not for nothing but Self Care is also how I found you and that changed the entire trajectory of my writing career (AND led to a MEMOIR book deal thank you very much)
Excellent points, as always, Leigh. I have three thoughts: (1) If I heard her correctly, Mackenzie mentioned "triumphant narrative arc" once or twice when she was talking about memoir. I thought to myself the problem is that many memoirs do NOT have a triumphant arc. They have a truncated arc instead, i.e., "I was living my life and then THIS happened" or your aforementioned "never-written bitter burnout memoir" (BTW I think "bitter burnout memoir" should be its own genre). (2) In fiction, you can tweak that narrative arc, so it includes that sense of "triumph" that we readers crave (even if the true story is about being crushed by challenges, rather than overcoming them); (3) This option -- converting a story to fiction rather than a memoir -- is only a possibility for people like you who are gifted writers across both fiction and nonfiction genres (I grew up in journalism and I don't have a fiction bone in my body). Thank you for the always thoughtful conversations about readers and writers!
So much insight, as always! Reading this post about the best form to capture a personal story had me thinking of a favorite quote from my thesis advisor at Sarah Lawrence:
Fiction is how you say the things you can’t say in real life.
This piece really resonated me. I switched my memoir in progress to fiction after workshopping pages in Meghan Daum’s class, which I got to after hearing you on her podcast. I realized the best way for me to get my message across was by creating a character more interesting than myself where I didn’t have to hold back nitty gritty details. 🙏
To answer Leigh's question, I only read memoirs if they're marketed as humourous or if they spend a lot of time explaining business strategies. And before I buy, I read Amazon reviews to see if they really ARE funny (if I see the words "depressing" or "downer" in too many reviews I dont buy it.)
That said,
I'm not exactly sure what a "memoir" is---is "Girl Boss" by Sophia Amorusa a memoir? Or is an obviously ghostwritten book from a business exec like Bob Iger a memoir-- I think his book was "Ride of a Lifetime."
If yes, then I read more memoirs than i thought (though I usually get them from the library.)
I think of Girlboss as a business book—that’s where it’s shelved at B&N (but you’ll find Dani Shapiro or Jeannette Walls on the memoir/biography shelf)
This is exactly what I've been thinking about since tuning into your talks with Kate Napolitano and Mackenzie Brady Watson. I've been working on my fourth memoir (2 published traditionally, 1 self-published) and wondering if it's really worth the uphill battle. I do read memoirs, I loved Laura Belgray's Tough Titties and The Manicurist's Daughter, by Susan Lieu, but I read far more fiction. Maybe that's what I should be focusing on. Thank you for all your guidance and sharing your talent and expertise with all of us!
Oh man, Leigh, this is a challenging perspective shift -- what do you mean, should memoirists write their stories as fiction instead of memoir? What a shift from a decade (or two?) ago when authors were writing fiction because they were not ready to write the truth? :)
I smile. I havne't watched the replay with Mackenzie Brady Watson yet, and am looking forward to it. As someone who is working on a memoir and is "stuck," this feels like the right time to learn a different perspective.
I like what you said about the memoir industry being upside down--how there are too many memoir writers for the market so it feels like everyone is talking about and trying to learn how to write and sell one. It's similar to the post you wrote about how there are too many writers for the industry of writing (Which is the post I found you on). Anyway, thank you for this perspective and food for thought. Really it comes down to, why am I writing a memoir and what's my goal of it? (to understand or be undersood). Thank you.
Vivian Gornick, writing in 2001: "Thirty years ago people who thought they had a story to tell sat down to write a novel. Today they sit down to write a memoir." The 1990s and early 2000s were a boom time for memoirs, before social media gave us 24/7 access to people's personal lives.
I think you'll get a lot from Mackenzie's perspective!
And the last thing I'll add is that if someone had told me in 2012 to write a novel instead of a memoir, I would have ignored them. I was completely obsessed with my project and committed to learning how to write memoir. I read 50 grief memoirs. I went to Tin House and Key West Literary Seminar. I was 100% positive my story had to be told in the form of memoir and I wouldn't do it any differently if I could go back in time. (Maybe the marketing of the book I would do differently... but not the writing)
Thank you for this perspective, Leigh. As with all creative projects, the story needs to get out of me one way or another so I can work on other projects. So, there's my answer 😀
not for nothing but Self Care is also how I found you and that changed the entire trajectory of my writing career (AND led to a MEMOIR book deal thank you very much)
Excellent points, as always, Leigh. I have three thoughts: (1) If I heard her correctly, Mackenzie mentioned "triumphant narrative arc" once or twice when she was talking about memoir. I thought to myself the problem is that many memoirs do NOT have a triumphant arc. They have a truncated arc instead, i.e., "I was living my life and then THIS happened" or your aforementioned "never-written bitter burnout memoir" (BTW I think "bitter burnout memoir" should be its own genre). (2) In fiction, you can tweak that narrative arc, so it includes that sense of "triumph" that we readers crave (even if the true story is about being crushed by challenges, rather than overcoming them); (3) This option -- converting a story to fiction rather than a memoir -- is only a possibility for people like you who are gifted writers across both fiction and nonfiction genres (I grew up in journalism and I don't have a fiction bone in my body). Thank you for the always thoughtful conversations about readers and writers!
