Denis Ledoux's Blog, page 18

100 years: July 21, 1921 to July 21, 2021

Today is the centennial anniversary of my mother’s birth. Her life offers a typical Franco-American story.

Lucille Verreault Ledoux was born on July 21, 1921. She lived until May 5, 2015—just shy of 94 years.

I have written extensively about her life both here on the blog and in the memoir we wrote together, We Were Not Spoiled / A Franco-American Memoir.

This Franco-American story chronicles a life that is typical of many Francos of her generation and, as such, is an important a...

Dialog in a memoir: “So what did you say?”

Dialog is important in a memoir because it allows us to “hear” the subject, but using dialog is also fraught with problems. It can throw your memoir off.

Pitfalls of using dialog in a memoir

Essentially, most writers use dialog that is too long. A memoir, of course, is a remembered story. When the writer uses lengthy dialog in a memoir, s/he stretches credulity. The reader questions whether the writer is actually making the dialog up—how can the writer who is now 60 possibly remember such ...

How I Launched Myself Publicly in the Creative Life

Editor: This post first appeared in February 2014 at a time when covid as not part of our lives. It advocates marketing that I undertook in pre-covid days but which I believe will soon be available and viable again.

I believe that implicit in every publication is access to an audience. Whether you hope to support yourself or to merely attract a more substantial audience, this post—written about a time half a life ago—has something for you.

—

“Is it possible to find readers who will support...

A French-Canadian Legacy Podcast with Denis Ledoux

Listen to this podcast on the French-Canadian Legacy Podcast as Denis Ledoux talks about writing memoirs and the memoir he wrote with his mother We Were Not Spoiled.

If you’ve had any interest in writing down your story or someone else’s, this is an amazing episode to listen to.

– Louise Simoneau

Writing a biography: First Franco: Albert Beliveau

Writing a biography poses specific challenges and research problems that are sometimes parallel to, but in the end quite different from, those involved in memoir and historical fiction.

The start of this project

My work on what became First Franco: Albert Beliveau in Law, Politics and Love began more than four years before publication, when I had preliminary discussions with Albert Beliveau’s son, Severin, about a long-dormant project began a generation earlier by a scholar then at...

Memoir Success: Approaching Neverland

Memoir Success

Over the years, I have worked with many writers to help them create and shape their memoirs. It’s my pleasure to bring to your attention once again the success of one such writer: Peggy Kennedy from San Ramon, California, for whom I had the pleasure of providing coaching and editing help that led to her memoir success

Many readers of this blog have been writing for a while and some are despairing of finishing. There is hope. After a number of years of preparation, Peggy Kenn...

What I Saw on Christmas Day

Editor: This lovely tribute about the passing of a care facility resident on Christmas Day was written in 2013 and reflects the previous year. The author’s husband, Henry Gosselin, has since passed.

This is what I saw on Christmas Day while sitting on the couch with my husband at the Vicarage by the Sea, the Alzheimer’s care facility where he now resides.

Earlier, Henry and I had exchanged simple gifts. I gave him a homemade sock monkey that said “Kisses For You” on its hat; I’d read stuff...

5 Fundamental Steps of Online Memoir Promotion

Promoting books online is one of the most stressful tasks for authors. At its core, it’s about informing people why they should buy your book, and giving them an easy way to do so. When put that way, online memoir promotion doesn’t sound so scary. As with anything else, the complexity is in the details. If you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed by all there is to do, take a breath and focus on the following fundamental steps of advertising a book online.

1. Determine where your aud...

Becoming an American—Why Not?

DL— Stories about immigration and citizenship form the backbone of our great American story as much today as in past times.  My ancestors were among the millions who came here in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here is an excerpt about becoming an American from We Were Not Spoiled, the memoir of my mother Lucille Verreault Ledoux as told to me. For many more excerpts of my mother’s life, click here.

Joseph Verreault

My father had not come to the US to stay, but that’s what h...

How to Write A Successful Memoir: Stepping Stones [Part 2]

Today, we wrap up the interview with our guest writer Marilea Rabasa. Her discussion of self-discovery through the hell of substance use disorder continues in Part 2. Her memoir Stepping Stones placed in the International Book Award as a finalist.

For the first half of the interview, click here.

Marilea Rabasa in conversation

Denis Ledoux: Did you envision yourself as a writer before you began this book on substance use? What is your identity as a writer now?

Marilea Rabasa: Writing is a...