Have you ever asked, “Who cares about my memoir?” Certainly, a lot of people have!

A perennial, and perhaps inherent, challenge every memoir writer faces is that of audience. Specifically, every writer is saddled with the incapacitating doubt that there is an audience for his/her memoir.

“Who will want to read my memoir? Who cares about my memoir?” asked enough times can bring your writing to a halt.

Of course, it’s a good question. Who will want to read about someone else’s life or even—horrors!—MY life.

“But,” you gasp, “isn’t that what a memoir is—the story of my life? What’s the point of writing if no one is interested?”
(more…)

Today is the centennial anniversary of my mother’s birth. Her life offers a typical Franco-American story. Lucille Verreault Ledoux was born on July 21, 1921. She lived until May 5, 2015—just shy of 94 years. I have written extensively about her life both here on the blog and in the memoir we wrote together, We Were Not Spoiled / A Franco-American Memoir. This Franco-American story chronicles a life that is typical of many Francos of her generation and, as such, is an important addition to our understanding of Maine’s ethnically diverse communities of the past century. This is a lifestory (more…)

Dialog is important in a memoir because it allows us to “hear” the subject, but using dialog is also fraught with problems. It can throw your memoir off. Pitfalls of using dialog in a memoir Essentially, most writers use dialog that is too long. A memoir, of course, is a remembered story. When the writer uses lengthy dialog in a memoir, s/he stretches credulity. The reader questions whether the writer is actually making the dialog up—how can the writer who is now 60 possibly remember such lengthy dialogue of three or four paragraphs with such precision from the time s/he (more…)

Editor: This post on how I Iearned to support myself in the creative life by deciding to publish a book first appeared in February 2014 at a time when covid as not part of our lives. It advocates marketing that I undertook in pre-covid days but which I believe will soon be available and viable again.

I believe that implicit in every publication is access to an audience. Whether you hope to support yourself or to merely attract a more substantial audience, this post—written about a time half a life ago—has something for you.

—

“Is it possible to find readers who will support me in the creative life?” I wanted to know.

One day on 1988, I stood in front of a door, on the other side of which was a group of Foster Grandparents. I had in hand a copy of my book of autobiographical short stories, What Became of Them and Other Stories from Franco-America, which my wife Martha Blowen and I had published through my brand-new imprint, Soleil Press. Soleil means sun in French and Martha who was a paper maker called her studio Moon Papers. So Soleil Press and Moon Papers seemed to us a great combo for a couple (hovering on both sides of 40) who were seeking to live a creative life. (more…)

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. (more…)

Writing a biography poses specific challenges and research problems that are sometimes parallel to, but in the end quite different from, those involved in memoir and historical fiction. The start of this project My work on what became First Franco: Albert Beliveau in Law, Politics and Love began more than four years before publication, when I had preliminary discussions with Albert Beliveau’s son, Severin, about a long-dormant project began a generation earlier by a scholar then at the University of Maine, Barry Rodrigue. His manuscript dealt primarily with family genealogy and ethnography of the Franco-Americans in Maine, especially family origins (more…)

Here in Maine—at least in my part—we had 12+ inches of snow overnight. So, we are in for a white Christmas!The days are short now—how can it be so dark at 4 PM!—but the reversal has begun. The darkness reminds us of the holidays we celebrate at this time of year. These holidays are inspired by the winter solstice which was just a few days ago. After the solstice (in Latin, sol = sun and stice = standing [still]), there is a turn in the sun’s migration, a reversal in its descent in the sky. Then, the days begin to lengthen (more…)

1. Determine where your audience resides online.

(more…)

Promoting books online is one of the most stressful tasks for authors. At its core, it’s about informing people why they should buy your book, and giving them an easy way to do so. When put that way, online memoir promotion doesn’t sound so scary. As with anything else, the complexity is in the details. If you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all there is to do, take a breath and focus on the following fundamental steps of advertising a book online.

1. Determine where your audience resides online.

(more…)

DL— Stories about immigration and citizenship form the backbone of our great American story as much today as in past times. My ancestors were among the millions who came here in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here is an excerpt about becoming an American from We Were Not Spoiled, the memoir of my mother Lucille Verreault Ledoux as told to me. For many more excerpts of my mother’s life, click here.

Joseph Verreault

My father had not come to the US to stay, but that’s what happened. After working here for a number of years first to support himself and then his growing family and eventually buying an apartment building that was his family’s home, it must have seemed obvious to him that this is where he would spend the rest of his life. So, why not give in to becoming an American citizen? Thinking this way, he was able to make the decision be an easy one. He was a practical man with a lot of responsibilities.

Becoming An American

(more…)

Who Cares About My Memoir?

By Denis Ledoux

Have you ever asked, “Who cares about my memoir?” A perennial, and perhaps inherent, challenge every memoir writer faces is that of audience. Specifically, every writer is saddled with the incapacitating doubt that there is an audience for his/her memoir. (more…)

100 years: July 21, 1921 to July 21, 2021

By Denis Ledoux

Dialog in a memoir: “So what did you say?”

By Denis Ledoux

Dialog is important in a memoir because it allows us to “hear” the subject, but using dialog is also fraught with problems. It can throw your memoir off. Pitfalls of using dialogue in a memoir Essentially, most writers use dialog that is too long. A memoir, of course, is a remembered story. When the writer […]

How I Launched Myself Publicly in the Creative Life: I Publish a Book

By Denis Ledoux

“Is it possible to support myself in the creative life?” you ask.One day in 1988, I stood in front of a door, on the other side of which was a group of Foster Grandparents. I had in hand a copy of my recent collection of autobiographical short stories What Became of Them and Other Stories […]

Memoir Success: Approaching Neverland

By Denis Ledoux

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 […]