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Rosanne Ullman

Rosanne Ullman owns Write My Memoirs (writemymemoirs.com) to help people write and self-publish their life stories and co-owns Home Memoir (homememoir.com) to help people capture, in a coffee-table book, the love they have for their home. For 20 years, Rosanne taught grammar at a local adult education program, New Trier eXtention, and that well-received course is the basis for the Write My Memoirs Grammar and Writing Course. Rosanne has a long freelance career writing for and about various industries, particularly the professional beauty industry. Her observations about life appear frequently on various blog sites and include regular contributions to Sixty and Me (sixtyandme.com) and Boomer Cafe (boomercafe.com). Rosanne also is the author of the children’s picture book The Case of the Disappearing Kisses. She holds a Master’s degree in Journalism (MSJ) from Northwestern University’s famed Medill School of Journalism.

How Important Are Grammar Rules?

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How Important Are Grammar Rules?
If you’re writing a memoir, by definition you’re now a writer. For the first time since high school, you may be thinking about grammar. But is that really necessary?
My quick answer is that, yes, most of us could use a grammar refresher course. I found an audio course for $179 that you can take right from your computer on September 20. Click here to learn more. (We do not have any connection to that company; we neither receive a share of the profits nor have taken any courses there ourselves to recommend.)
This particular course aims to help you get rid of some bad writing habits like splitting infinitives, ending sentences with prepositions and using passive voice. Are those habits so evil? Not really. If anything, these rules are losing favor and become antiquated. But as a writer, you should be aware of them. You should recognize these “flaws” when you see them and limit them in your own writing. But I would not say you must eliminate them altogether. Take this sentence: “I want to always know where you’ll be.” While that demonstrates a split infinitive—always splits the infinitive to know—it’s probably the clearest and most efficient way of expressing that thought. However, it’s not the only way; there are lots of ways to say the same thing. Learning these rules will open your eyes to all of the options, and you can improve the impact of your writing if you avoid “breaking” these rules as much as possible.

If you’re writing a memoir, by definition you’re now a writer. For the first time since high school, you may be thinking about grammar. But is that really necessary?

My quick answer is that, yes, most of us could use a grammar refresher course. I found an audio course for $179 that you can take right from your computer on September 20. Click here to learn more. (We do not have any connection to that company; we neither receive a share of the profits nor have taken any courses there ourselves to recommend.)

This particular course aims to help you get rid of some bad writing habits like splitting infinitives, ending sentences with prepositions and using passive voice. Are those habits so evil? Not really. If anything, these rules are losing favor and become antiquated. But as a writer, you should be aware of them. You should recognize these “flaws” when you see them and limit them in your own writing. But I would not say you must eliminate them altogether. Take this sentence: “I want to always know where you’ll be.” While that demonstrates a split infinitive—always splits the infinitive to know—it’s probably the clearest and most efficient way of expressing that thought. However, it’s not the only way; there are lots of ways to say the same thing. Learning these rules will open your eyes to all of the options, and you can improve the impact of your writing if you avoid “breaking” these rules as much as possible.

Memoir as Mea Culpa

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Memoir as Mea Culpa
Lance Armstrong’s recent announcement that he will give up his medals rather than formally fight the doping allegations has me wondering whether we’ll see a Lance Armstrong memoir in the future. And if we do, will it be an attempt to exonerate himself by telling his side of the story? Or will it be a “mea culpa” apology and admission of lying?
We see both types of memoirs rolling off the presses. Certainly people use a memoir to try to gain sympathy and deny rumors. There are reports that former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky is currently writing a memoir from prison, presumably to claim he was falsely convicted of child molestation. However, Olympic runner Marion Jones admits doping and apologizes profusely in her memoir, On the Right Track. And in Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ’Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big, Jose Canseco finds a middle ground, detailing the use of steroids in major league baseball but offering more of an explanation than a true apology.
Most people who write an autobiography attempt to present themselves in a positive light. But some, like Jones, put all of the unflattering truth out there in a way to take accountability so they can start fresh. Perhaps your story falls into one of these categories. Whether you want to “get it off your chest” and accept blame for your worst actions, or you intend to defiantly deny accusations of wrongdoing, a memoir is a good place to start. Then people hear it “from the horse’s mouth.”
http://www.amazon.com/Right-Track-Downfall-Forgiveness-Strength/dp/B006W41A7U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346160767&sr=1-1&keywords=marion+jones+on+the+right+track
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Lance Armstrong’s recent announcement that he will give up his medals rather than formally fight the doping allegations has me wondering whether we’ll see a Lance Armstrong memoir in the future. And if we do, will it be an attempt to exonerate himself by telling his side of the story? Or will it be a “mea culpa” apology and admission of lying?

