2 Classic Secrets to Jumpstart Your Memoir

         My guest today, Nicole Ayers, is someone you might know from her several guest spots on my blog Tossing It Out.   She also contributed a series of Friday posts to the Blogging from A to Z Challenge blog and now is an official Challenge co-host.   You can also find Nicole at her own blog The Madlab Post.  

2 Classic Secrets to Jumpstart Your Memoir

Dear Writer,

      I know memoirs seem like one of the most daunting pieces of literary material to complete. It’s not easy to just sit down and recap an entire life’s worth of experiences -- especially in a short timeframe. When you’re dealing with a case of writer’s block or self-doubt in this work, I want you to remember that it can be done with little to no hassle. Try breaking it into sections using an old, but efficient, method of short-form writing – Letters. We’re already accustomed to writing letters for many reasons – to file complaints, land a job, catch up with long distance friends and family or to provide personal and professional references when necessary. In an age when you’re so comfortable crafting text messages, social media updates and even blog posts without a sweat, why not apply similar principles to the very work that will become part of your legacy?

       The secret to creating a good memoir is by writing from the heart, in a voice grounded on truth, self-awareness, openness and sincerity. No other work that I know of depicts this practice than the dramatic picture “The Bridges of Madison County,” directed by Clint Eastwood. Yes, I am aware it’s based on Robert James Waller’s novel, but I did not read that book – I watched its film adaptation, a classic that earned Meryl Streep an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. In “The Bridges of Madison County,” two siblings find love letters revealing an affair between their mother Francesca and a National Geographic photographer named Robert Kincaid. They also find a letter she wrote to them, along with diaries chronicling her love affair. Though hard to read and even more difficult to accept, the children eventually learn more about their mother in her death than they knew when she was alive – thanks to those letters and diaries that, unknowingly, also helped them find clarity in the state of their own lives and relationships.

       Francesca’s letter to her children and accompanying diaries were just as powerful as the letters she received from Robert because they were all honest. Their lasting effect, however, came from their ability to write with the recipient of said letters in mind. That is why I urge you to consider who you’re writing to first, by crafting letters that are addressed to your reader, in a figurative sense.

       What kind of memoir are you writing? Will it be personal, formal or somewhere in the middle? Identifying the type of reader(s) your memoir is intended for also clarifies any boundaries that you will or won’t cross. Knowing where you stand can make the next part – finding your tone – much easier to figure out. It can be shaped by writing letters to real or imaginary people. They can be living or dead, so long as their human presence in your mind aids in the task of putting words on paper -- or screen. This person should be someone you trust, which will make your letter writing come from a genuine place. The more comfortable you are communicating thoughts, feelings and experiences, the more letters you will be able to complete.

        The secret to those powerful letters in “Bridges of Madison County” are also in the bits and pieces of one woman’s life puzzle. Francesca’s focus on a specific segment of her life – the affair-- made it easier for this country gal’s children to honor her request for cremation and dispersal of ashes. It’s a wonder, the amount of confusion or torn decisions Francesca would have caused if she also wrote accounts of her marriage to their father. This is a prime example of how grouping letters around a portion of your life at a time can result in more interesting material –possibly even making room for an extended volume of work. I did just that in 2012 when I mailed a letter titled My Journey to Bare Bones to one of my filmmaking buddies in Australia.

       The letter, about all the conflicts I endured while turning one of my screenplays into an award-winning short film, was a bit lengthy and made me wonder if it was even worth writing at all. This filmmaker colleague told me that my letter was amazing to read and then suggested that I turn it into a script. His response further illustrates that great material can be adapted to form new works. It also makes me wonder how many memoirs could result from my writing production notes in letter form, for every film I make or even the film festivals I attend.

       Who says your memoir has to be complete in one book? Try writing a series of letters that capture one specific part of your life and then repeat the process, focusing on another area. When finished, you will have material that can be used to assemble an entire memoir – in whole or in part.

Sincerely,

Nicole Ayers

Writer & Director of the Short Film, “Abyss”

P. S.--

I’m raising funds on IndieGoGo for my 2013 film festival and television premieres of a new film called “Abyss.” If you contribute $5 or more by Saturday February 23rd, I will mail you a Secret Perk: My Journey to Bare Bones, a letter chronicling the screenwriting, production and film festival experiences surrounding one of the first movies I ever made that was shown in a theater. It is an exclusive perk, only available for a limited time to select people, including Wrote by Rote readers. Check out my campaign page for more information.  Go to:  Nicole's Film project

        Please at least check out the above link to read about Nicole's film project.   Even if you can't help with the funding, you can help by telling others about it.  Tweet it, put it on Facebook, announce it anywhere you can think of.  Wouldn't it be cool to be able to say you helped Nicole get her film financed.  Oscars anyone?

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