Denis Ledoux's Blog, page 56

Writer’s Block Is Often Caused by Lack of Discipline

Is discipline necessary for success overcoming writer’s block?

Yes, absolutely!

Writer’s block is often a symptom of a lack of discipline.

This thought will help to place writer’s block in perspective. After all, it’s an excuse—sanctioned by the notion of inspiration—for not getting work done. Writing is a job that has a number of requirements and stages, and each in turn must be approached with discipline—a respect for the inner exigencies of the tasks. To approach writing otherwise is to...

Writing About Religious Beliefs in a Memoir

How To Write About Religious Beliefs

Writing about religious beliefs can be a quagmire for the memoir writer. How can you write about religious beliefs without sinking your memoir? The answer that I can offer you comes down to the same old suggestion: show and don’t tell. Showing one’s religious beliefs in action or in a scene allows the reader the freedom to accept or reject the belief itself while continuing to read the memoir.

Every piece of writing has a theme.

The theme is the why of o...

Four Tips to Write a Better Memoir

Four Tips to Write a Better Memoir

To write a better memoir, make use of the core memory list. The extended memory list does not make value judgments about the quality of your memories. The core memory list, however, distinguishes between two sorts of memories—the important from the unimportant—that appear on your extended list. As you write more, you’ll find yourself producing more memories. Some of these are important to you, others are not. Distinguishing between the two is crucial to wr...

Your Subject—Where Writing With Passion Starts

Writing with passion

“What to write about in a memoir?” is a basic question. The right answer will keep you writing and the wrong may lead you to believe that writing a memoir is too hard and not for you.

My answer to what to write about in a memoir is always to write about something important to you—not what you think is important to others.

Why are you writing? What is it that you hope to get from this effort of creating a memoir? You are about to devote a lot of time and energy to this t...

Why Action in Writing Is Important

Action in Writing Is Essential

In writing a life story, it is important to pay attention to three aspects: action, character, and setting. These will enhance your story every time. To neglect these elements is to risk having your story fall flat. In this article, we will concentrate on action.

When you use action in writing  your story, it is called plot. Something must happen in your story to retain the interest of your reader.

Listen to how a child tells a story. It is all action. Nuances...

Do Similes and Metaphors Scare You?

Don’t let similes and metaphors frighten you.

“I don’t quite know how to describe what I’m feeling,” you might say during your writing as you grope for a way to describe in words this emotion that is beyond words.

There is a solution to this dilemma that writers often resort to—but one too many are sure they can’t handle. It is the use of metaphors, similes, images, and symbols. These will bring your text to a level beyond words.

1. A simile is a comparison that uses like or as.

When you sa...

Spelunking

I enjoy many forms of physical exercise, from climbing mountains, to backpacking along trails, to bicycling, and even swimming. But mostly nowadays I just go hiking, sometimes with my grandchildren and partner, but often alone. Working the muscles of my body is good for me and helps keep my joints working. I feel better after a long walk.

So, too, my mental muscles feel better after a good writing workout. I’ve been writing diaries since I was very young, and I keep boxes of them wherever I...

Memoir Interviewing

Memoir Interviewing

Memoir interviewing is an integral piece of research. Although you may assume you can depend on your memory when you write your lifestories—memory isn’t always as reliable as you want it to be. Interviews with relevant family members and friends can supplement your memory and broaden the perspective of your memoir.

How To Prepare For Memoir Interviewing 1) Select whom you will interview.

If your time is limited, or your family is large and offers many choices, it will be...

Writing Tips for Successful Writing

Writing tips that really can keep you writing.

Recently, someone asked me to provide writing tips to remove the biggest barriers memoir writers face to being successful. Three came to mind right away.

1. Writers often put off writing a good memoir in favor of struggling unsuccessfully to create a perfect one.

This is insidious because no one says they are putting off writing a good memoir in favor of a perfect one. Instead they say, “I want my story to be meaningful” or “I want to be sure I...

Looking for the Right Details

The Right Details Enhance Your Memoir

I’ve been thinking again of looking for the right details to enhance your memoir. Of course, details are crucial in the what of a memoir as well as in the who, the where, and the when. They are the facts of your memoir, but there is an expanded role for details in memoir writing. Here are two larger roles that details can serve.

1. The right details can lead to psychological insight, to a deepening of the story.

I was recently in a restaurant and I saw...