We see both types of memoirs rolling off the presses. Certainly people use a memoir to try to gain sympathy and deny rumors. There are reports that former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky is currently writing a memoir from prison, presumably to claim he was falsely convicted of child molestation. However, Olympic runner Marion Jones admits doping and apologizes profusely in her memoir, On the Right Track: From Olympic Downfall to Finding Forgiveness and the Strength to Overcome and Succeed. And in Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ’Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big, Jose Canseco finds a middle ground, detailing the use of steroids in major league baseball but offering more of an explanation than a true apology.

Most people who write an autobiography attempt to present themselves in a positive light. But some, like Jones, put all of the unflattering truth out there in a way to take accountability so they can start fresh. Perhaps your story falls into one of these categories. Whether you want to “get it off your chest” and accept blame for your worst actions, or you intend to defiantly deny accusations of wrongdoing, a memoir is a good place to start. Then people hear it “from the horse’s mouth.”

Writing Your Memoir Dedication

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When you signed up for Write My Memoirs and began filling out your “interview” questionnaire to create a time line to guide your writing, you probably noticed an optional space to insert your Dedication. If you publish your memoir—and we hope you do!—as with any other book, you may want to include a dedication.
Typically, the dedication expresses gratitude to one or more loved ones for helping with the book or just for being in your life. But don’t feel that you must be typical. You can dedicate your book to your cat, your computer or yourself if you like. I’ve gathered up a few links to websites that may give you some ideas:
A dedication trivia quiz. See how much you know about authors and their book dedications! And don’t feel bad if you don’t do well. Most of the questions are difficult.
Celebrity dedications. Deeming that the dedication “is arguably the most personal part of a story,” the Daily Beast’s Kara Cutruzzula offers some of the odder dedications in celebrity memoirs. Read how celebs ranging from Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Stewart to Anne Heche and both Mr. and Mrs. Ozzy Osbourne dedicate their autobiographies.
Blogger favorites. The author of a blog called “Wanton Creations” shares some favorite book dedications.
Choose your dedication type. A blogger at WordServeWaterCooler and lists seven categories of book dedication, with examples of each: loving; curious; striving; funny; touching; sentimental; and predictable.
Enjoy, and let us know how you’re deciding what to write in your memoir dedication!

When you signed up for Write My Memoirs and began filling out your “interview” questionnaire to create a time line to guide your writing, you probably noticed an optional space to insert your Dedication. If you publish your memoir—and we hope you do!—as with any other book, you may want to include a dedication.

Typically, the dedication expresses gratitude to one or more loved ones for helping with the book or just for being in your life. But don’t feel that you must be typical. You can dedicate your book to your cat, your computer or yourself if you like. I’ve gathered up a few links to websites that may give you some ideas:

  • A dedication trivia quiz. Take this quiz to see how much you know about authors and their book dedications! And don’t feel bad if you don’t do well. Most of the questions are difficult.
  • Celebrity dedications. Deeming that the dedication “is arguably the most personal part of a story,” the Daily Beast’s Kara Cutruzzula offers some of the odder dedications in celebrity memoirs. Read how celebs ranging from Arnold Schwarzenegger and John Stewart to Anne Heche and both Mr. and Mrs. Ozzy Osbourne dedicate their autobiographies.
  • Blogger favorites. The author of a blog called “Wanton Creations” shares some favorite book dedications.
  • Choose your dedication type. A blogger at WordServeWaterCooler lists seven categories of book dedication, with examples of each: loving; curious; striving; funny; touching; sentimental; and predictable.

