I have been studiously avoiding my memoir by diligently reading a bunch of sites about the very subject.
I found this wonderful site and highly recommend it…her name is Louise DeSalvo and she has some great info and help on here.
It did the trick. I felt inspired enough (after avoiding the process ALL day and most of tonight) to actually get down to some work.
It’s encouraging to read how others struggle with this process. It is such a different process than writing fiction. In fact, DeSalvo has one of the best definitions of memoir than anything I’ve seen elsewhere.
She works at it too. Like everything else in life, it’s nice to know we’re not alone in doing this; this thing called writing.
After all, that’s what first connected me to reading…it was that moment, that ‘aha’ moment (as Oprah would say) of reading some fictional character’s inner thoughts and discovering OMG! that they too, shared my insecurities or insights or “fill in blank here”.
This doesn’t make the writing come any easier, but it does provide a level of comfort somehow. So, for any of you memoirists out there, know that you’re not alone. We’re all grinding away and wiping the blood from the bashed forehead.
For some reason, this feels like a worthwhile undertaking. Don’t ask me why. I sure couldn’t tell you, but it is strangely satisfying.
I had much in common with many of the people I’ve “met” in my travels through cyber space. It makes me wonder if we’re cosmically drawn to like-minded people, even if we’re meeting them for the first time via words on a screen.
Used properly, there is definitely a good force at work here 🙂
Enjoy your writer’s retreat in Florida. I’m in southern Florida right now, about to board a plane to return home to the midwest. The weather is lovely here, especially the evenings when there’s a nice cool breeze.
Dear Colleen, Finding your blog was complete serendipity, having read your comment on SHOREACRES about the Barbie TP cover – LOL- and loved your list. the adding machine plastic covers – that’s right!!!! and so many other things.
So, then I came here to your place and find you are a writer, working on your memoir and so here I am, jabbering away.
(it’s the giddiness of having just completed writing a magazine article – that wonderful feeling as Dorothy Parker mentions about “hating to write and love having written.”
Phew.
I am reading a wonderful memoir right now that is helping me with my own in its way. It is Phyllis Theroux’s THE JOURNAL KEEPER. I’m having to dash through the second part since someone at the library has it on hold behind me so I can’t renew it, but honestly, as I read it, the lights keep coming on and I am looking forward constantly to getting to my own journal/memoir writing, even bringing it to the dinner table and hoping the others will engage in conversation and let me catch up a bit.
Anyway, I will now go “back” to read some of your prior entries and just want to say “hello” and how glad I am to read you.
I just read your “about” profile on your blog. It turns out I’m living in the midwest as well…seriously, that could have been a list of my top things. Bizarre-o. This internet thing is one of the coolest things going. As my good friend recently said about her 14-year old, “she has turned the corner and become a force for good.” I loved that.
I think the internet truly can be considered a force for good. I’m not being a total Pollyanna here… I get there are some other uses that might be considered a tad darker, but I love connecting to other lovers of paper and libraries and soup! Thanks for stopping by…
I meant metapHor-ing…it’s late, and my eyes are tired.
Too funny. Never worry about too many metaphors with me. In my view of the world…absolutely everything is a metaphor. You’re right too, I guess our blogs are memoirs of a sort. Interesting…Thanks for your comments. Always nice to hear from you.
I’m not writing a memoir in book form (although I consider my blog sort of an ongoing memoir) but I find the genre itself enormously interesting. We’re all in this boat of life together, and I think it’s fascinating to read about the path others have chosen to row. So yes, I think it’s worthwhile too…sharing the stories of our lives in general helps us make sense of our own life in particular, and helps bring us all together in the sea of humanity. (Sheesh, all kinds of ridiculous metapror-ing here! LOL)
Suffice to say- looking forward to reading yours when it’s done!