Expat Barb

To be fair, Boomer men have had a lot more time to come to grips with the reality of the situation.

Writing Prompt: The Relative You Wish You Knew There’s always someone who fascinates us from afar.Write a Memoir is a reader-supported publication.

This week’s writing prmpt is posted and it’s a doozy for me. We hear stories about people when we’re kids and it’s not until we grow up that we realize that those stories might need a reframe.

writeamemoir.substack.com/p/writing-pr...

#writeamemoir #familyhistory #writingprompt

The False Positivity of ‘It Could Be Worse’ Lists of Lists

Today’s Friday Happynings: A version of "It is what it is." At least it’s a starting point.

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/the-false-...

Oops! I’m a day late with this, but here’s your tip of the week! Cheers! Find more tips, prompts, and posts at writeamemoir.substack.com

#writeamemoir #familyhistory

The Swallows Are Returning One swallow does not make a summer.

We’re not quite Capistrano, but the swallows return here each year. Which sends me into human scarecrow mode.

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/the-swallo...

#americanexpat #movetoportugal #expatlife

Writing About Family Without Starting a War There is a moment in almost every would-be memoirist’s life when she thinks:

One of the big fears that I hear from my clients—how to write about family without hurting feelings, causing bad blood, getting uninvited to Thanksgiving dinner. It can be done!
#writeamemoir #writeabook #memoir

writeamemoir.substack.com/p/writing-ab...

Writing Prompt: The Story Everyone Still Tells Every family has one.

Every Friday I share a writing prompt to give you a little push into writing over the weekend. This is a fun one—at least with my family! How about yours?

writeamemoir.substack.com/p/writing-pr...

#writeamemoir #creativewriting #familyhistory

Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be Friday Happynings

The latest Friday Happynings is up. Retirement gives us the time freedom and a bit of a financial cushion to do the things we always wanted. It’s a good time to become who you were meant to be.

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/becoming-w...

#retirement #reinvention #secondact

Your reader wants to know how you felt when events were going on—what were your reactions? What did you think? It’s not enough to say you were scared. What were the crazy thoughts running through your mind? What were the physical effects? How did you overcome the fear?

writeamemoir.substack.com

The First Page Is the Hardest (And That’s Normal)

There’s something incredibly intimidating about starting. Let’s get you over that.

writeamemoir.substack.com/p/the-first-...

#writeamemoir

Polvo Walk Stop 3 José de Oliveira’s Warehouse

Hi! Today we’re at Polvo Walk Stop #3. Just off the main street, you can see the area where the polvo warehouses and drying racks once stood. Polvo is the main industry in Santa Luzia and Jose de Oliveira is the person who built the industry.

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/polvo-walk...
#expatlife

Writing Prompt: Sibling Bonds or Battles Oh boy!

The Friday writing prompt is up and this is a fun one! At least the thought of it makes me laugh. But then, my siblings are fun and weird. Yes, of course I fit right in.

#writeamemoir #writingprompt

writeamemoir.substack.com/p/writing-pr...

Shedding Possessions Friday Happynings

It's starting to feel like spring here and that means it's time for a bit of a clear out. Moving abroad (moving most anywhere) necessitates a huge clear out. So, what stays and what goes?
#expatlife #movingabroad #liveinPortugal

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/shedding-p...

Every Wednesday I post a memoir writing tip. Today’s is an easy one: Read other people’s memoirs. This will give you a sense of what people include, how they handle personal stuff, and if you read enough, what makes a memoir interesting and what stops you cold.
More at writeamemoir.substack.com

Older Retirees Are “UnRetiring” And what this means when you're an expat

For my paid subscribers*: A word of caution. It’s getting more and more expensive to live just about everywhere on the planet, Portugal included.

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/older-reti...

*Free subs can redeem one of their freebie passes if they'd like to read this.

This Is a Good Time to Begin Not because everything is settled — it rarely is.

It’s never a good time to start. Or maybe it’s always a good time to start. Time is wibbly-wobbly at best. There is no perfect time. You either do something or you don’t. Let’s keep time out of this.

writeamemoir.substack.com/p/this-is-a-...

Writing Prompt: The Family Secret This prompt moves into scary territory.

Every Friday, I post a writing prompt on my Write a Memoir substack. You can subscribe for free and ensure you never miss a one. :-)

writeamemoir.substack.com/p/writing-pr...

Fear and Anger Friday Happynings

This week's Friday Happynings is up. Today I look at fear and anger and (eventually) what we can do about it.

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/fear-and-a...

Then the FBI should have spoken out before this orange turd was elected, preferably during the primaries. He's compromised. Anyone with half a brain knows it and they did nothing.

I'm hoping something else. :-)

My heart goes out to you and your family.

Rock My Finances Rock My Finances is REAL AUTHENTIC talk about lifestyle and money, feelings about money, how to attract it, grow it, protect it and spend it! Rock My Finances is hosted by Jennifer L. Jost – Author/I...

Hey, I'm doing a live interview (SO MUCH BETTER than a DEAD interview) today at 1:00 Eastern (10 PT). I have NO IDEA what we'll talk about but I'm betting Portugal, books, remote work... anything goes.

Tune into the livestream on Youtube at 1:00 pm: www.youtube.com/@rockmyfinan...

Every Wednesday I post a writing tip. Some are specifically for writing a memoir but most are... just good writing tips. (It's what I do.)

Giving your project a title makes it more real. What’s the title of your memoir or book?

Never miss a tip. Subscribe here:
writeamemoir.substack.com

If You’ve Been Carrying This Idea for Years Some ideas don’t leave us alone.

So many things we want to do “someday,” things we carry around for years. No one is going to give you permission or tell you it’s time to do the things. That’s on you. So, are you ready to start?
writeamemoir.substack.com/p/if-youve-b...

#writeamemoir #writeyourbook #bucketlist

January Portuguese Progress I had an interview with Kimberly Anne (Expat on a Budget) for International Living’s private membership the other day and one of the questions she asked was—of course—about conquering the Portuguese l...

It's been a while since I've updated my progress with Portuguese. There's a reason for that. Can you guess?

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/january-po...

Right Where You're Meant to Be with Barbara Grassey YouTube video by Peggy Meyer

Peggy Meyers and I talk about building the life you want in this podcast episode of Positive Solutions 4 Life. You can find it here: bit.ly/4r1OPHn
or on YouTube: youtu.be/ssQ0y-u1APU

This is one of my favorite tips.

Sometimes you’re working on a section of your book and you’re just not feeling it—the words aren’t coming. Skip over to something that feels easier to write!

No one says you have to write the whole thing in order. And I’ll never tell! writeamemoir.substack.com

From Trading Time for Money to Passive Income Streams with Barbara Grassey Podcast Episode · Online Business Launch Podcast · 01/16/2026 · 41m

Had a fantastic time talking with Lindsay Sutherland of the Online Business Launch podcast. We talk passive income streams, AI SEO, books, pricing of services, and how to find clients if you're just starting out. Find it on Apple: apple.co/4kkgil6 Spotify: bit.ly/4awvpVa

We Need to Talk About Mold in Portugal I now understand what spring cleaning was all about.

Okay, that picture is NOT my house. But with the winter damp and rain, I am knocking back mold as best I can.

barbaragrassey.substack.com/p/we-need-to...

What Changes When You Begin Writing Many people think the biggest benefit of writing a memoir is the finished product.

Writing your memoir is a journey, not a destination. And oh, the things you will learn along the way!

writeamemoir.substack.com/p/what-chang...