Enjoy, and let us know how you’re deciding what to write in your memoir dedication!

Helen Gurly Brown’s Legacy: “Writer’s Rules”

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Helen Gurly Brown’s Legacy: “Writer’s Rules”
Helen Gurly Brown’s recent death brought back memories of how Sex and the Single Girl, the book that made her famous, resonated with single women and inspired Brown to start Cosmopolitan magazine. But it’s a lesser known work that Brown authored—The Writer’s Rules: The Power Of Positive Prose: How To Create It And Get It Published—that has a few lessons for our members here at Write My Memoirs.
If you would like to spend an interesting half hour, check out the video interview of Helen Gurly Brown on the PBS program, The Open Mind, in which she discusses her “writer’s rules.” Although the book has many more, in the interview Helen shares five rules:
1. Don’t use the same word more than once in a sentence or even in a paragraph.
2. Use “it” and “that” sparingly and never to start a sentence.
3. Vary your sentence structure. Don’t become monotonous with, “I worked in a factory. I assembled parts. I enjoyed my work. I had hobbies, too.”
4. Stick to the subject. Don’t force the reader to go back and figure out what you’re talking about.
5. Avoid cliches. It’s lazy to rely on old sayings instead of creatively coming up with your own ways of expressing thoughts.
During the interview, Helen encouraged everyone who wanted to write to just get started! Keep a journal, she advised. Write love letters. Email your friends to tell them what you’ve been doing. She reminds viewers that she was 40 when her first book was published.
“Writing is not a chore,” she says in the interview. “It doesn’t take self-discipline. It’s really kind of an indulgence to write about yourself, to write your thoughts, to write your dreams.” That’s exactly what we think here at Write My Memoirs!

Helen Gurly Brown’s recent death brought back memories of how Sex and the Single Girl, the book that made her famous, resonated with single women and inspired Brown to start Cosmopolitan magazine. But it’s a lesser known work that Brown authored—The Writer’s Rules: The Power Of Positive Prose: How To Create It And Get It Published—that has a few lessons for our members here at Write My Memoirs.

If you would like to spend an interesting half hour, check out the video interview of Helen Gurly Brown on the PBS program, The Open Mind, in which she discusses her “writer’s rules.” Although the book has many more, in the interview Helen shares five rules:

  1. Don’t use the same word more than once in a sentence or even in a paragraph.
  2. Use “it” and “that” sparingly and never to start a sentence.
  3. Vary your sentence structure. Don’t become monotonous with, “I worked in a factory. I assembled parts. I enjoyed my work. I had hobbies, too.”
  4. Stick to the subject. Don’t force the reader to go back and figure out what you’re talking about.
  5. Avoid cliches. It’s lazy to rely on old sayings instead of creatively coming up with your own ways of expressing thoughts.

During the interview, Helen encourages everyone who wants to write to just get started! Keep a journal, she advises. Write love letters. Email your friends to tell them what you’ve been doing. She reminds viewers that she was 40 when her first book was published.

“Writing is not a chore,” she says in the interview. “It doesn’t take self-discipline. It’s really kind of an indulgence to write about yourself, to write your thoughts, to write your dreams.” That’s exactly what we think here at Write My Memoirs!

