We are experiencing issues with our Contact form.
Please Email Us Directly at: Su*****@************rs.com.

Every ordinary life story is extraordinary!

PLEASE NOTE:

oUR CONTACT US Form HAD A MALFUNCTION.
IF YOU HAVEN’T RECEIVED A REPLY, PLEASE FILL IT OUT AGAIN OR WRITE US DIRECTLY.

Every ordinary life story is extraordinary!

Pertinent internet site

War Memoirs May Skew Details

by

A fellow blogger lists nine topics he finds that authors exclude form their war memoirs. I won’t repeat the topics here; click through to his blog On Violence if you’re curious. But I will take issue with his claim that writers who avoid topics they think readers may find unpleasant or boring compromise the integrity of their book.

I distinguish between “the truth??? and “the whole truth.??? I don’t think that you, as the writer of the story that by definition you own, are obligated to mention every last detail of what’s going on in the setting of that story. Number five on the blogger’s list is civilian deaths. “An honest memoir,??? the blogger writes, “will deal with this messy truth about any war.??? I disagree. If you’re writing a non-fiction account of the war, then I believe you should include the facts surrounding civilian deaths. But in your memoir? The war is just one more player in your story. You can write about as much or as little of it as you like, even if it becomes such a main character that you’re really writing a war memoir.

I am all for rich detail in a memoir. But the On Violence blogger calls his nine points a litmus test that must be passed for him to respect a war memoir. While I support writing only the truth in your autobiography, I  disagree that you must include the whole truth for your story to be compelling.

Another Website Offers a “Memoirs??? Type of Catharsis

by

Writing your memoirs can be a way to give yourself closure regarding an episode in your life and finally get something “off your chest.??? When you do, are you directing any of that explanation to a specific person?

Yesterday, a column by Barbara Brotman in my hometown’s Chicago Tribune alerted readers to wouldhavesaid.com, a website that invites everyone to post anything they want to put out there, really. Some contributors write to someone who has died, to someone with whom they’ve lost contact or even to themselves or their “younger selves???; others express a thought they cannot bring themselves to say face-to-face to someone; still others write something they wish the world in general to know.

The contributors say that putting their long-held sentiments into words feels cathartic. As you write your memoirs, you may experience a similar catharsis when you picture various people reading your words. Perhaps you’ll express your regret about something you said or did, or you’ll want someone to see how life turned out for you. The writing process itself may bring you all sorts of surprises, relief and, of course, a sense of accomplishment. What I love about setting a goal to write your memoirs is that the benefit comes not only from the wonderful product you’ll have for your friends and relatives, but also from the process of remembering your life and recording it precisely as you want to present it. It just feels so good.

Daughters Persuade a Dad to Write His Memoirs

by

While at some point many of us think about writing our memoirs, fewer actually commit to it. I wonder whether a little coaxing from family members is what makes the difference between just thinking about it and actually writing our life story.

Recently I came across a blog called “My Dad’s Memoirs,??? posted nearly three years ago by the daughters of an aging father. The preface begins: “From time to time since my retirement in 1977 (at the age of 60 years) it has been suggested to me by family and friends that I might commit to paper some of the stories of my life. This I have now decided to do, so that my grandchildren, at least, may be given an insight into a few of the many interesting experiences which have come my way over the years.???

The writer, a Scottish gentleman, proceeds to write 15 chapters detailing his early life and his war experiences before wrapping up with some more current tales. He skips much of what came in between; it’s not necessary to write parts of your life you find uninteresting or don’t care to share with readers. In this case, the author stuck to those memories that provided enjoyment in the process of retelling. I think that’s valid. If you’ve had a rocky marriage, a distasteful job or a difficult illness, for example, you can write a memoir that simply omits the unpleasant chapters of your life. Write about whatever you want. This is your story to tell, no one else’s.

Google Can Be a Resource for Memoir Writers

by

In a blog last month, I suggested various websites to help you in any research you need to support your memoirs and check facts against your memory. Along those lines, I’d like to refer you to an article by Simon Mackie on webworkerdaily.com that offers tips on using Google for easy research. For memoir writers, A very relevant suggestion from this article is to use Google to research a specific topic within a time frame. “Say, for example, you want to look for information about Olympic events that took place in the 1950s,??? Mackie writes. “You could use this search: Olympics 1950..1960.???

I use many of Mackie’s “top ten??? myself. One way I constantly use Google is to check spelling. Start inserting a word or name, and it will finish what you’ve started and suggest topics with that term—spelled correctly. It’s so quick! I look for phone numbers by putting in the name of the company or person with the area code, and Google finishes the number for me. Currency conversions and finding out what time it is anywhere in the world are other handy Google applications.

This article points out that Google has a calculator, which I didn’t know. Just type in your math problem and push enter, and your answer will appear. If you find more ways to use Google and other common websites as you write your life story, we’d appreciate your sharing your insights with all the members of WriteMyMemoirs. Just reply to the blog right here!

Fellow Blogger Challenges People to Read Memoirs This Year

by

Reading other people’s memoirs is a great way to get acquainted with the autobiography genre. Frequently here on our blog, I encourage all of you considering, or already in the process of, writing your memoirs to pick up autobiographies written both recently and long ago. Now another blogger has set forth a challenge to read at least four memoirs in 2010. She writes for her own site, The Betty and Boo Chronicles.

To participate, all you have to do is sign up with the site and list the book(s) you’re reading. You can start by going either to the first link above or click here to access a follow-up entry. The blogger, Melissa, says she purposely set the bar low—four memoirs is not burdensome—so that people could easily join the challenge.

Melissa writes: “I’m so thrilled by all the enthusiasm for The Memorable Memoir Reading Challenge! Thank you all for joining. I had no idea what to expect from my first hosted challenge, and I have to say, this is a lot of fun. I’m adding so many great-sounding memoirs to my want-to-read list and discovering a bunch of new (to me) blogs. Hopefully you’re doing the same and liking what you’re finding here.???

Login

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!

Schedule A Call