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Archive for February, 2012


Avoid Redundancy in Your Memoir

Every so often I like to use the blog for a mini grammar lesson. With references to “PIN numbers” and “ATM machines” tossed around all the time, let’s discuss redundancy. You want every page of your memoir to be compelling, and filling space with excess words does not meet that goal. Here are some common redundant phrases you should avoid:

Autobiography of my life. If it’s anyone else’s life, the term is “biography.”
Basic fundamentals. If they’re not basic, they’re not fundamentals.
Completely eliminated. Yes, that’s the meaning of “eliminated.”
Estimated to be about. “Estimated” or “about”—you don’t need both.
Fellow classmates/colleagues. There’s no need for “fellow.”
Free gift. It wasn’t a gift if you had to pay for it.
Future plans. We rarely make plans for the past.
Kneel down. It goes without saying that you’re not kneeling up or laterally.
May/might possibly. The uncertainty is built into the word “may” or “might,” so you can drop “possibly.”
New innovation. An innovation is, by definition, always new.
Pre-planning. How did this ever come into use?
Unintentional mistake. They’re called “mistakes” because they’re unintentional!
Very unique. If you’re correctly using “unique” to indicate something that’s truly one-of-a-kind, you won’t need to qualify it.

And what about your PIN number and the ATM machine? Spell out the acronym, and you’ll see the redundancy: Personal Identification Number number and Automatic Teller Machine machine. Similarly, refer to your GPS system as just a GPS.

February 28th, 2012 by admin


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Posted in Grammar and writing tips

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Memoir Writers: Go Through Your Stuff!

Memoir Writers: Go Through Your Stuff!
A recent newspaper story about former Chicago Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg ends with the information that the octegenarian is working on her memoirs. She was quoted in the Chicago Tribune article as saying that to “aspire to write a book at my age is really kind of insane.”
Here at WriteMyMemoirs we certainly would not consider the endeavor “insane.” At 85, Weisberg is still active and able. Until last year she was working full-time, and now she finally can reflect upon her long career and her family life with four children. As part of former Mayor Daley’s inner circle, she very likely has a lot of juicy tidbits to share. But, just like your memoir, Weisberg’s story won’t write itself. She told the reporter that she attacks it every morning for a few hours, writing in longhand on a legal pad.
“Go through your old boxes,” Weisberg advises people in the process of writing a memoir but having trouble coming up with chapters and topics. “You might find something interesting.” I would add this: go through your email. Even if you didn’t keep old letters, the electronic version of mail may provide more of a record than you think—at least for the past five or ten years. Don’t forget to ask friends and family members whether they’ve saved letters and emails, too. You may not have correspondence from the Daleys, but surely you exchanged notes with people who’ve made an impact on your life.

A recent newspaper story about former Chicago Cultural Affairs Commissioner Lois Weisberg ends with the information that the octegenarian is working on her memoirs. She was quoted in the Chicago Tribune article as saying that to “aspire to write a book at my age is really kind of insane.”

Here at WriteMyMemoirs we certainly would not consider the endeavor “insane.” At 85, Weisberg is still active and able. Until last year she was working full-time, and now she finally can reflect upon her long career and her family life with four children. As part of former Mayor Daley’s inner circle, she very likely has a lot of juicy tidbits to share. But, just like your memoir, Weisberg’s story won’t write itself. She told the reporter that she attacks it every morning for a few hours, writing in longhand on a legal pad.

“Go through your old boxes,” Weisberg advises people in the process of writing a memoir but having trouble coming up with chapters and topics. “You might find something interesting.” You may have saved ticket stubs, cheap souvenirs from trips and, of course, letters. Also, go through your email. It may provide more of a record than you think—at least for the past five or ten years. Don’t forget to ask friends and family members whether they’ve saved letters and emails, too. You may not have correspondence from the Daleys, but surely you exchanged notes with people who’ve made an impact on your life.