Join—or Start!—a Memoirs Writing Group

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Join—or Start!—a Memoirs Writing Group
Many goals are easier to achieve in a group setting, where support and encouragement are built in. People join Weight Watchers, take exercise classes and go to AA meetings in order to pursue a goal—and the same strategy can apply to memoir writing. Hook up with other memoir writers, and you’ll find the inspiration and motivation you may be having trouble developing on your own.
First, check your local senior center, the most likely organization to hold a formal memoirs writing class or informal group meeting. Even if your age doesn’t qualify you as a senior, they’re unlikely to turn you away—and this tends to be either free or very affordable. Libraries are another good bet; click here for an account of a longstanding memoirs class held at the public library in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
If you can’t find a memoirs group in your area, how hard would it be to start one? According to Cathy Fulton, it’s not difficult at all. She did it and then wrote a book about it: Facilitating a Lifewriting Group is Easy. Fulton found that weekly, two-hour meetings work best, with most of the time devoted to having the members read their stories and the rest asking questions or providing positive feedback. A discussion about a topic of choice and a 10-minute break fill up the remainder of the time.
If you join or form a memoir writing group, please email us to let us know! If you would ever want one of us to speak at your meeting, we would be happy to do that for nothing more than the reimbursement of travel costs from our Chicago location.
http://olos.ala.org/columns/?p=31
http://www.capturingmemories.com/starting.html
http://www.capturingmemories.com/resources_capmem.html

Many goals are easier to achieve in a group setting, where support and encouragement are built in. People join Weight Watchers, take exercise classes and go to AA meetings in order to pursue a goal—and the same strategy can apply to memoir writing. Hook up with other memoir writers, and you’ll find the inspiration and motivation you may be having trouble developing on your own.

First, check your local senior center, the most likely organization to hold a formal memoirs writing class or informal group meeting. Even if your age doesn’t qualify you as a senior, they’re unlikely to turn you away—and this tends to be either free or very affordable. Libraries are another good bet; click here for an account of a longstanding memoirs class held at the public library in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

If you can’t find a memoirs group in your area, how hard would it be to start one? According to Cathy Fulton, it’s not difficult at all. She did it and then wrote a book about it: Facilitating a Lifewriting Group is Easy. Fulton found that weekly, two-hour meetings work best, with most of the time devoted to having the members read their stories and the rest asking questions or providing positive feedback. A discussion about a topic of choice and a 10-minute break fill up the remainder of the time.

If you join or form a memoir writing group, please email us to let us know! If you would ever want one of us to speak at your meeting, we would be happy to do that for nothing more than the reimbursement of travel costs from our Chicago location.

Video Lists Top Ten Rules of Writing

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Video Lists Top Ten Rules of Writing
This week’s WriteMyMemoirs blog post started out as a post to discuss the writing rules noted in a YouTube video called Top Ten Writing Rules From Famous Writers, which was posted last year by Lyra Communications. Instead, I’m on a rant! These are the ten rules listed:
10. Stephen King: Write a draft; then let it rest.
9. Stephen King: Read a lot.
8. George Orwell: Never use a long word when a short one will do.
7. George Orwell: Never use the passive voice when you can use the active voice.
6. Pierre Berton: Know your audience.
5. Pierre Berton: Recycle and read the good stuff before you write.
4. Andrew Morton: Honor the miraculousness of the ordinary.
3. Stephen King: Good copy = Draft minus 10%.
2. Bob Cooper: Look at every word in a sentence, decide if all are really needed and, if not, kill them; be ruthless.
1. Al Kennedy: Writing doesn’t love you; it doesn’t care. Nevertheless, it can behave with remarkable generosity. Speak well of it, encourage others, pass it on.
I suppose those ideas are worthy of discussion—although I’m not sure they’d be my top ten—but I’m finding that I’d rather critique the video itself than the rules. I have a lot of problems with this video. First, there seems to be a “famous writer” shortage. Wouldn’t you be more interested in ten rules from ten different writers? Here, only six writers supply all ten rules. I also question how well these writers meet the title’s definition of “famous.” King and Orwell are the only famous writers, and that Cooper guy was the narrator’s professor; I don’t think that credential qualifies him. Also, speaking of Cooper, I had to reword his writing tip to make it grammatically correct! For the #1 writing tip, which is really not a tip but a plea, the narrator refers to the author as a “he” when really the person actually is a woman. The communications lesson from this video is not what the company intended but, rather, to make sure your information is accurate and compelling before you post on YouTube.

