Publishing Companion Pieces Served My Memoir Well in Unexpected Ways

By Julie Brill

Publish short, related pieces before you publish your memoir is advice I heard from many teachers. It’s the basis for Susan Shapiro’s jam-packed class “Instant Gratification Takes Too Long,” which I took twice. Having more than a dozen essays published about my relationship with my family’s Holocaust experiences prior to the publication of my memoir Hidden in Plain Sight: A Family Memoir and the Untold Story of the Holocaust in Serbia served me well for reasons beyond what I...