Martha Blowen, my partner in life and in work, died on August 18, 2008, from metastasized breast cancer. The following is from collated excerpts of journals we both kept at the time. (Before she passed away, she gave me permission to share her entries.) The memoir is called My Eye Fell Into the Soup, after a dream in which one of her eyes fell into a cauldron. She later interpreted this to mean she was not paying attention to her health. (This is written about elsewhere.) As with most people, I suppose, the cancer diagnosis was a shock. The italicized (more…)

Your relationship to memoir story time

Writers often jumble the use of time in the memoir. The time in which the story unfolds is considered to be the present of the story—often called the “historical present.”

When I write, “She ran into the woods,” the run occurs in the present of the narration—that is the memoir story time. While I have used the past tense (ran), the reader sees the woman running in the mind’s present. We call that the “historical present.”

The reader is always mentally in the present of the story. Following is a line from a text I edited recently. The present of the text is in the spring of the year while the move mentioned in the story was sometime in the past of the story present. That is, it occurred some time previous to what we consider the story present [the historical present].

This is the line the editing client had written, “…a couple of months after I moved into my new apartment…” (more…)

Below, I share two ideas about how to use time wisely to write your memoir. Time has many permutations and I would like to take you on a coaching journey. We’ll make a couple of stops to help you hone your ability to use time wisely. I hope you enjoy reading these ideas and let them inform your writing. 1. My first stop is with clock time and how we relate to that. Writing requires a commitment of time. Have you wondered what distinguishes one writer who perseveres and completes a memoir from one who does not? I have worked (more…)

This is an excerpt from my unpublished book, Here to Stay, which is the story of my patrilineal and matrilineal seventeenth-century ancestors. For more excerpts, click here. September 22, 1665 As was the custom in the colony, the wedding was set for a date soon after the contract signing. These were exceptional times. Winter was just three months away, and if Barthélémi and Marthe were to survive the long, cold months at the new farm in Chateau-Richer, there was much to be done. Until she was married, Marthe would remain with her host family, the Marsolets, separated from the work (more…)

We thought you might enjoy brushing up on your grammar. Here’s a little fun post on “good grammar” to brighten your day. This list has been making its way around the internet, and we thought it was enough of a new twist on grammar that it would make your high school English teacher’s hair stand on end. (I can’t vouch that it’s all good grammar!) New Rules like you never knowed Verbs has to agree with their subjects. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with. And don’t start a sentence with a conjunction. It is wrong to ever split (more…)

Eight Reasons to Share the Inner You Our lives are composed not only of facts and dates but also of dreams, expectations–realized or denied—and hopes. You are not alone in having lived an inner life. Others too have experienced much of what you felt and dreamed for yourself and are likely to identify with some, or even much, of what you say. You are more likely to attract praise rather than scorn for sharing your inner life. You’ll derive several benefits when you share the inner you. 1) If there is a place where you can say, “This is who (more…)

Have you wondered why even writers of the highest caliber need a top memoir editor?

Is memoir editing really important?

Following are reasons even the Hemingways, the Kerouacs, and the Woolfs need editors. As you (and they) write day after day, over the months and years it takes to complete a manuscript, some of the pitfalls we all become prey to include any three of the following:

becoming attached to your prose. Often, we are enamored of particular scenes and go from tolerating their extraneous quality to feeling comfortable with the fact that they do not contribute to your memoir. Aren’t they so well-written and such good memories! In our self-editing, we become indulgent and leave the “little darlings” in. Many writing workshops justly talk about “killing your little darlings”—that is, editing them out. When you work with The Memoir Network, rest assured your editor will kindly put your “little darlings” to their deserved rest! You deserve no less from a top memoir editor.

(more…)

It’s time to commit to creating an effective writing schedule.

You’ve already taken several steps in lifewriting. You have begun to write your stories and memories. Perhaps the summer got in the way of your perseverance or perhaps it was something else—an illness, a temporary job, travel. Now you need to recommit to memoir writing by creating an effective writing schedule for yourself.

Rather than think in the general terms of “I’ll write as much as I can” (who are we kidding here!), base your writing schedule on a specific time or a page quota.

1) Decide how much time per week you want (or have) to devote to writing schedule.

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Word Redundancies Practitioners in every endeavor or field have tools that are specific to accomplishing their work. These people use tools with discrimination and, one hopes, effectiveness. A carpenter uses a ball peen hammer and a claw hammer and a club hammer. Each is different and each has a different use. While a carpenter might on occasion, perhaps to save the time to fetch a tool for a very small task, use one of those hammers in an inappropriate way, he will be embarrassed doing so and, if caught, he will make some comment to demonstrate he knows the difference. (more…)

Draining the Cancer from the Pleura

By Denis Ledoux

historical present for memoir story time

Historical Present: A Better Relationship to Memoir Story Time

By Denis Ledoux

Your relationship to memoir story time Writers often jumble the use of time in the memoir. The time in which the story unfolds is considered to be the present of the story—often called the “historical present.” When I write, “She ran into the woods,” the run occurs in the present of the narration—that is the memoir story […]

Use Time Wisely to Write Your Memoir

By Denis Ledoux

Marriage in New France: Barthélémi and Marthe Wed

By Denis Ledoux

As was the custom in the colony, the wedding was set for a date soon after the contract signing. These were exceptional times. Winter was just three months away, and if Barthélémi and Marthe were to survive the long, cold months at the new farm in Chateau-Richer, there was much to be done. Until she […]

Good Grammar Like You Never Knowed

By Denis Ledoux

Eight Reasons to Share the Inner You

By Denis Ledoux

Our lives are composed not only of facts and dates but also of dreams, expectations–realized or denied–and hopes. You are not alone in having lived an inner life. Others too have experienced much of what you felt and dreamed for yourself and are likely to identify with some, or even much, of what you say. […]

A Top Memoir Editor Gets the Job Done

By Denis Ledoux

Top editors commit totally to your manuscript. There is no spare-time attention with them! They ask you for your timeline and do everything in their power to meet it. In addition, they have all written and/or edited books. It’s work they’re good at. So… you can confidently expect them to edit fast and with insight. […]

Three Tips For Creating an Effective Writing Schedule

By Denis Ledoux

You’ve already taken several steps in lifewriting. You have begun to write your stories and memories. perhaps the summer got in the way of your perseverance or perhaps it was something else–an illness, a temporary job, travel. Now you need to recommit to memoir writing by creating an effective writing schedule for yourself. (more…)

Word Redundancies

By Denis Ledoux

As writers, words are our most-used tools. (Other important tools include punctuation, grammar, the visual aspect of a text layout.) Each of our tools, too, ought to be respected for their best use. Avoid word redundancies. (more…)