I have transitioned from male to female had regrets than transitioned back ! My story is incredible writing about my detransition has not only helped me heal but gave me hope for life I’m so excited to share my story !
I’m writing a memoir about forgiving my dad even though who abused me . It also talks about the challenges of going to a inpatient hospital at 12 and group home at 14
Thank you for this, Kelly. You are the absolute best at describing with examples and allowing the viewer to listen and apply/incorporate technique into their own writing style and goal.
The information you provided in this video is priceless!! I work in the film industry and you knocked it out of the park with this one. I've an outline, character building, now I can start on my plot. This video pushed me out of my two week rut!! Absolutely Amazing!!
I've had a desire to write a memoir for years. I started writing the memoir at a pivotal moment in my life where everything was turned upside down. I knew that this is where I had to start. Thanks so much for your great advice. I will continue to watch your videos to help guide me.
Thanks for watching, I'm so glad that this video was helpful during your journey. What a great time to start a memoir right in the middle of life-changing events. Keep going! We can't wait to hear how your story comes along.
Ignore this, Just taking notes Memoir: crafted like a novel, not chronological, interjections, discussion of life, understanding and articulation of a bigger picture going on, character driven & scene driven like a novel, readers must grow to love u as the protagonist. U must win them over with being vulnerable, imperfect, revealing flaws and selves. Show rather than tell, show by carefully chosen scenes. Show what happened scene by scene. Needs to have hero’s journey in it. Show us the moment where u got diagnoses, show us moment where ___, bring us into the story by giving the irrelevant details (about who we are and the scene we’re walking thru on this journey). Do character development and journal abt u, who are u? What do u care about? What did u care about before this happened? What were u thinking abt most of the time? What were u doing and talking to? What thoughts were running thru ur mind? Take us to the moment it happened, show us don’t tell us. Character development about the people who were there. Write about where u loved, the yard u played in, the key people in ur life. Plot the scenes out as if in a movie. Scene progression, how does the beginning and middle and end fit with each other? Plot them in advance, u can’t include every important moment of ur life. Carve it out. Memoirs: traveling mercies by Anne Lamont (beautiful scenes) Caravan of no despair (she had to leave a lot out, but good example of sparely told and emotionally intense memoir) The afterlife of billy fingers (cooky, lively and funny scenes, good at setting scene after scene) Sue Monk Kidd The dance of the dissident daughter (beautiful scenes)
Hi, what helpful information you share, this has helped me a lot! Are you a writer, or author? If so, I had a couple questions, was wondering if you could maybe help point me in the right direction if at all possible. Thanks!😊
Really? I think she rushes. I get sensory overload trying to take in so much information at such a pace. I have to keep stopping and taking breaks. But then, I'm getting old. 😊
What an insane time to be writing a memoir. C19 and isolation affected me so much more than I ever thought possible. In the beginning, I continued writing, but then my boyfriend's parents got sick, his father died, my guy tested positive and I went into an anxiety spiral. What more could possibly happen, right? I'm so blessed. And now I've kept adding to my journey. When you sell all your possessions and allow yourself only one suitcase, buy a series of plane tickets with no return destination...then fall in love with a young Turk!! Haha, well, life is insane and amazing all at the same time. Thanks for being the guiding light to get this second memoir into the second draft stage. Love your passion!
Thank you for this! Just 2 hours ago I made the decision that my first book will be a memoir (maybe a teaching memoir?). I've been writing this book for almost 4 years and am so EXCITED to have this clarity. I can begin to "bring together" my story. Appreciate all your videos and advice.
The memoir I’m writing about is about a broken heart, manipulation, drugs, jail, success, failures, sex, lies, getting kicked out the military (love), house arrest, mental depression, finding God, and much more. I had the blessing to read “Educated” by Tara West and she inspired me to write book. The problem is I’m uneducated, a hispanic male, and broke. Just finished my first draft of 59 pages.... this is the beginning of my shame and humiliation. When I write (specifically memoir) I end up crying, drinking, or sleeping more than usual. I need help writing my memoir.
