Memoirs
Carol Lindsay
Several times a year Coffeehouseforwriters.com receives requests from
people asking us to help them find a writer. They want to write their
memoir, or that of a relative, and are afraid that they do not have the
skills to write it themselves. I usually steer these people to writing
groups in their area, or online classes that might help them write their own
story. Here are some reasons why.
- Ghostwriters are expensive. Ghostwriting rates in the U.S.
begin at $40 per hour. If you want to pay by the project, writers start
at $30,000 per book.
- A ghost writer may not get in touch with the emotional content
of your story. When I read a memoir I don’t just want to know what
happened I want to know what you thought about it and how you felt.
If you remain convinced that you cannot write your story. Think about
outlining or beginning your story before you approach a publisher. You may
find that all you need is encouragement and editing.
Here are some examples
of memoirs that I have read and enjoyed. They will give you some ideas about
different approaches to memoirs. Think about them and how you might like to
tell your story:
Chalked Up by Jennifer Sey
William Morrow, 2008.
Jennifer Sey wrote this book. It is the story of her life as a
gymnast who began competing at the age of six and became the 1986 National
Gymnastics Champion and a 7-time national team member.
The reason I chose this book as an example is the fact that Jennifer Sey
is not a writer. The book has definite flaws. What these flaws show us,
however, is that we're reading about a real person - a person still somewhat
conflicted by her experiences as a gymnast, as a daughter, and as a sister. Ms. Sey
has given us an honest recital of her life, warts and all.
Such a Life by Edith LaZebnik
William Morrow, 1978, currently out of print.
At the age of 72 Edith LaZebnik wanted to share her story with the world.
By waiting until she was older and secure in her life, she felt she could truthfully describe being a young Jewish girl
in Russia during the pogroms. She could also tell about immigration to the
U.S. The result is a remarkable and moving memoir.
This book was ghostwritten by her sons. She would sit and tell them
stories which they crafted into this wonderful book. It was an opportunity
for her not only to tell a difficult story, but to draw close to her family
at the end of her life.
Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray.
Milkweed Editions, 2000.
Janisse Ray wrote her story about growing up in a junkyard in rural
southern Georgia. She is a writer, poet, and environmental activist. The
reason I want to point out this book is that Ms Ray writes her story through
her interests in botany and ecology. We read a story of the
longleaf pine forest that once covered Georgia. We learn about
salamanders and what happens when junkyard meets woodland. Ms Ray gives us her view of
her life, the world that surrounded her, and the events that would come to
influence her as she got older.
The Pictures and Diary of a Wartime Artist
by Len Smith.
Forgottentitles.com 2008. David Mason, author.
Len Smith was a war artist in World War I. This meant that he would sneak
close to enemy lines at night with a rifle, a sketch pad, pencil and
crayons. During the day from his vantage point, he would sketch the
landscape and details about the enemy position. At night, with his sketches
rolled up in his trouser legs he would sneak back to the relative safety of
the trenches. During this time, he also kept a diary.
In the 1970s, Mr. Smith tried to publish his diary, along with his
sketches. Publishers were interested, but the price of publishing a book
with over 300 color plates was far too expensive. Smith died in 1974 at the
age of 83, leaving his unpublished work to his sister’s family.
With the advent of the e-book, his great-nephew Dave Mason saw the
potential for finally publishing Smith’s work. Not only his sketches, but
the actual pages of his diary, and scrapbook items from the war appear in
the book. In the beginning pages Smith writes,
In reading this diary – should you be tempted at times to ridicule
or deride it’s flaunting of all the accepted rules of good writing
(grammar-spelling-punctuation etc) it will be well to remember, that it
has with definite reason, not been embellished or altered in any way
from the original scrawl in an Old French note-book.
I preferred to retain a faithful copy of the diary as written on
the spot – ‘the spot’ being oftimes sordid – noisy – terrifying –
wretched and utterly uncongenial to clear thought and orderly writing.
This new form of memoir is exciting and opens a door to new
possibilities. What will your memoir be?
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