Show and not Tell: Don’t Tell Us About Your Characters—Show Them Walking Across the Page!
How many times have you heard “Show your story rather than tell it!” And, how many times have you gone right on and did a lot of telling! I know I have. “Showing” is one technique that will always improve your writing. I admit that there is some great writing that makes a precedent for […]
How Long Should It Take to Write a Memoir? Set a Deadline!
Have you ever wondered, “How long should it take to write a memoir?” At The Memoir Network, we have come up with a timeline that is realistic for any writer who wishes to write a memoir that doesn’t get stuck in endless rewriting. (more…)
Don’t Wait: Continue to Write Your Memoir Today
What if you ran out of tomorrows before you had written your memoir? How would your children and grandchildren know about you and the people who were important to you? How would your community know? (more…)
An Effective Strategy to Work Through Writer’s Block
“What can I do about writer’s block?” I am asked regularly by stumped writers. “Pretty much the same as plumber does with a plumber’s block,” I’ll respond. People twitter at this reply. Perhaps it’s because they take my response to their writer’s block question for a joke and they’re anticipating a good punch line. But, […]
Don’t De-value Your Characters by Using Cliches and Stereotypes
Don’t devalue your characters by using cliches and stereotypes. This will undermine the unique and personal feel of your memoir. Cliches and stereotypes place people in categories. As short-hand ways of writing and speaking, they reflect ready-made thoughts and adversely affect the ways we relate to our families and friends as unique individuals. (more…)
Three Tips for Effective Memoir Pre-Writing
Before you begin to write your memoir, there are a number of non-writing tasks which you must undertake—this phase of compiling your lifestory is called memoir pre-writing, and it is essential to writing better stories. Pre-writing can include… (more…)
4 Tips For Easier, Quicker Writing
You can benefit from easier and quicker writing by adapting appropriate habits of composition. Here are four habits for quicker writing of your first draft that you would do well to learn. They are easy to implement and the rewards are significant. (more…)
A Narrator Issue: Who is Writing Your Memoir?
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 […]
Five Questions for Checking a Memoir Ghostwriter’s References
Hiring a memoir ghostwriter will lead to a long-term relationship. This relationship will cost you money. It will also cost you time and energy. It is reasonable that you want it to function smoothly and well. Of course, you ask the writer for references, but are they reliable? Here are five areas of questions you […]