WritersLife.org: How to Write a Memorable Memoir

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To resonate with others there are some key ingredients to writing a  memorable memoir, says today's topic on WritersLife.org.  Even though I've been working on mine for months now, I still had to read this article.  Here is how I have worked in these key ingredients:

1. Overcoming difficulties

As with all good fiction, there needs to be a struggle, a conflict or a journey littered with obstacles that need to be overcome.

Every reader will have faced difficulties in their lives, and reading about the strength and determination of other people facing theirs is both comforting and inspiring.

Tough experiences and recovering from them are something we have all gone through, so when reading about other people’s problems, even if they are very different from our own, we can identify, resonate, and sympathise with them.

This is very true of any memoir. Especially that last line. Being able to resonate with another person's memoir on a similar subject can also be key to making you tell your own, as was true with me. 

2.  Introducing humour

Life is full of weird and wonderful experiences. Sharing these with your reader will bring smiles to their faces. No matter how tough your life has been your memoir shouldn’t be all doom and gloom. Try to make sure you have some laughter in there too.

I'm not sure how well I did on this one :-) But I'm still working on it, so I will be going over it again. I did mention how I told my psychiatrist how I'd thought my phone was ringing when it actually wasn't doing so and how as a result of this leaned the term "ringxiety." When I showed my boss my early handwritten draft, she laughed upon seeing this quote.  So I guess I did introduce some humor.

3.  Being truthful

There is a difference between embellishing the truth and understanding how to weave a good yarn, and simply lying outright. The former is accepted in a memoir, the latter is not. Memoirs don’t have to be written word for word as they happened, they don’t have to be chronological, they don’t have to be 100% factual, but they do have to be truthful. There is no reason why you can’t be creative and imaginative in your memoir but make sure you don’t make false claims, sweeping generalisations, or fabricate your entire story.

I was well aware that a memoir does not have to remembered verbatim and that you need only include what you feel is important to your story. Also, I did not go chronologically in most cases, something someone I know mentioned after she read the pdf of my story I'd sent by e-mail. But in many instances, it was to contrast what happened in one instance vs. another. For example, one chapter is devoted to many different things over several years that I never go to do or have.  Another is about what occurred to me personally in 2001, in the weeks leading up to bombing.  

As I have said in past blog posts, I was uncertain if I wanted to attempt a memoir, but decided to do so after what I'd begun to write seemed like such.  I was primarily worried about using real names of others, so I chose to use fictional names. In some cases, I made some people into two or three different people in order to further disguise them.

4. Create a journey

Memoirs are journeys, ones which the reader is invited to join the writer on as they discover themselves and learn and grow. Your memoir needs to show this, to explain how your experiences have shaped who you are today and what lessons you learnt along the way.

This was pretty obvious to me from memoirs I have read. Going onto Prozac was the journey that my memoir has told.

5.  Make it personal

For readers to emotionally engage with your memoir you need to give yourself to them, you need to open up. Be detailed, descriptive and emotional and you are sure you have your readers hooked.

If I had not wanted others to hear my story, I never would have tried to write it in the first place. And I'm sure the same is true of those who have already written and published their memoirs.  

Next Up--Attempting a Fictional Novel?

Those who have been reading my blog are aware that I have ventured into the world of writing  a memoir.  You may also know from some posts that I wasn't sure if I was going to go that way or try to write fiction.  But eventually the notes I had written down on notebook paper sounded more like a memoir, so I decided to go that way, though I have fictionalized it a little. 

The fact is I've often seen myself attempting a fictional novel, and just the other day, I emailed my story to a long-time friend of my mom, who emailed me saying what she thought and said I write well, and that she would like to see me to attempt a fictional novel.   I told how I have thought of doing so.

On her blog tour last Friday, Stephanie Faris posted at this blog saying: 

Why Reading Outside Your Genre Can Make Your Writing Stronger

I commented saying how I do in fact read different genres, though not a lot of westerns and only some sci-fi, and said how I have wanted to attempt a novel but that having read a memoir I could relate to made me do one of my own. But now I'm trying to come up with ideas for a fiction novel.  I asked if it was unusual to want to try writing fiction after attempting a memoir and she replied that it doesn't seem unusual at all.  I guess some people choose to write all different genres. 

