Five Memoir Writing Tips Nancy Pelosi Ought to Know Before She Pens A Memoir
What memoir writing tips ought Nancy Pelosi to know when she writes her memoirs? Fame and power are not enough to intrigue a reader. Start here (more…)
Memoir Coaching Laser-focuses on Getting Your Memoir Written Faster and Better
How does memoir coaching improve your manuscript? “What does ‘My family was poor mean,” I asked a memoir writing client in a recent coaching session. “Poor?” he asked at the other end of the phone line. “What do you mean what does poor mean? Poor means poor!” “Does poor mean you didn’t have enough to […]
Writing about Non-Events: They Belong in Your Memoir Writing
Non-events belong in memoir writing. I witnessed one recently while having coffee in a restaurant. A man and a 14- or 15-year-old boy whom I took to be his son walked in together and ordered. At first they were both silent, and then the boy began to speak. He spoke quite a bit. I couldn’t […]
Become a Better Writer: 4 Ways
You can become a better memoir writer, but it will take some work. How do you achieve mastery in a skill? The answer, however it is presented, comes down to both acquiring knowledge pertaining to the skill and to putting in the time to practice the skill with critiques available to correct your technique and […]
Six Reasons to Join a Long Distance Memoir Writing Program
Memoir writers—as all writers—work in isolation. When you join a memoir writing program—a forum, you not only get answers to persistent questions or reassurance to debilitating doubts, but you form community as you persist in the long, lonely task of writing. (more…)
The First Paragraph Can Make or Break a Memoir for the Reader
Is first paragraph of a memoir really important? Yes. The first paragraph of a memoir sets the tone. Writers sometimes struggle with how to begin a story and will not write the story until they have the beginning—the first paragraph. This is not a good way to proceed. (more…)
Write A Better Memoir: 10 How-to Tips
Writers ask me what they can do the most easily to write a better memoir. While I can understand the wish to write more quickly and easily, I’m going to share with you that writing a better memoir needs to be done slowly and thoughtfully. A rushed job is probably going to be a botched […]
Before Sending a Manuscript To An Editor / Part 3: Time Sequencing and Flashbacks
A writer can tweak the use of time in a memoir to bring a manuscript to a higher level of finish before sending the piece off to a professional editor. In this section, I write about time sequencing: specifically, cause and effect sequencing and flashbacks. (more…)
Instead of A Writing Prompt – Five Tips for Creating a Memory List
People who are writing a memoir will sometimes say, “I want to write my stories but I have forgotten so many details. Is there any way I can get them back? Should I use writing prompts?” There is one tool above all others that makes the experience of life writing successful. That tool is not […]