Getting your story out can be the biggest challenge! We would love to help with your memoir! Your first initial phone call with an editorial matchmaker is absolutely free. They will gather details about your specific project and provide directions for next steps. Here is the link to schedule a call: knliterary.com/schedule/
Best of luck to you. Fight club might be a good inspiration for you as a film reference. But as memoir and also a film, maybe Basketball Diaries. Also Nicki Sixx's Heroin Diaries and possibly Motley Crue's , The Dirt. They all tackle drugs /addiction and all kinds of madness. I have to admit I tried reading Heroin Diaries and as someone who has also had battles with depression, it was way too depressing for me to read. Best of luck. Really listen to her advice in this video. Take notes, and start trying to whittle down the moments to the ones you think are too important to not have in telling your story. Like if you had 5-15 minutes to tell a complete stranger who you were, what would you tell them about? How would you want them to perceive you? What would you absolutely want them to know or understand about your journey? Specific lessons you learned? How you changed as a person? Remember what she said about we have to experience it with you, and get us to be on your side. Best of luck.
Writing memoir brings up a lot of painful memories. As a recovering addict, I highly recommend working on recovery in NA and/or AA to help you process your past and see it from a new perspective.
I know I’m years later, but find the book, “when the lights go out” by David (Nino) rodriguez. It’s about a guy (ex champion boxer) who fought addiction and lost everything… his darkest days and road to recovery. You might relate to him.
Wow this is such beautiful content, thank you so so much for sharing. I'm writing a memoir but my experience of healing 40 years of clinical depression and suicidal ideation through plant medicines, ayahuasca, mushrooms, iboga, and was looking for ways to organize my story. My story is very similar to caravan of no despair actually in the sense that my suffering became a catalyst for my healing. This is absolutely priceless, thank you so much again!
This video was very helpful. Thank you! I started writing mine yesterday. Really for my two kids, but the more I sit and plan things out, the more I wonder if more might be interested in some of the pivotal moments in my life. Again great video, you gave a lot of good information concsely.
Congrats on getting started! It's great when the reason for writing motivates you. It really helps you mold the story and figure out your direction and voice. Keep up the good work!
Allison, thank you for your very true inspiring words. You reinforced the very essence of the memoir I wrote many years ago, value! I valued my carefree beautiful life on the small Island where I grew up, however comfortable it may have been, something was missing that I could not put my fingers on. I was brought up in a house of secrets where no one talked about things, you were just told to keep quiet and not ask silly questions. I was at a pivotal point in my life where one part of me had had enough, and one part of me wanted to flee Island life. I was never any good at verbally expressing myself and developed a spiritual calling out of frustration to write my story which was where my writing journey all began. My mental suffering became the catalyst of my healing and the only way I could climb out of this 'stuck place' was to write about it. I needed to let go and find myself and the only way I knew how was to keep a diary every day which eventually turned into a book.
Hi there. I’m also a cancer survivor and in the process of writing my own book based on the experience of my past 2 years. Your videos help me alott. More power 💪🏻
Thanks for watching. We're so glad the videos have been helpful and can't wait to hear how your project goes. Your message is so important and your personal story will touch so many who have struggled and survived. Congrats on taking steps toward your book dream!
Hmm, I was thinking of just writing mine as a bunch of short stories. My logic being that there are lots of times people get me to sit down and tell the tales of my (often stupid and rediculous) adventures. So I figured having those stories written out would be fun. That said, they really are just a bunch of scenes, so likely I could link them together a bit more into one flowing story.
Writing a bunch of short stories is a great idea! My advice would be to sit down and assess your content and then determine whether it makes the most sense for you to write a shorter piece or a longer piece! As always, we at KN Literary encourage writers to schedule a FREE consultation with one of our lovely matchmakers to help answer questions you may have: www.knliterary.com/schedule -Ayesha💕
Well done. Thanks! Very useful tips and presented in an encouraging manner. Good writing is real work. One can always improve. As I began to write , I attended a writers' conference and found a one-page handout imploring us to ask one simple question - Why do we write? And what I found is that the answer to that question evolves and grows over time. It is easy to overthink things and paralyze ourselves into inaction. Who cares if "it" is not "perfect"? What is "perfect", anyway? I would surmise that anyone watching this video has either begun or is at some more advanced stage of completing a memoir. To you, I would say... enjoy it! Be one of the very few who actually completes a manuscript. Don't hesitate. Press on! I remember an art teacher telling us that there is no such thing as "bad art". Grind it out and surprise yourself! Above all else, do not allow anyone to steal your dream. Everyone has a story to tell... Cheers, 🍷
My aunt contacted me recently and told me about her memoir involving drug addiction which this inspired me in the midst of a transformative part of my life. Literally a light bulb. "I should write about my experience with my narcissist and the crucial lessons I learned over the past seven years!!" So now I'm trying to gather as much information as possible on writing memoirs to me this happen and to share my story with others. I'm so excited for this new chapter of my life 😁😁💐
Great information!! Love it!! I would love a call to discuss my memoir, and involves another person that is very powerful and will do nothing more than to squash me like an ant. But I feel like I need to share my story so I can help women leave powerful man. Safely
I like your take on having scenes drive the book rather than making it chronological. I wrote a memoir that jumps around a bit; some times are finite and some are just musings but they all occurred at roughly the same time.
