Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Memoir Potpourri

TRUE CONFESSION   HARSH REALITY  IMMORTALITY   LIFE'S ONE STORY
                   
         RETROSPECTION       FACTUAL     FAMILY LEGACY      SHARE

THERAPEUTIC    CATHARTIC   BENEFIT THE READER   EMOTIONAL TRUTH

               NATIONAL APPETITE        "THREE WEEKS WITH MY BROTHER"

"ANGELA'S ASHES"     FACTUAL & EMOTIONAL TRUTH        STORYTELLING  

                       ART & CRAFT                       "GOODBYE AMERICA"

Monday, January 10, 2011

Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway was once challenged to tell a story in only six words:
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."
Can you tell your life story in six words?
Here's some that got published in AARP:
"Nearing 60, still on Rough Draft."
"Defined at 21. Redefined at 57."
"Sixty. Still haven't forgiven my parents."

Lessons learned from writing memoirs:
-We all have so much in common
-Makes you confront the truth
-It provides new perspectives
-Helps make sense of our lives
-It's cathartic and therapeutic
-It creates a legacy without dollar signs
-Researchers found family history linked to children's self-esteem and resiliency

Like Arthur Hailey writing "Roots", the purpose to writing my mother's memoir, "Goodbye America", was to provide a legacy to our family and assure that her story would never be forgotten.

A memoir is easier and much less intimidating to write than an autobiography. A memoir is just one story from your life whereas an authobiography is laden with dates and facts of your entire life.
-Plot some significant moments
-Identify one pivotal event that stands out more intriguing than the others

Start writing
Good luck

Monday, January 3, 2011

Supreme Sacrifice

Supreme Sacrifice, is my new novel reminiscent of both Death of a Salesman and Eat Pray Love replete with guilt, spiritual awakening, and ultimate redemption. It guides the reader through a garden of life—choked with weeds of addiction, guilt, blame—yet affirms our faith in the human spirit to cultivate understanding and peace in our lives.
April, the child of an alcoholic, is traumatized by her father’s mysterious death at 47 and many disturbing childhood memories. The book follows her personal journey, from the 1960s until the 1990s. The first half of the story is told in flashbacks that bring the family’s disintegration, and April’s belief that she caused her father’s death, to vivid life. The last half of the book follows her spiritual journey reminiscent of Eat, Pray, Love. Like her adopted home of Florida, she is eventually filled with sunshine and possibilities ultimately unlocking the pain of her past and the answers to her father's mysterious accident.