The idea of someone reading my life story gripped me with fear…what if nobody reads it?
Why write?
Why am I writing the book, for me or for the reader? In my case, it’s both. The subject matter I have chosen is a delicate topic. Most people avoid talking about trauma. Why people who are affected can have a hard, if not impossible, time healing. No one wants to talk about it. It is time to reverse this trend and be open, honest and vulnerable in the process. It’s not going to be easy.
My first stumbling block was where to start the book? I fell asleep just thinking about the typical birth to present day progression, so why wouldn’t the reader? How can it end if I’m still alive? I’m no one special, so why would anyone read it? Do I have a message, a moral, or lesson to be learned from reading it? These are all questions that kept twirling around in my brain and didn’t have answers…until now.
I found a lot of what I learned, which took me a couple of years, in this video from Book Launchers and is great advice. I like her energy.
What Genre?
Writing a Memoir? by Book Launchers
What’s your stumbling block? Do you have an idea that you’re still working on developing? Put yourself in the reader’s shoes. Is there something in your book for them? Does it have a theme? Can it be told in one book or is it a series? Flushing out your idea means asking many of these questions and more. Take the time to get your idea worked out in your mind so you can feel confident you have a story to tell. One that will not only get you excited but the reader as well. After all, you want your book to sell…right?
My other big question was How Not to Get Sued
That subject is TBD…stay tuned. In the meantime two of my cats had kittens in May, so my writing is slower than usual. What can I say except - welcome to the circus!
Note: Both moms have been spayed since these kittens were born. No more “Saturday nights for you girls!”