How would the idea of a YA novel set in the 1980s in an epistolary (diary) format sound?  And with a male protagonist, even though I am a woman author?  I've kind of found it hard to formulate fiction based around the current technology and I think kids today should see what it was like for those of us who grew up in the eras before cell phones, the Internet and such.  What does anyone think?

Bookish Bingo: Fall 2016

I'll be doing the fall bingo reading challenge at Pretty Deadly Reviews.  I will again get as many squares as I can.

It’s time for another round of Bookish Bingo! The purpose of this challenge is to push ourselves to read more, and to broaden our horizons a little bit. I don’t know about you guys, but summer was a reading bust for me, so I’m so excited for this new card and to finally kick this reading slump.

The Details:

• Every new season has a new bingo card. This one is for books read in the months of September, October and November.
• The object is to get as many BINGOs as possible (five across, up and down, or diagonal)
• One square per book
• You do not have to review these books, or even have a blog, this is simply for books read during the allotted months
• At the end of August there will be an international giveaway for all participants. The more BINGOs you get, the more entries you get in the giveaway!
• To participate, simply leave a comment!

The Card:

Here is what I am reading:

1. Animal on Cover: King of the Wind--Marguerite Henry
2. Illustrated:  Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day--Judith Viorst
3. Multi POV: The Diamond of Darkhold--Jeanne DuPrau
4. Paranormal or Horror: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children--Ransom Riggs
5. Standalone:  The Girl You Left Behind--Jojo Moyes
6. Free Space: Double Fudge Brownie Murder--Joanne Fluke
7. Green Cover: The PMS Murder--Laura Levine
8. Retelling: The Claiming of Sleeping of Beauty--A.N. Roquelaure
9. Recommended to You: Look Both Ways--Alison Cherry
10. Friendship: The Kite Runner--Khaled Hosseini
11. College: The Bell Jar--Sylvia Plath
12. Sea Creatures: Memoirs of a Goldfish--Devin Scillian
13. Graphic Novel: Dear Dumb Diary: Let's Pretend This Never Happened--Jim Benton
14. Short Stories: The Collected Stories of Wallace Stegner
15. Suspense: Polar Star--Martin Cruz Smith
16. Killers: 10th Anniversary--James Patterson
17. Black Cover: The Infinite Sea--Rick Yancey
18. American History: Calico Bush--Rachel Field
19. Creepy Cover: All the Lovely Bad Ones--Mary Downing Hahn
20. Revenge: Think of a Number--John Verdon
21. Dragons: The Ghost Bride--Yangsze Choo
22. Purple Cover: It Takes a Witch--Heather Blake
23. Backlist: Thirst No. 2--Christopher Pike
24. Fall Release:  Leave Me--Gayle Forman
25. Weapon on Cover: Soul Eater: Vol. 1--Atsushi Ohkubo

Challenge completed on November 10

Quiz: The Autumn Leaves Color Test

This sounds quite accurate.  Though I'm still working on my memoir, I feel a desire to next try fiction.

You Are Bright and Brilliant

You tend to fall in love easily and stick with the one you've chosen. You were born to love. You are a natural writer of all sorts. You are equally suited writing essays, journals, and fiction. You are a comfort to those around you. You make others feel at ease simply by being you. You have an active imagination and intuition. You have a very fluid way of thinking.

The Autumn Leaves Color Test

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes!

Already That Time of Year?

Can you believe this is already showing up in stores now?  For about a week now, there have been Halloween displays such as those in the photos at the local Goodwill.    Once Kmart and Target  and other stores start clearing out the school supplies (now about 60 cents each), they too will begin stocking Halloween. And both seem to bring out Christmas stuff before the calendar even switches to October. Why so soon for Chrismas, I always wonder?

Is it really almost that time?

My Prozac Story: One Year and Counting

As I continue editing and changing my memoir of depression, I have officially reached one year on Prozac.  I last saw the psychiatrist last Wednesday. It was the one I'd seen over a year ago before he went on an indefinite leave. Other doctors covered for him, including one I saw about six times--the one who prescribed the meds last summer.

At my initial visit with the psychiatrist in July 2015, the staff nurse took my blood pressure three times, thinking it seemed low. The doctor then suggested I get a physical exam before my next visit with the new temporary psychiatrist the following month. I had to wait nearly a month before I got my physical exam. The thought of seeing a doctor has always triggered my anxiety.  I often worry I will hear something bad.  But that was not the case here. Three days later I got my Prozac prescription, and started taking it the following morning.  I started at 10 mg, then 20 mg, later 30 mg and since the beginning of this year, 40 mg.

