Denis Ledoux's Blog, page 46
July 5, 2018
Commit to writing your memoir with a time management strategy
Note from the Editor: The following post is taken from A Writer’s Time: Management That Works. This program functions with an open enrollment, which is now accepting registrations.
The first step to maximize your writing time is to commit to writing your memoir—really commit. More than other choice, committing to write will focus you and make every other decision easier—and even sometimes unnecessary.
“But I already want to write my memoir!” I can hear some hypothetical writer protesting. “...
July 3, 2018
Making time to write your memoir–Time management that works
Note from the Editor: The following post is taken from A Writer’s Time: Management That Works. This program functions with an open enrollment, which is now accepting registrations.
There’s no denying that writing a memoir takes time—a lot of time. In this program, you will learn strategies for making time to write your memoir—and you probably have more time than you think!
We understand your desire to write a memoir. We’re writers ourselves, and just like you, we have also yearned to prese...
June 28, 2018
What an Author Needs to Bring to a Book Launch–What You Need to Organize a Book Launch
Most of the people I work with opt for self-publication. As independently published authors, they are the ones who organize their own book launch. Writing a memoir is a long haul and it is refreshing to have an event to gather friends and family and fans together to acknowledge that an end and a beginning are occurring. The Memoir Network has participated in a number of book launches. Here is a distillation of what has made these launches successful. Follow the tips below to organize a boo...
June 26, 2018
Solving A Narrator Problem
A narrator problem can ruin a memoir. In 1996 and 1997, I composed about 200 pages of a memoir about my high school years and then could not continue. It was blocked; I was blocked. As a result, I stored the manuscript in various computers for all the while since then.
After having completed my mother’s memoir (We Were Not Spoiled), I was looking for a personal writing project I might devote myself to. The high school memoir was always in the back of my...
June 21, 2018
When You Must Have The Photos You Don’t Have/How To Journal Without The Photos, Part II
The Memory List that you completed when you first began writing your memoir is integral to the writing process. The Memory List will suggest topics to write about, but what follows is additional tips you can use when you don’t have the photos.
The reason the people were together. What impact did the event have on them? Include information about what led up to the moment. Particulars about the event, people, or setting you wish to memorialize. You can inc...June 19, 2018
Publishing A Memoir the Right Way
Today, technology, better distribution and a growing interest in reclaiming regional identity makes publishing a memoir the right way a viable option for many authors who want their books to reach a wider circle than their immediate family and friends. It is not true that your book is not worthy to be read unless it has been purchased by a New York corporate publishing house. Self-publishing has many benefits, not the least of which are that you can control production decisions and can rec...
June 14, 2018
3 Benefits of Keeping a Journal
When keeping a journal—regular (even daily), some people feel a release of energy they don’t have in other writing forms. Because of that, journal keeping can be an important developmental experience for you both as a person and as a writer. Because the journal is private by definition, you can write in it without fear of how an audience might react. No one will ever see it. Not ever—unless you want them to!
Your journal is a kind of writing laboratory. Scientists u...
June 12, 2018
A Narrator Issue: Who is Writing Your Memoir?
This may sound like a trick question but it’s not. In fact, it is a very serious question that will determine<!-- [if gte mso 9]></p>
June 7, 2018
How to Write More Efficiently #2
In a previous post, I had developed the concept of writing on a deadline. In this post I will stay with the concept of writing close to the finish.
Yes, writing is a process but…While I continue to believe that writing ought to be open-ended and that you ought to remain in the process of discovering your theme and subject rather than opt for a too-quick closure (“This is what my story means”), I also believe in something that is a bit...
June 5, 2018
How to Write More Efficiently #1
Too many writers (I have been among them) allow the book-writing process to go on and on. We lack efficiency which is a practice and, like all practices, it is possible to learn to write more efficiently. There are many ways to learn to write more efficiently but I want to propose only one way here.
As we probably all have done, we can clean a living space up rather well in a few hours if we learn that we have unexpected company arriving soon. It’s...