I was really impressed by the succinct nature of the information, the enthusiasm, the speed of words-delivery, and the closing remarks about the story "you were born to right". The beautiful marble on the cutting room floor was such an inspired way to describe the editing process - kudos, props, bravo, great choice of metaphor. I hope this comment serves as an encouraging moment for you because this sincerity and still business-oriented style for the video was refreshing, to say the least! Namaste. And thank you.
I’ve been wanting to write a short memoir of me traveling around the world. I particularly want to talk about how discovering new experiences has set my moral compass for the better and affect my life decisions up until now. My political beliefs and growing empathy all started from meeting new people and has grown into a web of discovery that lead me to either change my habits, discover social media accounts that promote empathy and in turn enable changing, and speak up for people who have been treated unjustly. I’ve been reading books again because of quarantine to improve my vocabulary for such a project and in turn has led me to this video to learn about the creative writing process. I have many more ideas when it comes to memoir but a travel memoir was the strongest idea.
Thanks for sharing a bit about your memoir journey. It sounds like you have a great path established and reading other memoirs for inspiration is a great way to research and improve your vocabulary as you say. Best of luck!
Hi. I have BPD and bipolar, both incorrectly diagnosed until I was 46. Blessings to you on your discovery journey. I am just beginning to study memoir writing.
Thank you so much for this video which has inspired me more to tell my story of a terrible loss I suffered six years ago; the illness and death of my only child. I have been trying to get things going but trying to find the courage to do so. I hope to find more support from your videos; this is my first.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Your story will no doubt be inspiring to others. We really encourage you to keep going and hope you find all the other videos helpful as well. Keep us posted on how your project comes along!
((Hugs)) watched my mom endure this with my little brother. And I've lost someone every single year since he passed in 2007. In fact sometimes more than one someone. On 9/11 this year I found my best friend, who I did caregiving for for 6 years deceased in her apartment. So I lost my job, income, and best friend all in the same day. I'm literally waiting for unemployment right now still, cos of covid its been delayed.. suucckks. And it really messed me up experiencing that. I'm so sorry I hope your heart gets lighter in time, and that you're able to find healing and peace in time. As well as more people to connect with that can feel you and help.
I'm am transitioning from being a script writer to writing my own memoir. I went from an abusive relationship, to a life changing spinal surgery, to losing half of my family at once, to deal with a roof collapse, to then traveling around my country not knowing where I'd be living next. I'm calling it "The Year That Went To S**t" in hopes that someone can see that you can have a hard year and still come out with your sanity and strength.
This was so incredibly helpful information, thank you. I've been tossing around the idea of a memoir for YEARS. Coz all my years in retail (8 at a book store even) i've had people I don't really know, or just met expressing deep curiosity and interest in knowing and hearing about my life. I've long been focused on a young adult novel but people keep bringing my mind and focus back to my life and me and it seems like a sign I just need to follow. I always wanted to approach it like a movie, coz movies are how I like to digest story frequently. But when it's your life and your experiences sometimes it feels like we're too close to decide exactly where to start. It seems when I tell people about my life, no matter what part, it seems fantastical and exaggerated because it's so crazy! I get told all the time it sounds like a movie. And it does. I feel like people think i'm making it up sometimes. I took heavy notes from this video. I'm going to subscribe and start doing what you suggested. I actually had to do something similar for my y.a. story (i'm still writing). I had to stop the general story and write down names, family trees, and history of events that took place before the characters in the main story existed because it was detrimental to how I tell about the events happening now to them. So this actually makes a lot of sense to me!! Thanks again!!
