How to Be Remembered by All!

The following advice is culled from two sources. A booklet I penned in 2018 titled ‘Who Will Preserve Your Legacy? Answer: You!’ To date, hundreds of copies have been distributed to RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinees, along with friends in the MH business and land lease community owners/operators. The other source? An Allen Legacy column featured in the May 2023 issue of MHInsider magazine, titled ‘Is It Time to Tell Your Story?’ Something to keep in mind as you read. This is one of those nonfiction stories where the content of End Notes (i.e. footnotes) is often as interesting and informative as the narrative.*1

OK, here goes: ‘Preserving Your Personal or Corporate Legacy’ in six key steps.

1. SET GOALS. Decide, “I’m going to do this!” Then, compile a list of personal and or corporate short story topics you experienced. This list will change and grow throughout the entire writing and editing process! Now, pen one or two of these short stories each month – as hard copy (i.e.  pen on paper or electronically). How to do this? Simply sit down alone, then write or type what comes to mind, not worrying about grammar, spelling, errors, word choices, or even how it flows. It does help to tell one’s stories from a consistent perspective however, whether it be personal, family, corporate or mix of all three.*2 Also, whether to write in the first or second person, but unlikely the third.*3 In any event, these short stories become your memoirs.

Always wait 24 hours before making changes to what you’ve penned! Reread the story slowly, making pen changes along the way, e.g. seek better word choices, correct spelling errors, consider comma placement and grammar. Then retype the story, wait another 24 hours, and edit again. On average, I fine-tune my memoirs five times before compiling theme into an autobiography.

Over time, collect the edited memoirs and put them in some sort of order, sometimes chronological, possibly topical. Doing so will trigger memories of even more events, other short stories, and incidents worth recording and sharing. So, add these new topics to aforementioned list and write about them.

• BE PATIENT. Memoirs can be fun to write, especially when pacing oneself to pen a couple each month. But this also means the overall writing and editing process can take the better part of a year – or longer, to tell one’s stories. This is wise use of your time. Better to avoid rushing, and wishing later, that you’d penned more memoirs.

Again, if memoirs haven’t already been organized chronologically or by topic, do so. But also know that presenting some memoirs ‘out of order’ might enhance the readability of one’s story. In any event, taking any of these actions will likely stimulate the recollection of additional stories, even Lessons Learned along the way.

Hint. At this stage, if not already doing so, make it a point to read other memoirs and autobiographies. Observe writers’ styles, perspectives from which they write, and how easy or difficult their story is to read. Learn from them!

• EDIT WITH A PASSION. If not qualified to do this (e.g. proper grammar, sentence structure, word choice, and more), hire or enlist a trusted, capable, experienced, motivated individual (preferably non-family member) to do this for or with you. Hint. Learn and use basic proofreader marks to make this process easier and more productive.

• DECIDE WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Do the memoirs cover the desired limited or broad scope of personal and or corporate life for now – or forever? Only you can decide. Hint. One’s autobiography can just as easily be a portion of one’s life, business experience, or much more. Just take one part at a time, if need be, and decide. Update later if desired!

• SEEK ASSISTANCE WITH PRE-PRESS MATTERS. Identify and interview more than one printer/binder, for price, product quality, and service comparison. Ensure they’re experienced with basics and nuances of the self-publishing process. Ask for samples of their past work. Hint. Become familiar with front and back material information and requirements, to legitimize your finished product, e.g. ISBN#, copyright information, and more, are important.*4

• BE PREPAREDTO MARKET YOUR BOOK OR SIMPLY GIVE THEM AWAY.*5 No one but you is going to market and sell your self-published book! Seriously. Traditional publishers won’t be interested if you’re not already much published; and, vanity publishers will publish anything for a price that varies with book quantity and services contracted (e.g. editing, cover design, etc.). Hint. Be sure to send a copy of your book to the RV/MH Hall of Fame library in Elkhart, IN.*6

End Notes.

1. Getting Started On Your Memoir by Shawn Girvan at The Muse Writers Center. Recommends reading one or more memoirs to get a sense of style and form that appeals to you. Read a craft book; for example, On Writing, by Stephen King. Start a journal – to explore how you feel about writing about your experiences and feelings. Take a memoir class online or in person. And decide whether you tend to be a ‘stream of consciousness’ writer or one who outlines material before starting the process. All this means is that if the former, you might need to purposely avoid ‘run on’ sentences; in the latter case, be careful not to abbreviate the story being told.

• ‘Tips for Better Storytelling’ by Stephanie Garibaldi. Recommends ‘opening strong’! You must grab your audience’s attention immediately and hold onto it. This is the ‘hook’, the opening paragraph of any story, memoir, autobiography. Make sure there’s enough of YOU in your story, and be vulnerable when you can. Speak in the present tense, to create immediacy and help build tension; the past tense when describing past events and how they relate to the present and future. Minimize context by providing just enough to understand your story – and not to be buried in descriptive detail. Use dialogue and acting whenever possible, to bring characters to life. Paint the picture by including specifics and sensory details. Find your story’s frame or focus; ensure opening and closing cohesion. Build and develop your scenes; have them unfold in real time.

• 1^st, 2^nd, & 3^rd Person? First person narrative uses pronouns I, me and my to demonstrate the narrator is a character in the story or memoir. Second person uses pronoun ‘you’ to address the reader and bring them into the story. And third person is used by biographers to tell the story; pronouns not always needed.

• Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual. ‘How to Write, Print & Sell Your Own Book’, by Para Publishing Company, CA. Available in most bookstores and online via amazon.com in paperback.

• Joh Kremmer’s 1001 Ways to market Your Book, ‘for authors and publishers’, from Open Horizons in IA. 700 page book available on line via amazon.com in paperback.

• Personal experience authoring my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven. My memoir topics are presented in chronological order; from childhood to college, to romance and starting a family, to service in the U.S. Marines, and then a 40 year business career. I recollected new topics and events, and wrote about them too, even as I was finalizing the manuscript for printing and binding. The entire self-publishing process took a full year; writing, editing, rewriting, preparing front and back material, printing and binding, then finally selling and distributing to friends, family and associates. Along the way I also crafted reference lists of recurring military and trade terms, difficult to spell names and places, even key dates; all to ease the writing process from beginning to end. Hint. Speaking of being careful about vanity publishers; one ‘fresh off a vanity press’ book I reviewed was printed entirely in CAPITAL LETTERS. It was unreadable! The author, while she had a good message, did not ensure – and the printer/binder did not warn her, that the final product would indeed be unreadable. So, be careful.

George Allen