I was warned of the side effects before beginning.  Drowsiness was one I tend to have and once in a  while I will have thoughts of harming myself or fears of someone trying to harm me. I have told my doctors of this and have been watching for these.

As I said in this post, I knew reading Prozac Nation was a must for me.  I could identify with parts of what the author described in her memoir.

I then watched the film based on the book after my mom recorded it from cable. The DVD wasn't available on Netflix, though I was able to find a used copy on Amazon.  The photo below was taken of the DVD cover and has been my Facebook profile picture for a few months now. The photo at the top of the post is my empty meds bottles, and has been my cover photo on FB for about the same amount time.  Long story as to why I haven't changed them :-)

If you've been reading my blog, you know I have been working on a memoir of depression and anxiety and getting onto Prozac. It was reading Prozac Nation that made me want do it. For a while, I felt my story was too similar, but was told by everyone I know that everyone's story is different.  There are some similarities, but each story is one of a kind.  

The title I chose for my memoir is Delays and Detours on the Road to Prozac: A Memoir of Depression and Anxiety.  The journey continues...

Stephanie Faris Blog Tour: Guest Post

This week, author Stephanie Faris celebrates the release her her two new books (click images above) with guest post on different blogs. Today on my blog, she posts about finding support groups for writers.

How to Find Great Writer's Groups

by Stephanie Faris

“No man is an island.” That line from a 1600s-era poem is often used to remind us that we don’t have to operate alone. All around us are people willing to help us out. All we have to do is get to know them.

For writers, it can sometimes seem like we’re stranded alone on an island. We have the Internet to connect us to those who do what we love, but there’s something about finding that small group of writers that shares your achievements and rejections with you.

When I was just starting out, that group was my local chapter of Romance Writers of America. Once a month, they met in a tiny conference room at a mall. I formed friendships inside that group that lasted for years. Four of us started a small critique group and exchanged pages each week. I traveled to other RWA meetings in other cities with some of my fellow members. We communicated online between meetings and had a Christmas party every year where we exchanged presents.

By the time I joined the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, I already had an agent. That put me in a weird position. Many of my fellow published authors in my local group have been together since their early days. They “grew up” together as authors. I missed all of that with children’s writers, since I “grew up” writing romance and moved to a new genre. Kind of like that kid whose parents move her to a new school during senior year. You never quite “fit.”

So for unpublished authors, that would be my biggest advice. Find a writer’s group that fits and grow up with those authors. You can search for your own genre-specific group (romance, mystery, children’s, etc.) or you can look for local groups that meet monthly near your house. Meetup.com is a great place to find writer’s groups. Just search your local area and look for one that’s active.

Don’t discount the value of online groups. If you’ve joined a writer’s organization that doesn’t meet monthly, look online to see if they offer a critique group partnering service. You can also look for Facebook groups specific to your Genre (Children’s Authors and Illustrators on Facebook is one) and network. Ideally, you’ll find often the best connections are made in small groups, so look for people who seem to be experiencing issues similar to yours and engage with them.

Piper Morgan

By Stephanie Faris

Press Kit

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba7205fa6/

Blurb:

When Piper Morgan has to move to a new town, she is sad to leave behind her friends, but excited for a new adventure. She is determined to have fun, be brave and find new friends.

In Piper Morgan Joins the Circus, Piper learns her mom’s new job will be with the Big Top Circus. She can’t wait to learn all about life under the big top, see all the cool animals, and meet the Little Explorers, the other kids who travel with the show. She’s even more excited to learn that she gets to be a part of the Little Explorers and help them end each show with a routine to get the audience on their feet and dancing along!

In Piper Morgan in Charge, Piper’s mom takes a job in the local elementary school principal’s office. Piper is excited for a new school and new friends—and is thrilled when she is made an “office helper.” But there is one girl who seems determined to prove she is a better helper—and she just so happens to be the principal’s daughter. Can Piper figure out how to handle being the new girl in town once more?

Bio: Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing.

Stephanie is the Simon & Schuster author of 30 Days of No Gossip and 25 Roses. When she isn’t crafting fiction, she writes for a variety of online websites on the topics of business, technology, and her favorite subject of all—fashion. She lives in Nashville with her husband, a sales executive. 

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