This week’s WriteMyMemoirs blog post started out as a discussion of the writing rules noted in a YouTube video called Top Ten Writing Rules From Famous Writers, which was posted last year by Lyra Communications. Instead, I’m on a rant! These are the ten rules listed:

10. Stephen King: Write a draft; then let it rest.

9. Stephen King: Read a lot.

8. George Orwell: Never use a long word when a short one will do.

7. George Orwell: Never use the passive voice when you can use the active voice.

6. Pierre Berton: Know your audience.

5. Pierre Berton: Recycle and read the good stuff before you write.

4. Andrew Morton: Honor the miraculousness of the ordinary.

3. Stephen King: Good copy = Draft minus 10%.

2. Bob Cooper: Look at every word in a sentence, decide if all are really needed and, if not, kill them;  be ruthless.

1. Al Kennedy: Writing doesn’t love you; it doesn’t care. Nevertheless, it can behave with remarkable generosity. Speak well of it, encourage others, pass it on.

I suppose those ideas are worthy of discussion—although I’m not sure they’d be my top ten—but I’m finding that I’d rather critique the video itself than the rules. I have a lot of problems with this video. First, there seems to be a “famous writer” shortage. Wouldn’t you be more interested in ten rules from ten different authors? Here, only six writers supply all ten rules. I also question how well these writers meet the title’s definition of “famous.” King and Orwell are the only famous writers, and that Cooper guy was the narrator’s professor; I don’t think that credential qualifies him. Also, speaking of Cooper, I had to reword his writing tip to make it grammatically correct! For the #1 writing tip, which is really not a tip but a plea, the narrator refers to the author as a “he” when the person actually is a woman. The communications lesson from this video is not what the company intended but, rather, to make sure your information is accurate and compelling before you post on YouTube.

Top Memoirs for Summer 2012

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Top Memoirs for Summer 2012
I love this—“When you finish a memoir there’s a sense of satisfaction no novel can give: you’ve been let in on a truth about another person, living or alive.” That observation comes from Forbes blogger Meghan Casserly, who has declared this to be the Summer of the Memoir. Combining Meghan’s Top 10 memoirs for women released this year with the five favorite 2012 celebrity autobiographies listed by The Telegraph blogger Mark Sanderson, here are 15 memoirs worth a read during the remaining summer days:
Mimi Alford, Once Upon A Secret: My Affair With President John F Kennedy and its Aftermath, recalling a youthful, not altogether voluntary, affair.
Harry Belafonte, My Song: A Memoir of Art, Race and Defiance, for more than just “Banana Boat” fans.
Monique Colver, An Uncommon Friendship, tracing the effects her husband’s mental illness had on their marriage.
Maggie Fergusson, Michael Morpurgo: War Child to War Horse, which sounds like a biography rather than an autobiography but that’s only because she sees herself as a combination of six “selfs.”
Gabrielle Hamilton, Blood, Bones & Butter, a sort of food memoir from the owner of Prune, a restaurant in NYC.
Diane Keaton, Then Again, a self-analysis with the help of her mother’s journal.
Carole King, A Natural Woman, from the “Tapestry” folk-rock queen.
Madeleine Albright, Prague Winter, focusing on the former secretary of state’s early years.
Louise Krug, Louise Amended, chronicling the struggle to recover from a brain hemorrhage.
Ann Lamott, Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son, on ushering her son into fatherhood when he was just 19.
Terry Leahy, Management in 10 Words, part memoir and part business advice from the former CEO of Tesco.
Jane Lynch, Happy Accidents, a humor-driven account of the actress’s road to stardom.
Anna Quindlen, Lots of Candles & Plenty of Cake, the latest navel gaze from the prolific NYTimes columnist.
Billy Bob Thornton, The Billy Bob Tapes, as told to Kinky Friedman.
Mitch Winehouse, Amy, My Daughter, about the late British rocker.

