RSS FeedDescription is anything that shapes the reader's perception of your message or story. Writing memoir is an ongoing, life-changing process that begins to shape the way you perceive events as they occur and the choices you make. In a very real sense, writing memoir changes your heart. Something similar happens as you study the craft of writing. You look for new ways to express your thoughts and experiences realistically and completely, to transform them from blah to brilliant. You learn the … [Read more...]
WOW Blog Tour Guest: An Interview with Judy Mandel | Replacement Child
May 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Judy L. Mandel Replacement Child – a memoir Seal Press/Perseus We are so pleased to welcome Judy Mandel to the National Association of Memoir Writers! Judy's blog tour with Women on Writing has brought her to us today. We welcome her discussion on writing about her life--before she was born! Many memoir writers want to know more about this, and we will have another chance to talk about it when Judy joins us for our Free Roundtable discussion here on May 9. Please sign … [Read more...]
Memoir Writer, Meet Copy Editor–A Match Made in Heaven
April 24, 2013 By 1 Comment
by Linda Jay Geldens Whether you're nearing completion of your memoir, or are still in the throes of actually writing it, consider searching for a copyeditor with whom you truly resonate. The importance of having your manuscript polished by a professional copyeditor (line editor, content editor) cannot be overestimated. Working closely with a copyeditor who is right for you can make all the difference in the quality of your final manuscript. You could end up with a so-so memoir … [Read more...]
Susan Weidener–Guest Blog Post for Memoir Roundtable April 11
April 6, 2013 By 3 Comments
In this blog post, we're pleased to have Susan Weidener share with us her process of writing a sequel to her first memoir in our Roundtable discussion on April 11. In the moving story that she shares with us below, we learn how writing her sequel helped her to see her mother through new lenses and with more compassion. Even when we think we are complete with a piece or even a whole book, we find out there is much more to say--and to learn. Join us for the Roundtable discussion at NAMW! Sign up … [Read more...]
How to Find Time to Promote Your Book |Sandra Beckwith
March 19, 2013 By 4 Comments
If you’re like most memoirists, you struggle to find the time to promote your book. You have to make the time for book promotion, though, if you want anyone to discover and read your story. This is especially important if you’re self-published, because you don’t get even the minimal promotional support that a traditionally published author receives. When you’re self-published, it’s up to you and you alone to get the word out – but you’ve known that all along. Still, … [Read more...]
Celebrating the Art of Writing at the San Francisco Writing Conference
February 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Linda Joy Myers It's hard to put into words sometimes how fantastic something is—even as a writer! People are always saying it's important to attend writer's conferences, and while we may think it sounds fun, we open our purses and look inside to see if it's possible. It's true—attending a live writing conference instead of one online includes travel expenses and time away from home. It means changing your life around for several days, and living out of a suitcase. It means … [Read more...]
How – and Why – I Became a Ghost (writer) | Kim Pearson
February 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Usually to become a ghost you have to die first. But for nearly fifteen years I’ve been a ghost, yet I’m still alive. I think I am the best kind of ghost – a ghostwriter. The first book I ghostwrote was for my own grandmother. I wrote the story of her coming to America as a child, her experiences as a “flapper” in the 1920s, her housewife life in a mountain logging town during the Depression, and her war service in the Second World War. I interviewed her and recorded our … [Read more...]
NAMW Member Teleseminar February 22, 2013 |The Ghost in the Memoir
January 21, 2013 By 6 Comments
11 AM PST 12 PM MST 1 PM CST 2 PM EST Please join us for this informative teleseminar on ghost writing. Whether you want a ghostwriter for your memoir, or want to learn to ghostwrite for others, you will find useful information in this presentation by ghostwriting expert, Kim Pearson. Read what Kim has to say about this teleseminar. It’s the nature of memoir to be full of ghosts from the past. But this discussion is about a ghost in the present. Ghostwriter, that … [Read more...]
Never Ignore Your Dream
January 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson I just read an article/editorial from Jeff Rivers, the founder of http://www.HowToWriteaQueryLetter.com in Dan Poynter’s newsletter. It was titled “What I Learned from Janet Evanovich: Write for your Audience.” It is hard to argue with experts like Jeff and Janet. But I do disagree-or at least mostly disagree. Certainly authors like Evanovich and James Patterson have done very well for themselves and for their readers by “Writing for Your Audience.” I do a … [Read more...]
Happy Holidays! Finding the Meaning in Your Celebration
December 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I hope you're having a Happy Holiday Season! As writers, we search for meaning in the unfolding of events. As we fill and refill our memories banks to help us write our memoir, we can use the present to help us gather new memories, and reflect on the old ones. This year, I’m happy to be celebrating with my grandchildren and my daughter. Miles, 9, and Zoe 6 were circling the tree, inspecting the packages, lifting, smelling, and shaking them. Zoe came to me with a serious face, “Nana, … [Read more...]
