DL—This is an excerpt from A Sugary Frosting, the memoir of Martha Blowen, my lifemate and business partner who died in 2008. When you are both a story teller and a story keeper, in thirty-one years of co-habiting with someone who is very verbal, you get to learn many of her stories. A number of them you have heard not only because they are told directly to you as you went about your day—perhaps driving into town—or as you sat in the morning sipping your coffee but also because she told them to others in your presence. Often, details are (more…)

Yesterday would have been my mother’s 94th birthday. The following post was published on Matilda Butler’s fine blog. My mother died on May 5, 2015. — Let me celebrate my mother’s life by writing about her memoir We Were Not Spoiled. Between 2009 and 2013, I interviewed my mother for her memoir for which I was to serve as ghostwriter. I have written about the process elsewhere, so here I would like to talk about how the writing of this book was an integrating experience for me. To read more, click here. (more…)

Following the recent posting of part one of What You Can Do Before You Send a Manuscript to An Editor, I am reprinting a post that contains more useful information on how you can edit your own work before sending it to a professional editor. Self-editing can focus your narrative and save on editing fees. I hope you find it useful and will leave your own suggestions in the comments section. to read more… (more…)

Why would I go away to a writer’s retreat to write when I can write at home, at my very own desk, with my cat and my favorite coffee mug? 1. To be free of distractions A. I won’t be tempted to put up a load of laundry B. Are we out of milk? C. Yes, I am happy with my (long distance service, cable service, internet service, utilities supplier), click. D. No, I am not available to (feed your cat, take your dog for a walk, pick up your dry cleaning). I AM WRITING! 2. To focus completely on (more…)

“What do you think of my website?” It’s one of the questions I hear the most from authors, whether they write memoirs or mysteries. I wish that my answer each and every time was, “It’s fantastic!”… but it isn’t. And more often than not, the problem is with the site’s blog. Oh, how I wish I had a wand to transfer every writer’s blog into a better author blog. But let’s pause to distinguish between “blog” and “website,” because many people use them interchangeably. When I say “blog,” I’m referring to a collection of online articles you add to your (more…)

DL: As part of my virtual book tour for the Memoir Writing Series, I did a stop at Sonia Marsh’s blog. Below is a link to that post. Leave a comment and explore Sonia’s blog. You will find it full of interesting and useful posts. A Memoir Can Be Hard to Write —But You Can Do It! Sometimes at the beginning of a workshop or of coaching relationship, people ask whether writing a memoir going to be hard. The short—but possibly intimidating—answer is: “Yes, a memoir can be hard to write! The longer and more encouraging answer is: Yes, but (more…)

DL: On a virtual book tour for my Memoir Network Writing Series, I was a guest of on Linda Austin’s fine writing blog. This post is excerpted from my second e-book in the series Start Your Memoir Right This article will strengthen your resolve to write a memoir. Should you write a memoir? “Is a memoir worth the time to write?” I repeated—raising my voice into a question—when a man said to me at a conference where I was speaking that most people didn’t have a memoir that was worth their time to write. “Not only is every life worth (more…)

DL: As part of a virtual book tour for the Memoir Network Writing Series, I did a stop at Sandra Beckwith’s informative buildbookbuzz.com blog. Virtual book tour tips As I explored options for marketing my Memoir Network Writing Series of six books, I kept hearing about the virtual book tour. I was intrigued, but I was also intimidated. Could I pull off a virtual book tour? To read more… (more…)

Besame, besame mucho / Como si fuera esta noche la última vez… Kiss me, kiss me a lot / As if tonight were the last time… Cesaria Evora’s voice, strong and oh! so beautiful, comes in from the livingroom as I pour myself coffee in the kitchen. It is early morning, and I am thinking of my day, organizing it in my mind. There’s work at The Memoir Network—a ghostwriting client at 11, Sally who works with me in the office at 2—the gym this evening, a visit with my mother who is 93 and lives in a nursing home. (more…)

Coming Into This World

By Martha Blowen

When you are both a story teller and a story keeper, in thirty-one years of co-habiting with someone who is very verbal, you get to learn many of her stories. A number of them you have heard not only because they are told directly to you as you went about your day—perhaps driving into town […]

We Were Not Spoiled: A Memoir for the Family and for the World

By Denis Ledoux

Let me celebrate my mother’s life by writing about her memoir We Were Not Spoiled—which I will offer you as a gift at the end of this post. (more…)

More Editing You Can Execute For Yourself.

By Denis Ledoux

This post contains more useful information on how you can edit your own work before sending it to a professional editor. There is much you can do more effectively to save on fees. (more…)

Why Go to a Writer’s Retreat?

By Judy Mandel

Why would I go away to a writer’s retreat to write when I can write at home, at my very own desk, with my cat and my favorite coffee mug? Writers at all stages of their writing life and in their projects can benefit from attending a retreat. Even in the beginning, when you may […]

3 Tips for a Better Author Blog

By Sandra Beckwith

Is a Memoir Hard to Write—Yes, but You Can Do It!

By Denis Ledoux

A Memoir Can Be Hard to Write —But You Can Do It! Sometimes at the beginning of a workshop or of coaching relationship, people ask whether writing a memoir going to be hard. The short—but possibly intimidating—answer is: yes! The longer and more encouraging answer is: Yes, but you can do it! (more…)

Is Your Memoir Worth the Time to Write?

By Denis Ledoux

“Worth the time to write?” I repeated—raising my voice into a question—when a man said Denis Ledouxto me at a conference where I was speaking that most people didn’t have a memoir that was worth their time to write. “Not only is every life worth writing about,” I countered, “but the writing of a memoir […]

How to Organize a Virtual Book Tour

By Denis Ledoux

As part of my winter/spring virtual book tour for the Memoir Network Writing Series, I did a stop at Sandra Beckwith’s informative buildbookbuzz.com blog. (more…)