We love this—“When you finish a memoir there’s a sense of satisfaction no novel can give: you’ve been let in on a truth about another person.” That observation comes from Forbes blogger Meghan Casserly, who has declared this to be the Summer of the Memoir. Combining Meghan’s Top 10 memoirs for women released this year with 10 of our own WriteMyMemoir picks, here are 20 new(ish) memoirs worth a turn of the page during the remaining summer days:

  • Mimi Alford, Once Upon A Secret: My Affair With President John F Kennedy and its Aftermath, recalling a youthful, not altogether voluntary, affair.
  • Harry Belafonte, My Song: A Memoir of Art, Race and Defiance, for more than just “Banana Boat” fans.
  • Gail Caldwell, Let’s Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship, a year or two old but an uplifting tale of devotion.
  • Monique Colver, An Uncommon Friendship, tracing the effects her husband’s mental illness had on their marriage.
  • Andre Dubus III, Townie, offering insight into the two polar societies in which the author grew up.
  • William Foege, House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox, explaining the author’s role in wiping out the dreaded disease.
  • Gabrielle Hamilton, Blood, Bones & Butter, a sort of food memoir from the owner of Prune, a restaurant in NYC.
  • Diane Keaton, Then Again, self-analysis with the help of her mother’s journal.
  • Carole King, A Natural Woman, from the “Tapestry” folk-rock queen.
  • Madeleine Albright, Prague Winter, focusing on the former secretary of state’s early years.
  • Louise Krug, Louise Amended, chronicling the struggle to recover from a brain hemorrhage.
  • Ann Lamott, Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son’s First Son, on ushering her son into fatherhood when he was just 19.
  • Jane Lynch, Happy Accidents, a humor-driven account of the actress’s road to stardom.
  • Garry Marshall, My Happy Days in Hollywood, the TV and film director’s account of his long career.
  • Caitlin Moran, How To Be A Woman, the British media personality’s look at her life through a modern-day feminist lens.
  • Sal Polisi and Steve Dougherty, The Sinatra Club: My Life Inside the New York Mafia, released just today, told by the mobster-turned-state’s-witness against John Gotti.
  • Anna Quindlen, Lots of Candles & Plenty of Cake, the latest navel gaze from the prolific NYTimes columnist.
  • Billy Bob Thornton, The Billy Bob Tapes, as told to Kinky Friedman.
  • Paul Wortman, Think Jung! How I Found Meaning in My Life, a self-published memoir by a guy whose letters frequently appear in the NYTimes.
  • Mitch Winehouse, Amy, My Daughter, about the late British rocker.

Yet More Tips on Getting Started on Your Writing

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Yet More Tips on Getting Started on Your Writing
When you sit down to start writing your memoir, that blank page sure does stare back harshly. Getting out that first paragraph—even that first sentence—trips up people to the point that some never return to the task. Don’t let that happen to you!
As a guest blogger on The Creative Penn, Eric Olsen, co-author of We Wanted To Be Writers, contributed his thoughts on how to get started writing a novel. He tells writers not to worry about writing your book from Page 1 right through to the end. You can start anywhere. In a way, your memoir is a type of nonfiction novel, and here at WriteMyMemoirs we frequently mention the same thing—just write something, even one anecdote, and then at least you’ve gotten started.
Olsen lists three ways of organizing your thoughts, and we’ll tweak them here to apply to a memoir:
1. Write scenes. Think of your life as a series of scenes, and start with the most important or, perhaps, the most vivid scenes from your life.
2. Write characters. Devote a chapter to your parents, siblings, spouse(s) and special friends. Explore what makes the person tick and how each one impacted your life.
3. Write dialogue. Like a novel, a memoir could be more interesting with some dialogue rather than all straight description. Instead of describing what happened in an interpersonal situation, let your “characters” speak for themselves. Try it!
You can always go back and piece together your work in whatever order you want—chronological or otherwise. Start writing!

