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I want to write my memoirs. Where do I start?

I have an incredible story to tell. It's true. I'm a 67 year old female that is burden with a burning desire to write my love story. I have no idea why. I've never written anything before. This urge is driving me crazy. It's a remarkable story that covers 50 years of my life. Mostly in and around southern California. I would like to begin, but where? How do I proceed? Step one is???

Dave's Answer:

I asked Richard Goode-Allen, a close friend of mine who writes books in this space and here's what he had to share:

There's no simple answer to this in a way. Do you have any sense of how to write or are you looking for a scribe, someone to turn your story into a story that can be shared? That sort of situation is common, as in, "you should write my story."

I guess there are instances of people telling their story to someone and having them write it, but that's usually a matter of hiring a ghost writer and there I don't have the faintest clue of how to begin.

Another alternative is for you write it yourself. There you should start perhaps with a class. There are a lot of those out there, community colleges, continuing ed type stuff, especially around memoir as that has been so hot lately, (though we'll have to see it if continues to be so after Frey and Oprah).

As for telling a love story specifically or a writer's conference, you might start by checking out the Romance Writers of America. They are an organization for fiction writers specifically I think, but they tend to have good support and structure and chapters that are pretty supportive and little mini communities. They also offer a whole bunch of conferences where people might give you tips on getting started. Though any agent/editor etc. would want to know the book was done or well underway.

Hope that helps.

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Categorized: The Writing Business (Article 5920)
Tagged: biographies, memoirs, romance, romance writers of america
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Comments

What a resourceful website. I'll be adding your link not only to my blog, but to todays-woman.net.

Posted by: Rose DesRochers at March 28, 2006 6:09 PM

please send me information on how someone could write a book on my behalf as i tell the story.well its my fiance who has a amazing life story to tell and we looking for someone to write it for us.

Posted by: lisa fellows at May 23, 2007 6:49 AM

I have an application for those wanting to write their memoirs. It's free. I ask you questions to find the stories in you. It's called My Life and is an application for the Facebook platform (also free). Aquanda.com

Posted by: Yancey Grantham at September 28, 2007 1:06 PM

Once upon a time a woman by name of Rani Devi gained the blessings of a holy sage because of her acts of charity and kindness.The sage granted her with a boon of magical powers, which would be handed down to each daughter in the generations coming up. However, a little disaster occurred just as the sage was bestowing powers on Rani - she sneezed over the sage. The irritated sage could not withdraw the gift he gave her but informed her that her and all of her lineage would be incapable of using the powers for a period of twenty-four hours if they acted stupid. Shararat revolves around Jiya (Shruti Seth), who is the great great great grand daughter of Rani Devi. The show opens with Jiya celebrating her 18th birthday and unknowingly, is now the wielder of supernatural powers. Jiya lives with her family: her father Dr. Suraj Malhotra, her mother Radha, her brother Jai and her grandmother Sushma, who she fondly refers to as 'Nani'. Apart from this, there are a host of Jiya's college friends and acquaintances such as Dhruv - who Jiya secretly has a crush on and who returns her ardor, Parminder (or Pam, as she yells at everybody to call her), the latest NRI entry in the college, who threatens Jiya that she will grab all of Dhruv's attention; and Meeta, her starry-eyed and romantic best friend. Pam is also the niece of Shanti Saberwal - the classic neighbour - who is convinced that everything is not normal with the Malhotra household and who always goes there to ask for something or the other. The Malhotra home with three fairies who use or should we say misuse their magic nearly always ending up in trouble. Suraj, who learnt on his wedding day that his not only his wife, but even his mother-in-law is a fairy, has to deal with his mother-in-law who insists that her daughter and grand daughter practice magic. Pranks, mishaps, turning people into vegetables, fruits, spoons, animals, etc and tons of 'Shring Bring Sarwaling' - the chant you must utter to perform magic - make Shararat a truly magical, 'Shararati-bhari', for-all-ages comedy.

[edit] Cas

Posted by: k.sri at May 12, 2008 3:15 AM

I have a lot to say, but ...

I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!