A narrator problem can ruin a memoir.

A narrator problem can ruin a memoir. In 1996 and 1997, I composed about 200 pages of a memoir about my high school years and then could not continue. It was blocked; I was blocked. As a result, I stored the manuscript in various computers for all the while since then.

After having completed my mother’s memoir (We Were Not Spoiled), I was looking for a personal writing project I might devote myself to. The high school memoir was always in the back of my mind—had been for years. As I picked it up to peruse it, completing it seemed the next project. It is what I am working on now. (more…)

What to Do When There Are No Photos

The Memory List that you completed when you first began writing your memoir is integral to the writing process. The Memory List will suggest topics to write about, but what follows is additional tips you can use when you don’t have the photos. (more…)

Today, technology, better distribution and a growing interest in reclaiming regional identity makes publishing a memoir the right way a viable option for many authors who want their books to reach a wider circle than their immediate family and friends. It is not true that your book is not worthy to be read unless it has been purchased by a New York corporate publishing house. Self-publishing has many benefits, not the least of which are that you can control production decisions and can recoup your expenses.

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Journal Keeping Benefits

When keeping a journal—regular (even daily), some people feel a release of energy they don’t have in other writing forms. Because of that, journal keeping can be an important developmental experience for you both as a person and as a writer. Because the journal is private by definition, you can write in it without fear of how an audience might react. No one will ever see it. Not ever—unless you want them to!

Your journal is a kind of writing laboratory. Scientists use a laboratory to conduct experiments. They check what results from adding this to that, from changing relationships and quantities and sequences. Sometimes when the results are interesting and prove worth pursuing, they continue conducting experiments in similar areas, pairing these findings with those from other experiments.

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Who is writing your Memoir?

This may sound like a trick question but it’s not. In fact, it is a very serious question that will determine—or at least greatly influence—the tone and the theme of your narrative.

“But, I’m writing my memoirs! I’m the narrator,” you might answer. Yes, of course. You! But, which you? (more…)

Memoir writer ask, “How can I write more efficiently?”

In a previous post, I had developed the concept of writing on a deadline. In this post I will stay with the concept of writing close to the finish.

Yes, writing is a process but…

While I continue to believe that writing ought to be open-ended and that you ought to remain in the process of discovering your theme and subject rather than opt for a too-quick closure (“This is what my story means”), I also believe in something that is a bit contradictory to this.

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Is it possible to write more efficiently?

Too many writers (I have been among them) allow the book-writing process to go on and on. We lack efficiency which is a practice and, like all practices, it is possible to learn to write more efficiently. There are many ways to learn to write more efficiently but I want to propose only one way here.

As we probably all have done, we can clean a living space up rather well in a few hours if we learn that we have unexpected company arriving soon. It’s not the best clean up we’ve ever done, but it also didn’t take a week of clearing our schedules and doing nothing else.

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Finishing a memoir is not easy. Over the years, I’ve noticed that a lot of people who seek us out at The Memoir Network are not beginners at memoir writing. Many have already composed 5, 10, 15 or more stories or vignettes. These writers have been working on their memoir for a significant length of time but they are spinning their wheels. They are not moving forward and seem to have gotten off what once seemed like a clear path to finishing their memoirs. They are writing a few stand-alone pieces, which is not a bad goal to have really, (more…)

Again this week I’m offering something a little different — this post offers you a link to a podcast. Kansas City-based Amy Woods Butler speaks to Denis Ledoux of the Memoir Network on How to Grow Business as a Memoir Professional. Click here to listen. “Denis started as a writer of autobiographical fictional. When he shared his stories with audiences, it struck a chord, and the Turning Memories into Memoirs workshop was born…” (more…)

Solving A Narrator Problem

By Denis Ledoux

A narrator problem can ruin a memoir. I had put off completing the book because I could not resolve its thematic challenge—ultimately a narrator problem. (more…)

When You Must Have The Photos You Don’t Have/How To Journal Without The Photos, Part II

By The Memoir Network Staff

The Memory List will suggest topics to write about, but what follows is additional tips you can use when you don’t have the photos. (more…)

Publishing A Memoir the Right Way

By Denis Ledoux

Technological, better distribution systems and a growing interest in reclaiming identity makes self-publishing a memoir the right way a viable option for many authors who want their books to reach a wider circle than their immediate family and friends. It is not true that your book is not worthy to be read unless it has […]

3 Benefits of Keeping a Journal

By Denis Ledoux

Keeping a journal can be a useful tool when you are writing your memoir. When keeping a regular journal, some people feel a release of energy they don’t have in other writing forms. (more…)

A Narrator Issue: Who is Writing Your Memoir?

By Denis Ledoux

Who is writing your memoir? This may sound like a trick question but it’s not. In fact, it is a very serious question that will determine—or at least greatly influence—the tone and the theme of your narrative. “But, I’m writing my memoirs!” you might answer. Yes, of course. You! But, which you? We’ve all had […]

How to Write More Efficiently #2

By Denis Ledoux

In a previous post, I had developed the concept of writing on a deadline. In this post I will stay with the concept of writing close to the finish. (more…)

The Memoir Network Ghostwriting Services

How to Write More Efficiently #1

By Denis Ledoux

Is it possible to write more efficiently? Too many writers (I have been among them) allow the book-writing process to go on and on. We lack efficiency which is a practice and, like all practices, it is possible to learn to write more efficiently. There are many ways to learn to write more efficiently but […]

Finishing a Memoir—How Do People Get Snagged?

By Denis Ledoux

Many people who seek us out at The Memoir Network are not beginners at memoir writing. Many have already composed 5, 10, 15 or more stories or vignettes. They have been working on their memoir for a significant length of time but they are spinning their wheels. They are not moving forward and seem to […]