You DO have the ability!

Back in April of this year I published a post entitled ‘Afraid to Write?’ in which I briefly discussed how some find the idea of writing, anything that will be seen publicly, a fearful prospect. In that post I also looked and considered a new company that has been set up to help people, at a cost, to get their stories published. Now, in today’s post, I propose to briefly consider who has the ability to write a book. Naturally, as memoir and autobiography are my primary focus I will tend to look at the subject from that angle nevertheless, I think the principles will apply generally to all writing.

It really is very simple. If you are able to tell people your tale over a cup of coffee or tea or a drink, you DO have the ability to write your story. After all memoir, I use the term to include autobiography, is the relating of how YOU remember, understand, interpret and feel about events in and from your own life.
Now you may say:
 I do not know how to create proper phrases.Grammar was never my strong subject.I have never been very good at spelling.I do not understand about punctuation.English is not my first language.People will criticize me if I do not make a good job of it. If I tell everything as it really was I may upset people.Where do I start?What do I include and what do I omit?Etc.
All of us who have written about our lives faced the same dilemma. We had to sit down and carefully consider whether we could in truth achieve our aim. Whether we could in reality ‘publish’ a book. It is from this experience I am sharing with you.
Something you will hear occasionally is the term ‘the author’s own voice’. In other words, the tale has been told in a distinctive style that reflects how the author would be relating their tale if they were actually speaking to you direct. This may be to do with localised accents, terminology, phrases, spellings, customs, understanding and acceptances; in other words, ‘culture’. Of course these may require a little explanation for those not familiar with the locality or country. But that is something we would be doing even when telling the tale over coffee, tea or a drink.
As to grammar, punctuation, English Language, etc. These may be learnt reasonably easily from study guides or books in general. However, we also need to bear in mind the aspect of ‘author’s voice’ as related above. Sometimes, what is referred to as incorrect may in fact simply be a reflection of uniqueness. Make no mistake, I am NOT advocating the creation of poor quality books. We must always seek to achieve the best we can and sometimes to this end it may be necessary to employ a proof-reader and editor, if you have the means. If you are unable to do this please ensure, at the very least, you go through your manuscript several times before publishing. Even better if you have someone else you can ask to read through it.
So how do you get started? Very simple. First decide whether you are going to use ink and paper, typewriter or computer. Someone may suggest recording your story. Though this may be useful to get your ideas sorted I suggest, ultimately, it is not the most helpful means to achieve your aim. You will come to note that the majority of authors find it most beneficial to actually write down their tales: I doubt they are all wrong.
One thing I should point out; it may be necessary to apply some self-discipline to achieve your goal. If you are able, I recommend setting aside some time each day, preferably the same period, when you find somewhere quiet to write, even if you do not feel like it. If you find yourself struggling with what to write it will often be best to just put down what comes to mind. You will frequently be surprised at how much sense it makes when you re-read it. In addition, it is a principle generally accepted that if you do not have anything written down then you have nothing to work on. If you are like me, or in fact writers in general, just keeping your thoughts in your head will achieve little. It is not until you see them on paper, or screen, that you will be able to start properly formulating the story.
There, see how simple it is? YOU DO HAVE THE ABILITY TO WRITE YOUR STORY, whether memoir, autobiography or fiction. If you are still unsure, why not write something down and then ask someone else to have a quick read. Sometimes, as happened with my first attempt, you may be told you have an interesting story even if it requires the wording or presentation to be worked on.
So please do not rob us of your story. Please DO write it. Society, the world, will be the poorer if your tale is lost to it.