Beautifully written Abby, as always. Another well-written, albeit heart wrenching, memoir is "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi. I would like to reread it because it has been years since I first read it, but I am resistant. I wept (ugly cried) the first time.
And let's not forget Charity Tillemann-Dick's memoir, "The Encore." Miss her so much.
Both of those reads are absolutely transformative and I thank you for putting them in my stratosphere! The world is better for Paul and Charity's words. It gives me solace to know they left behind such an enormous gift to humanity.
Agreed and you're welcome! I know you challenged us to list any memoirs that did not include hard things tackled, but I couldn't help myself at the risk of starting something a little off topic!
I loved the energy you brought to your presentation in Bianca’s memoir workshop! And there’s so many wonderful takeaways in this piece, too. I began writing my memoir at age 57, decades after the events took place. I definitely needed the time, distance, and perspective to write an honest and relatable story.
I don't believe any memoirist gets the full support of anyone in writing their story. There are always the naysayers or those who are trying to protect the writer. There are so many things we do leave out for so many reasons-protection, clarity, self-preservation, privacy, etc. It's hard to know what to leave and what to omit at times. What is important to us may not have any meaning to others and that is where early readers come into play. I think we all share the goal of trying to help another individual through a tragic time. I, too, looked for answers in books and could never find all of them. I think we all are trying to make our shared world a better place one book at a time.
Agree completely. I also think there's tremendous value in writing words and scenes that don't make it into the final book. It was only through the process of writing and cutting that I was able to identify the throughline of the story! Nothing is wasted. Even when it ends up on the cutting room floor.
I'm in those trenches right now! In one editing episode, I lost the through-thread but have uncovered it again. I'm so glad I kept those deleted scenes that I'm working back into my next draft. Nothing is wasted, but sometimes it's recycled. I, too, enjoyed your presentation last Saturday in the All About Memoir webinar. Great stuff; thank you!
Beautifully written Abby, as always. Another well-written, albeit heart wrenching, memoir is "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi. I would like to reread it because it has been years since I first read it, but I am resistant. I wept (ugly cried) the first time.
And let's not forget Charity Tillemann-Dick's memoir, "The Encore." Miss her so much.
Both of those reads are absolutely transformative and I thank you for putting them in my stratosphere! The world is better for Paul and Charity's words. It gives me solace to know they left behind such an enormous gift to humanity.
Agreed and you're welcome! I know you challenged us to list any memoirs that did not include hard things tackled, but I couldn't help myself at the risk of starting something a little off topic!
I loved the energy you brought to your presentation in Bianca’s memoir workshop! And there’s so many wonderful takeaways in this piece, too. I began writing my memoir at age 57, decades after the events took place. I definitely needed the time, distance, and perspective to write an honest and relatable story.
I'm so glad you made it to the workshop! No substitute for distance and perspective. I'm looking forward to following your publishing journey!
I don't believe any memoirist gets the full support of anyone in writing their story. There are always the naysayers or those who are trying to protect the writer. There are so many things we do leave out for so many reasons-protection, clarity, self-preservation, privacy, etc. It's hard to know what to leave and what to omit at times. What is important to us may not have any meaning to others and that is where early readers come into play. I think we all share the goal of trying to help another individual through a tragic time. I, too, looked for answers in books and could never find all of them. I think we all are trying to make our shared world a better place one book at a time.
Agree completely. I also think there's tremendous value in writing words and scenes that don't make it into the final book. It was only through the process of writing and cutting that I was able to identify the throughline of the story! Nothing is wasted. Even when it ends up on the cutting room floor.
I'm in those trenches right now! In one editing episode, I lost the through-thread but have uncovered it again. I'm so glad I kept those deleted scenes that I'm working back into my next draft. Nothing is wasted, but sometimes it's recycled. I, too, enjoyed your presentation last Saturday in the All About Memoir webinar. Great stuff; thank you!