HOLE IN MY HEART, a memoir about adoption by Lorraine Dusky, tells her personal story and reveals how the author gradually became a leader in adoption reform.
In this column I’m asking subscribers to share their knowledge about writing, publishing, and marketing their books. I’m calling it “Ten Questions.” Thank you, James M. LaRossa Jr., for allowing us to share in the excitement about your newly released book, Last of the Gladiators.–Marylee MacDonald James M. LaRossa’s Author Insight: “Not until I wrote Last […]
Writing a memoir is harder than you think. Even people who have lived interesting lives find it difficult to turn those lives into readable, compelling stories. That’s why many celebrities hire ghost writers or journalists to co-author their memoirs. This guest post is written by Ronald E. Yates, former Dean of the School of Journalism […]
I’m welcoming back Ronald E. Yates, author of Finding Billy Battles and The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles, and The Lost Years of Billy Battles. November 1, 2016 by Ronald E. Yates This week I am focusing on memoirs–or more accurately, what they are and how to write them. I have written about this in […]
Copyright law changed forever when Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, broke with convention by wearing a white suit to the 1906 Congressional hearings on American copyright law. In Twain’s day, copyright law didn’t protect authors from piracy. However, Twain, sympathetic to the financial needs of his fellow authors and aware of the need […]
If you create a mindmap to brainstorm scenes and episodes that might go into your memoir, you’ll move yourself one step closer to your goal. While mindmaps can help fiction authors, having a roadmap for your journey down Memory Lane can bring focus to what might otherwise turn into a rambling tale. A mindmap […]
Mindmapping software can help writers untangle the knots in a memoir’s storyline. A mindmap is a brainstorming tool that can help you in the following scenarios: before writing your first draft, or when revising. When you’re writing your first draft, you can use mindmaps to play around with focus. Even on your first pass through […]
Writing a memoir will force you to dig deep in the archives of your soul. When you recall the past and try to figure out just what it is that’s compelling you write a memoir, you’ll find yourself looking through old photos, postcards, letters, and newspaper clippings. Writing a memoir can be as overwhelming as […]
So you’ve always dreamed of writing a memoir. Where should you start, and how can you get a handle on the big and small turning points, traumas, and people that constitute your life? Several subscribers to this blog are writing memoirs, and I want to help them get started (or finished). Are You Confused? Writing […]
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