When you sit down to start writing your memoir, that blank page sure does stare back harshly. Getting out that first paragraph—even that first sentence—trips up people to the point that some never return to the task. Don’t let that happen to you!

As a guest blogger on The Creative Penn, Eric Olsen, co-author of We Wanted To Be Writers, contributed his thoughts on how to get started writing a novel. He tells writers not to worry about writing your book from Page 1 right through to the end. You can start anywhere. In a way, your memoir is a type of nonfiction novel, and here at WriteMyMemoirs we frequently mention the same thing—just write something, even one anecdote, and then at least you’ve gotten started.

Olsen lists three ways of organizing your thoughts, and we’ll tweak them here to apply to a memoir:

  1. Write scenes. Think of your life as a series of scenes, and start with the most important or, perhaps, the most vivid scenes from your life.
  2. Write characters. Devote a chapter to your parents, siblings, spouse(s) and special friends. Explore what makes the person tick and how each one impacted your life.
  3. Write dialogue. Like a novel, a memoir could be more interesting with some dialogue rather than all straight description. Instead of describing what happened in an interpersonal situation, let your “characters” speak for themselves. Try it!

You can always go back and piece together your work in whatever order you want—chronological or otherwise. Start writing!

Add Yourself to the Bombeck/Ephron/Quindlen List of Women Essayists

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Memoir as a Collection of Essays
I was a big fan of Nora Ephron, who died last month after carving a niche for women writers who share witty observations of modern times. While the late Erma Bombeck did much the same but focused on homemaking, Ephron added the workplace. I first discovered Nora through her book of essays, Crazy Salad, and last year read her latest, I Remember Nothing, which was an actual book rather than a collection of essays. But the sum of her essays alone gave the reader a good picture of her life story.
The heir to the female essayist throne is Anna Quindlen who, like her predecessors, shares views about normal home and work life through the eyes of a woman. Quindlen’s latest entry, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, covers a pivotal moment in time of the author’s life as she leaves her 50s to enter her 60s. Her chapters cover the different categories of things that tend to evolve at that stage of life, like appearance, faith and confidence.
Many people who do not write professionally but would like to pen a memoir have a tough time organizing it and creating transitions between chapters. If that describes you, try structuring your autobiography as a collection of essays. Write just one essay about a time period, a person, a location or an idea that made an impact on your life. Then write another one. When you put these essays together, each can become a chapter of your book without the necessity of tying them together.
http://www.amazon.com/Lots-Candles-Plenty-Cake-Quindlen/dp/1400069343/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341935885&sr=1-1&keywords=quindlen+lots+of+candles

I was a big fan of Nora Ephron, who died last month after carving a niche for women writers who share witty observations of modern times. While the late Erma Bombeck did much the same but focused on homemaking, Ephron added the workplace. I first discovered Nora through her book of essays, Crazy Salad, and last year read her latest, I Remember Nothing, which was an actual book rather than a collection of essays. But the sum of her essays alone gave the reader a good picture of her life story.

The heir to the female essayist throne is Anna Quindlen who, like her predecessors, shares views about normal home and work life through the eyes of a woman. Quindlen’s latest entry, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, covers a pivotal moment in time of the author’s life as she leaves her 50s to enter her 60s. Her chapters cover the different categories of things that tend to evolve at that stage of life, like appearance, faith and confidence.

Many people who do not write professionally but would like to pen a memoir have a tough time organizing it and creating transitions between chapters. If that describes you, try structuring your autobiography as a collection of essays. Write just one essay about a time period, a person, a location or an idea that made an impact on your life. Then write another one. When you put these essays together, each can become a chapter of your book without the necessity of tying them together.

Get Your Customized Memoir Publishing Here!

