You’re not a writer? So what.

Posted on November 20, 2009 by moonbridgebooks

Many people are afraid to write down their lifestories because they have no training in writing, which usually translates to feeling they have no talent in that area. Does it matter if you have no talent in writing? Only if you want to be published and make money from your story. For most people, their families and friends will be reading their stories – if they ever get written – and people who love you won’t care if you are not a polished writer. You may find that as you work on your stories a lot of passion comes forth and that will show up in your writing. After all, your stories are an intimate part of you, obviously things that made enough of an impression to remain in your memory. Passion is what will lift your life stories above the earthly realm of dry dirt facts. For those who are perfectionists, read on.

The Huffington Post (among many other news media) recently interviewed bestselling memoirist Mary Karr (Liar’s Club, Cherry, Lit). HuffPo asked Karr, “Do you think quality writing can be taught?” Karr responded, “Absolutely… when I went to graduate school I would’ve said I was among the least talented of the students, I was certainly the least smart, or less educated. But I worked very hard… I rewrite, and rethink and reconsider.”

Geoff Colvin, senior editor of Fortune Magazine, has a new book out called Talent is Over-rated: What Really Separates World Class Performers From Everybody Else. He believes that performance is shaped by teachers and practice, not innate talent. “A growing body of scientific research shows that it isn’t so – that specific natural abilities don’t explain great performance.” You’ll have to read the book to know exactly what the “deliberate” practice is that helps people succeed in their endeavors (it requires feedback), but the point is that there is hope for us all that we can be trained to be better at anything. Of course, you know that.

Most of us will never be perfectly great writers, but we can be good enough – certainly good enough to write our own life stories for family. And if we’re worried, we can hire an editor. Or bake some cookies for your (grand)child’s English teacher in exchange for their advice. If you’re really bad at writing, then anyone can help you!

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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National Lifewriting Month: the staying power of memoirs

Posted on November 10, 2009 by moonbridgebooks
November is National Lifewriting Month. Have you started your memoir yet? Memoirs have been hitting the charts for many years now and readers have not show signs of exhaustion. Library Journal recently noted that “publishers are putting a fair amount of push behind memoirs for winter and spring 2010,” which will include the following interestingly titled books:

The Ticking is the Bomb by Nick Flynn
The Boy Who Loved Tornados: A Mother’s Story by Randi Davenport
You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story by A. Gurwitch and J. Kahn
The Shaking Woman: Or, A History of My Nerves by Siri Hustvedt
Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline

In a Philadelphia Inquirer article entitled Celebrating the Memoir, Dianna Marder construes that “The emphasis on memoir is so strong that autobiography, history and fiction may be endangered. And the reasons for memoir’s popularity may rest in our very nature as Americans: In a land where the majority rules, individuality is exalted and memoir is more befitting the American ideal of resourcefulness.”

Indeed, memoirs are much more fascinating than nonfiction history books since a personal perspective is involved. Who doesn’t love a good story of how it really was versus a bunch of dry facts. Autobiographies tend to suffer the same fate of dry regurgitation, while fiction…well, Ben Yagoda, author of Memoir: A History says “When it comes to proving points and making cases, fiction’s day is done.” Mary Karr, whose publisher claims she “kick-started the memoir revolution” with The Liar’s Club (1995), has this to say: “The failures of other genres to provide an emotional connection with some of their characters and narratives gives memoir a toehold.” Comparing bad memoirs to bad novels, “But the most whiny memoir is written by someone passionately attached to his or her subject matter. And the connectedness of that single voice is something readers long for now.” Karr, also wrote the memoirs Cherry and the recently published Lit.

Everyone has a story to tell. Not all are meant to be published, but all are meant to be told.

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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The legacy of a child

Posted on October 31, 2009 by moonbridgebooks

Six-year-old Elena Desserich died of brain cancer in 2007, but she left behind treasures for her family that became a book for everyone. Notes Left Behind is a tribute to Elena and helps to raise funds for The Cure Starts Now, a foundation started by her parents supporting research towards curing pediatric brain cancer. Perhaps you’ve heard about Elena’s story on Good Morning America or the Today show.

Elena was an artist, and when she became sick, and especially after she lost her ability to speak, she began drawing pictures and writing notes to her parents, her little sister, other relatives, even her great-aunt’s dog. After her death, her parents began finding notes hidden not just in Elena’s room but in their own books and dresser drawers, in a briefcase, in a box of Christmas ornaments. They were the simple drawings and misspelled notes of a beginning writer, but Elena’s mother thinks they were her daughter’s way of letting them know everything would be okay. Each note found was “like a little hug from her.” Elena’s parents did everything they could to hide from her the fact that her illness was terminal. Did Elena sense the end coming and want to leave love notes behind, or was she just a prolific and fun-loving artist expressing herself?

Elena’s father kept a personal journal for younger daughter Grace during the family’s ordeal so that she might know her sister, but the idea grew into something larger. Notes Left Behind is a sad and unflinching story of how a family coped with having a child with cancer, but is also about capturing “the love, the compassion, the minutes of life – not necessarily the milestones.” A reminder for all.

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
Posted in capturing memories | Comments Off on The legacy of a child