Memoir Success Over the years, I have worked with many writers to help them create and shape their memoirs. It’s my pleasure to bring to your attention once again the success of one such writer: Peggy Kennedy from San Ramon, California, for whom I had the pleasure of providing coaching and editing help that led […]

Memoir Success

Over the years, I have worked with many writers to help them create and shape their memoirs. It’s my pleasure to bring to your attention once again the success of one such writer: Peggy Kennedy from San Ramon, California, for whom I had the pleasure of providing coaching and editing help that led to her memoir success

Many readers of this blog have been writing for a while and some are despairing of finishing. There is hope. After a number of years of preparation, Peggy Kennedy’s memoir of growing up in a family with a mentally-ill mother, Approaching Neverland, saw print. (Ordering information at bottom.)

While the information below is from over a decade ago, I believe this memoir success story is dateless. Approaching Neverland did well—and so can you. A review in the magazine the Midwest Book Review gave it five stars. Originally fearful of speaking before an audience, she was a guest on a number of radio and television programs.

Keynote speaking

“For the 100th anniversary of the mental health movement in 2009, she was asked to be the keynote speaker at an annual mental health conference in Boca Raton in September. Her presentation was on what it was like to grow up with a mentally-ill mother.

“I’m very excited,” she wrote, “by the response to the book and am enjoying this new marketing challenge! It feels like a memoir success.

“I have to admit there were times that I wondered if this day would ever come! Thanks again for all your support for the book, Denis.”

Readers can order Approaching Neverland from Amazon.com or or they can go to Peggy’s website (DL: the site also contains many family photos.)

Action Steps for Memoir Success

This is an exercise to help those of you who have put your writing aside and still hope for memoir success.

1. Reread your manuscript as a stranger might. (Play a role if you have to! “Let’s see what do we have here? I wonder if it’s any good?”) Take notes about what moves you and what doesn’t.

2. Take the portion (s) that still moves you and start reworking your story from there. You’re on your way to memoir success.

3. Write for one hour today and then set up a time when you will write tomorrow. (Tomorrow, set up a time when you will write the next day. You get the idea!)

4. Remember: Inch by inch, it’s a cinch; yard by yard, it’s hard.”