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Get Your Customized Memoir Publishing Here!
Memoirs are like snowflakes! The longer we’re in the memoirs business, the more we see that no two memoirs are exactly alike. Every author approaches an autobiography a little differently. Variations include the organization, number of photographs and length of chapters. Still, when we publish memoirs, we see many similarities as well, such as:
1. The writing is generally very good. People who want to see their work in an actual book tend to have someone who’s skilled at language read it over first for grammatical errors. This is a great idea!
2. Early life, marriage/family, work, military service and retirement tend to be typical chapters, which is why we suggest those categories in our online structure.
3. Most people include at least a few photographs. Visuals help the author to remember details, and they help the reader to picture the people and action described.
4. The memoirs convey a sense of satisfaction. Our memoir writers tend to be pleased with their lives. In many ways their lives are ordinary, but the authors feel happy to have lived them.
Then there’s the more detailed work involved in publishing, such as the font, the placement of photographs and the cover layout. Sometimes the author has a clear vision, while other times we help our authors with those types of decisions. At WriteMyMemoirs, we enjoy working with authors to get their life stories into print. Although our standard soft-cover book suits most tastes, we can create any book you want.

Memoirs are like snowflakes! The longer we’re in the memoirs business, the more we see that no two memoirs are exactly alike. Every author approaches an autobiography a little differently. Variations include the organization, number of photographs and length of chapters. Still, when we publish memoirs, we see many similarities as well, such as:

  1. The writing is generally very good. People who want to see their work in an actual book tend to have someone who’s skilled at language read it over first for grammatical errors. This is a great idea!
  2. Early life, marriage/family, work, military service and retirement tend to be typical chapters, which is why we suggest those categories in our online structure.
  3. Most people include at least a few photographs. Visuals help the author to remember details, and they help the reader to picture the people and action described.
  4. The memoirs convey a sense of satisfaction. Our memoir writers tend to be pleased with their lives. In many ways their lives are ordinary, but the authors feel happy to have lived them.

Then there’s the more detailed work involved in publishing, such as the font, the placement of photographs and the cover layout. Sometimes the author has a clear vision, while other times we help our authors with those types of decisions. At WriteMyMemoirs, we enjoy working with authors to get their life stories into print. Although our standard soft-cover book suits most tastes, we can create any book you want.

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Then just set up a chapter and start writing your memoir. Don’t worry about rules. There are no rules to writing your memoir; there are only trends. These trends are based on techniques and features identified in current top-selling memoirs. At best, they’re the flavor of the month. If you’re capturing your life in print for your family, for your own gratification or to inspire readers, rather than aiming to set off Hollywood screenplay bidding wars, these trends don’t even apply to you. You’ll write the memoir that suits you best, and it will be timeless, not trend-driven.There are no rules, but there are four steps:

1. Theme/framework
2. Writing
3. Editing/polishing
4. Self-publishing

You’ve researched this, too, and you’ve been shocked at the price for getting help with any one of those steps, much less all four. That’s because most memoir sites promise to commercialize your work. They’ll follow a formula based on current memoir trends, because they want to convince you that they can turn your memoir into a best-seller. These sites overwhelm you with unnecessary information not to help you, the memoir author, but to address Search Engine Optimization (SEO) algorithms so they can sell more.

That’s not what we do at Write My Memoirs. Our small community of coaches, writers and editors are every bit as skilled as any you’ll find, and we charge appropriately for their expertise and the time they’ll spend helping you craft a compelling, enjoyable read. But you won’t pay an upcharge for other websites’ commercialization, the marketing that follows, and the pages of intimidating “advice.” You can sell your book if you like—we have ISBNs available for you—but our organic process of capturing your story takes a noncommercial path.

If you want help with any or all of the four steps above, choose from our services or save money by selecting one of our packages. If you’d like to talk about what’s right for you, schedule a call. One year from now, you can be holding your published memoir in your hand. And at that point, it will be a big deal!

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