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July 4

July 4: A Day in Your American Life

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Fireworks display

How Independence Day might fit into a memoir.

As you write your memoir, you’re probably basing the stories you choose partly on how relatable they will be to readers. The reader may see similarities or stark differences between their own memories of, say, Christmas morning and the scene under the tree that you describe but, either way, the universality of the day keeps readers interested. This time of year takes me back to all the July 4 celebrations I’ve experienced, especially watching fireworks along the Susquehanna River in my childhood and by Lake Michigan with my own kids. For those of you in the U.S., July 4 has likely been a significant day in your American life—possibly important enough to fit Independence Day into your memoir.

How can you do that organically? Several ways.

  • The holiday exemplifies a theme of your memoir. Maybe your childhood was less than happy, and July 4 can illustrate that. Other kids went to fireworks displays, lit sparklers in their backyard with siblings or traveled to spend the long weekend with their cousins. But your July 4 tended to be like any other day, with your dad drunk on the couch and your mom out somewhere. Choosing a holiday to explain that gives you a whole story to describe, with dialog and vivid depiction, rather than simply telling the reader the reasons you think you’re the product of bad parenting.
  • The date stands out as unusual in your life. If July 4 did not tend to resemble every other day, how was it different? Maybe you hosted or attended a big annual barbecue, and it was the one day you felt like an ordinary American family. Or you loved fireworks and went down to the water/out to a field and waited for the spectacular light show to begin.
  • Something pivotal happened. If a notable event during your life actually happened on Independence Day, use the familiarity of the holiday to build suspense by describing the whole day for the reader.
  • The holiday can serve as an example of change. If you overcame tough conditions to give yourself a better life as an adult, perhaps July 4 can illustrate the changes. Describe the way your children experienced the holiday compared with the way you did, or just find a place in your narrative to recall what July 4 was like earlier in your life.
  • July 4 is part of a summer of note. Maybe the holiday itself wasn’t remarkable, but the summer you got your driver’s license or got married or changed jobs or whatever happened turned out to be an important point in your memoir. Again because July 4 is relatable, it may be a good idea to incorporate the holiday into your description of that summer.

This particular July 4, of course, is a special birthday for the United States, marking 250 years since the 1776 Declaration of Independence. So it may be a moment in time that many people remember. Whether you include it in your memoir or not, have a great July 4.

July 4 Fireworks Can Reignite Your Memoir Writing Process

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Summertime brings a change of routine. If you have children or help to take care of grandchildren, you may find yourself spending extra hours with the kids. Whether you’re still working or not, you probably are scheduling some travel. Your priorities may shift to afford you more time to enjoy the warm outdoors. In the midst of all that, sitting down to write your memoir may fade into the background. Once you lose momentum, it can be difficult to get started again.

Then comes along Independence Day. It’s not one of those Monday holidays that began replacing special dates a few decades ago; it’s always on July 4, no matter when in the week that falls. And that’s not the only way it’s the same celebration as it’s always been for people living in the United States. Just as they did when we were growing up, communities sponsor all sorts of activities, from picnics and 5K runs to fairs and music, typically capping off the day with a fireworks display immediately after dark. Attending these events now, we’re reminded of the many Independence Days that preceded this July 4. We were children along a riverfront, teens at a beach or young parents with our own kids lying on our backs on a blanket in a park, staring straight up at the bursting, colorful shapes lighting up the sky.

Take all of those memories and follow them wherever they may lead you. Perhaps the next day you went back to a fun camp, a tough summer school course or the first job you ever had. You could have been celebrating from afar as you served in the military abroad or toured some exotic city on another continent. Or maybe the memory is bittersweet—the last July 4 fireworks that you enjoyed with a now deceased parent or friend.

Memoir authors often ask us how to trigger memories and how to choose the stories from their life to include in the memoir. Using something like July 4 as a starting point, you may be able to daydream and reminisce your way back to a selection of life episodes that will guide you through a few or more chapters. Happy 4th from Write My Memoirs!

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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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