Also, do you have any recommondations for crime based or photo driven memoirs? I happen to have tome very compelling visuals that help to drive the stories, as the stories enhance the visuals, but I don't know of anything that has been done in such a way that there would be images placed throughout. Is it a concept that simply won't work?
@@scottlunn4327, Thanks for your question! It is fairly commonplace to include a photo insert if there are visuals that are compelling and even required for the reader to understand the book. However, having photos throughout the book is possible as well, as long as you can run them in black and white. If they need to be in color in order to be understood, a photo insert is the best idea so that you don’t have to run the entire book in 4-color. Four-color printing is very expensive and requires glossy paper which is not necessary or normal for a text-driven book. Hope this helps!
I just found your channel - I’ve never considered reading other memoirs for the purpose of researching how to write my own one day - though it seems so obvious! I mostly listen to audio books but I get a sense this exercise would be much better served by reading the paper book - I’m so excited - I think it’s been over 5 yrs since I’ve read a real book in my hands! Thank you!! Vivi
Starting to write again after a 2 year hiatus. I’m re-re-re-starting my memoir project. The latest idea is to use the actual text I wrote (and published anonymously) back in 1997. It was picked up and reposted on the web in a few places. Over 1M views-this was way before blogging, and way, way before social media. On my pre and early days of transition. Writing to fill in more of the before and since then. …29 years later. It’s a cliche but so true how time zips by. Lots of serendipity and Zelig-like moments that created tangents/new directions. I never thought I’d live past 27, never thought I’d be able to transition, never thought I’d get married AND divorced, never thought I’d have my heart heal after so many breaks and losses, and never thought I could ever have the chance to update my story and to finally be not-anonymous.
While I was watching you and listening to you I was imagining making movie out of my own story book. I love movies and now I understand it's possible to make my own movie. I can start by making short videos.
I wanted to write a memoir based on my love story on how I found and kept my partner through the painful struggle of obsessive compulsive disorder! I can’t wait to start it once I get all the info I need on how to do it!
Being a Sixties scoop survivor, and the son of two residential school survivors, I'm trying to figure out whether I should write an essay compilation, or a memoir.
Thank you for watching. The world needs your story! You could start out by writing essays about these experiences. Eventually, if you see a common theme emerging, it may turn into a memoir later on. Either way, start writing.
I really like how fast you spoke and how it was always about something! Your tips helped a lot, thank you! I’m trying to write about my best friend from my own experience with her experiences.
Hi Kelly. I just came across your clip here and you explain things very well. I'm beginning my adventure in writing my story. Looking forward to it. I'm going to read the books you recommended. Especially the first two. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. Grandma's Angel's
Thank you so much for your sound advice. I appreciate your time and insight on a topic that can feel overwhelming. The way you explain everything is easy to digest and utilize. I just subscribed to your channel, and look forward to seeing more of your content.
You are awesome! As a child and teen,I read often.Life is so busy know I don't get to read like I use too however I've rather read them watch T.V. I love creating memorable moments in my writing!
I wrote my first memoir based on universal life lessons that everyone learns. I learned as a child on a small broken down farm. One lady who grew up in a high rise apt building in NYC told me she could relate to every lesson. Bingo! I knew I hit my goal. Even memoir is written for the reader. Not for the author. Love your videos
Thanks for the explanation of how to write a memoir, it’s pretty much how I thought it would be all these years of thinking about writing my book. I think maybe I might be a little too young I’m 39 but I’ve had a long life so far. Allot of good times and some not so good. I feel like mine- would be ranked right up there with best sellers if I can just write it out correctly. wish me luck, and again thank you for the video
So good! Very sensible and clear advice, obviously from an understanding of both sides, the editor's and writer's/protagonist's perspectives. Thank you for sharing it! 🙌
Thank you so much for this helpful video and your free PDFs! I am currently writing a memoir on my father and will be looking for an editor in the near future, so I made sure to subscribe and write your name down. Thank you for the 3 Book Outlines workpage, it was the first time I was able to write my story step by step with the Hero's Journey! It has brought so much clarity to my project. Thank you!!