Good memory about “triumph!” I understand your point about journalism but I’ve also heard that every journalist secretly wishes they were a novelist…
So much insight, as always! Reading this post about the best form to capture a personal story had me thinking of a favorite quote from my thesis advisor at Sarah Lawrence:
Fiction is how you say the things you can’t say in real life.
I love that!
This piece really resonated me. I switched my memoir in progress to fiction after workshopping pages in Meghan Daum’s class, which I got to after hearing you on her podcast. I realized the best way for me to get my message across was by creating a character more interesting than myself where I didn’t have to hold back nitty gritty details. 🙏
Self Care is how I found you and it’s been love ever since. ❤️🔥 Would have loved to have read your memoir. You’re incredible, Leigh. 🫂
To answer Leigh's question, I only read memoirs if they're marketed as humourous or if they spend a lot of time explaining business strategies. And before I buy, I read Amazon reviews to see if they really ARE funny (if I see the words "depressing" or "downer" in too many reviews I dont buy it.)
That said,
I'm not exactly sure what a "memoir" is---is "Girl Boss" by Sophia Amorusa a memoir? Or is an obviously ghostwritten book from a business exec like Bob Iger a memoir-- I think his book was "Ride of a Lifetime."
If yes, then I read more memoirs than i thought (though I usually get them from the library.)
I think of Girlboss as a business book—that’s where it’s shelved at B&N (but you’ll find Dani Shapiro or Jeannette Walls on the memoir/biography shelf)
This is exactly what I've been thinking about since tuning into your talks with Kate Napolitano and Mackenzie Brady Watson. I've been working on my fourth memoir (2 published traditionally, 1 self-published) and wondering if it's really worth the uphill battle. I do read memoirs, I loved Laura Belgray's Tough Titties and The Manicurist's Daughter, by Susan Lieu, but I read far more fiction. Maybe that's what I should be focusing on. Thank you for all your guidance and sharing your talent and expertise with all of us!
interesting—I hadn’t heard of The Manicurist’s Daughter but I love the cover
It was very good. Sad, but funny too!
I also think the Hoover book has simplistic commercial writing, as many romance books do, so it appeals to the masses.
yes! and she knows how to plot
Aww, Leigh, after reading this I just want to give you a great big hug. What a brave and tenacious soul you are!
that’s kind of you, thanks!
Oh man, Leigh, this is a challenging perspective shift -- what do you mean, should memoirists write their stories as fiction instead of memoir? What a shift from a decade (or two?) ago when authors were writing fiction because they were not ready to write the truth? :)
I smile. I havne't watched the replay with Mackenzie Brady Watson yet, and am looking forward to it. As someone who is working on a memoir and is "stuck," this feels like the right time to learn a different perspective.
I like what you said about the memoir industry being upside down--how there are too many memoir writers for the market so it feels like everyone is talking about and trying to learn how to write and sell one. It's similar to the post you wrote about how there are too many writers for the industry of writing (Which is the post I found you on). Anyway, thank you for this perspective and food for thought. Really it comes down to, why am I writing a memoir and what's my goal of it? (to understand or be undersood). Thank you.
Vivian Gornick, writing in 2001: "Thirty years ago people who thought they had a story to tell sat down to write a novel. Today they sit down to write a memoir." The 1990s and early 2000s were a boom time for memoirs, before social media gave us 24/7 access to people's personal lives.
I think you'll get a lot from Mackenzie's perspective!
And the last thing I'll add is that if someone had told me in 2012 to write a novel instead of a memoir, I would have ignored them. I was completely obsessed with my project and committed to learning how to write memoir. I read 50 grief memoirs. I went to Tin House and Key West Literary Seminar. I was 100% positive my story had to be told in the form of memoir and I wouldn't do it any differently if I could go back in time. (Maybe the marketing of the book I would do differently... but not the writing)
Thank you for this perspective, Leigh. As with all creative projects, the story needs to get out of me one way or another so I can work on other projects. So, there's my answer 😀