February 21st, 2012 by admin


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Posted in Memoir writing process, Pertinent internet site

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Valentine’s Day and Love in Memoirs

Valentine’s Day and Love in Memoirs
Since today is Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about love and romance! This can be a sticky topic in a memoir. How much information is too much?
Consider your audience and your goal. If you’re writing your memoirs primarily for your children, grandchildren and friends, you may want to limit your courtship stories to the person or people who have been important to your family. If you have been married to one person for decades, that person is probably the only one you’ll want to talk about. A couple of charming anecdotes about your courtship and what dating was like during the era you met can form a wonderful chapter in a memoir. Readers will be interested in learning why you were attracted to each other, how you overcame obstacles to being together and a description of your engagement and wedding. Valentine’s Day itself may come up as you reminisce about your years together.
If you have had more than one spouse or important significant other, carefully determine how much you want to share about past relationships. This decision is likely to be shaped by whether you were widowed or divorced. If you express any bitter feelings, read that section over a few times or ask someone you trust how it comes across. Again, your goal becomes important. If you want your memoirs to be a statement of your perspective on everything that has happened to you, all of your major relationships may be pertinent. People’s feelings get easily hurt, so just be careful. And Happy Valentine’s Day!

Since today is Valentine’s Day, let’s talk about love and romance! This can be a sticky topic in a memoir. How much information is too much?

Consider your audience and your goal. If you’re writing your memoirs primarily for your children, grandchildren and friends, you may want to limit your courtship stories to the person or people who have been important to your family. If you have been married to one person for decades, that person is probably the only one you’ll want to talk about. A couple of charming anecdotes about your courtship and what dating was like during the era you met can form a wonderful chapter in a memoir. Readers will be interested in learning why you were attracted to each other, how you overcame obstacles to being together and a description of your engagement and wedding. Valentine’s Day itself may come up as you reminisce about your years together.

If you have had more than one spouse or important significant other, carefully determine how much you want to share about past relationships. This decision is likely to be shaped by whether you were widowed or divorced. If you express any bitter feelings, read that section over a few times or ask someone you trust how it comes across. Again, your goal becomes important. If you want your memoirs to be a statement of your perspective on everything that has happened to you, all of your major relationships may be pertinent. People’s feelings get easily hurt, so just be careful. And Happy Valentine’s Day!

February 14th, 2012 by admin


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Posted in Ideas for memoirs content, Memoir writing process

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Two WriteMyMemoirs FAQs

Two Write My Memoirs FAQs
The email we get from our members and also non-members who are browsing various memoir sites reveals a few common concerns. So for those who have wondered:
Q: This can’t really be free. Where are the hidden charges?
A: This can really be free—and it is! You will never be charged for writing your story on the WriteMyMemoirs site and keeping it safe here. Our fee-based services are outlined under the tabs for “Writing Help” and “Publish My Book.” When you want to have a professional editor polish your work, or if you would like us to publish your work into a real book, you will be taken to PayPal for secure payment and we will proceed from there—you don’t have to do anything more!
Q: Why should I fill out the “interview” before I start writing?
A: You can opt out of the interview, but it’s there to help you pinpoint the important dates in your life such as when you started a new job and when your children were born. The information you provide automatically creates a time line that pops up when you start writing a chapter. That’s why we ask you to assign dates to each chapter—our program can then map out the appropriate time line. Because of space restrictions, not everything you mentioned in your interview will show up on the time line, but you’ll have enough to jog your memory, plus you can always look back at your interview to make sure you have your dates straight.
We’ll answer more common questions periodically on the blog, or please use our Contact Us form if you need to ask us something.

The email we get from our members and also non-members who are browsing various memoir sites reveals a few common concerns. So for those who have wondered:

Q: This can’t really be free. Where are the hidden charges?

A: This can really be free—and it is! You will never be charged for writing your story on the WriteMyMemoirs site and keeping it safe here. Our fee-based services are outlined under the tabs for “Writing Help” and “Publish My Book.” When you want to have a professional editor polish your work, or if you would like us to publish your work into a real book, you will be taken to PayPal for secure payment and we will proceed from there—you don’t have to do anything more!

Q: Why should I fill out the “interview” before I start writing?

A: You can opt out of the WriteMyMemoirs interview, but it’s there to help you pinpoint the important dates in your life such as when you started a new job and when your children were born. The information you provide automatically creates a time line that pops up when you start writing a chapter. That’s why we ask you to assign dates to each chapter—our program can then map out the appropriate time line. Because of space restrictions, not everything you mentioned in your interview will show up on the time line, but you’ll have enough to jog your memory, plus you can always look back at your interview to make sure you have your dates straight.

We’ll answer more common questions periodically on the blog, or please use our Contact Us form if you need to ask us something.

February 7th, 2012 by admin


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