Thank you for the specific advice! I love how you tailor it to each of our stories. Through highschool, my 3 cancers were misdiagnosed, causing me to have lifelong damage, and stage 4 thyroid cancer. It's so hard to write an autobiography when there's so much to fit. I'm excited to start writing using your tips!
This video really packs a punch with useful tips about developmental and scene writing when crafting a memoir. Thank you so much for spelling it out and for including reference books that I can both enjoy and learn from. Do you lead any Zoom classes on character development that where we can share writing assignments with others for feedback? If not, I'd love your recommendation. Thank you again.
I just discovered your channel. I'm writing, and it's helping me a lot! As I write, I am banging out memoir after memoir that teachers like you are recommending. Currently reading "Angela's Ashes" and right away I noticed there are no quotation marks around any of the dialogue. Can you comment on why, and how the author might have decided to omit this?
Thank you for your videos. I just finished my memoir and sent my query letter to two literary agents. Hopefully it will go well. I wrote a lot in college. I am hoping my writing will be up to there standards. If anything, I will self publish if I need to. Your videos were extremely helpful.
I'm currently writing a memoir about surviving cancer at 16 and the knowledge I learned along the way. In the book, I'm also giving advice along with telling my story. I am taking notes during all your videos because it is so helpful especially since I haven't had a lot of writing experience (I'm 17). For the scenes, I have them written in past tense but would it be more realistic for the reader if I made them in present tense so they felt like they were there with me? I have been journaling all my emotions for the past two years so a lot of it is present tense but when I write about specific scenes like when I was diagnosed and my first and last chemo I write in the past tense. I'm wondering if the change in tense would be confusing or interesting. Love your videos!!!
Thank you for sharing a bit about your story. It sounds like you have some great wisdom and a very important message to get into the world! Tense is a personal preference, and there are great memoirs that use past tense (like Educated by Tara Westover and Becoming by Michelle Obama) and others that use present tense (like Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle). We recommend doing a bit of research on memoirs similar to your own as you make your decision!
Hey same here. I’m also a cancer survivor and in the process of writing my own book based on the experience of my past 2 years. Even i was confused about the same. I hope you’re doing well now. More power 💪🏻
Excellent question. I too was curious about the tense. That is something i've long had difficulty deciding as a writer depending on what i'm working on. I was a theater geek in high school and middle school so i've got a great deal of practice with play/script format writing. I always loved creative writing and even wrote for my school paper, but it's so much different when it's more personal. Congratulations to you and the other commentor who have survived and seem to have defeated cancer. I bet your stories will help a lot of people. I have to say, just reading your comment/question you seemed much older & wiser than 17. It's pretty crazy how living through certain things can impart so much wisdom in the young. I grew up with a severely disabled brother who was born when I was 3 so I had to learn what death was then, coz we were told he'd not live to be a year old. This experience greatly impacted my life in 2 major ways, I think it made me have to mature faster, and I think it's the "reason" I ended up being "a freak" (goth, punk, social outcast). I got told my entire life I was "an old soul" i bet you hear that a lot as well. That's kinda the focus i'm wanting to go with my story, why I look this way. Hell in 1999 I was interviewed by the local newspaper because they wanted me to be the voice for educating the public on what goth is. I was a public figure cos I was a manager at my local hot Topic and I influenced a couple generations of outcast kids. Either through a phase or through their life. It's so wild just the other day I got a message on Instagram from a girl who is in her 20s or 30s who told me she's wanted to be me since she was about 9 years old. It blew my mind. Especially since I quit that job in 2006 after 8 years. But apparently i'm still in the minds of those who remember me. It's really a mind eff especially coz the general public was incredibly cruel and mean to me. I had to have my guard up the moment I stepped outside, nowadays I hear more positive stuff than negative, so it feels like a lot of my goals of breaking the public in to acceptance of the different or weird has finally paid off for the most part! Best of luck to you, and your progress on your story, life, and health! Keep staying positive and imparting knowledge/experience/advice is great too. I believe: If you can help or inspire someone along the way, that's something I feel excellent about doing as much as possible.
My memoir would be about healing from severe abuse in childhood that caused dissociative identity disorder, and becoming a foster parent and leader in the community to help children from childhoods like my own.
