3 Things I Did to Write My Memoir, Guest Post by Dorit Sasson

…At age nineteen, Dorit Sasson, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was trying to make the status quo work as a college student―until she realized that if she didn’t distance herself from her neurotic, worrywart of a mother, she would become just like her.

Welcome Dorit Sasson, author of  Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces, with a guest post on the three important steps she took to become unstuck from uncertainty and find the inspiration to finish her memoir. 

3 Things I Did to Write My Memoir, Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces

The genre of memoir writing is exploding. Writers are jumping at the opportunity to tell their life story and want to cash in on what may be the next blockbuster. However, writing one's life story is not as easy as it looks and writing my memoir on serving in the Israel Defense Forces required getting unstuck from the inner critics and self-doubt.

When starting my memoir, I experienced quite a bit of "highs" and "lows." Often I questioned my motivations and asked myself, "who's going to be so interested in reading my story and why?" The inner critic got in the way so much that I had to take it for a nice long walk. But to reach the finish line, I had to increase my productivity so I could stay “unstuck” and creative.

1. I joined a supportive writing group that specializes in memoir writing. I cannot begin to tell you how important a writing group is for the development of any writer but incredibly important for a writer who's feeling vulnerable and lonely while writing past events that tear him/her up. A good writer's group will support you through the "lows" and applaud you through the "highs." Having a good writer's group provides weekly check-ins and accountability with a writing buddy. Also, a writer's group can also provide direction and guidance as you're discovering the best way to tell your story.

2. I blogged about my memoir. Now I know what you might be thinking. How the heck am I going to blog my memoir when I'm struggling to just write the thing? Just for the record, some memoir writers starting out may not feel comfortable blogging because they aren't ready to share parts of their story with a larger audience, (blogging requires an outer voice) and that's alright.
Contrary to what some memoirists may think, there's no shame in blogging about your memoir let alone writing it. As Brene Brown states, "owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light."

As a blogger, you'll have the chance to develop more self-confidence in reaching out to your target online reader. Plus, blogging is great for building a following for promoting your book.

3. I learned the importance of writing scenes for memoir writing. Essentially, a memoir is a collection of "scenes" that when put together, tell a larger story along with themes. Showing what happens to a character is important for grounding the reader. Scenes in memoir thrive on the dialogue of the inner and outer narrator which helps ground defining moments.
When we read a scene that balances all these elements, we connect to a character’s journey that will ultimately lead to transformation.

With the first draft of my memoir, I couldn't help myself and dove into scene after scene but with the help of a writing coach, it became clearer to me that my inner narrator's thoughts and feelings needed to be expressed in order to balance what was happening to me at the time. It was up to me to decide how vulnerable (or not) I really wanted my character to be.

There are literary agents out there who snub memoir writing and some have even gone so far as to say that memoir is "ME-Moir." Please do NOT buy into this cynical and very ridiculous point of view. People want to read memoir for story's sake. They want to read a story of transformation - the hero's journey. And yes, they want to read your memoir. We need to recognize the value of stories and create a safe, sacred and creative space for those who do want to give voice to their stories. The ripple will cast itself over for future generations to come.

Based on my own writing and learning, a good memoir is about sharing and resonance, as well as showing vulnerability and breaking the barriers. And there's nothing wrong or self-centered about that.

Thank you Dorit for your honest and uplifting guest post and thank you to Crystal J. Casavant-Otto and WOW! Women On Writing for providing this stop on Dorit Sasson's blog tour. For more info and tour dates, click here.

About the Author:
 
Dorit Sasson writes for a wide range of print and online publications, including The Huffington Post and The Writer, and speaks at conferences, libraries, and community centers. She is the author of the a featured chapter in Pebbles in the Pond: Transforming the World One Person at a Time, the latest installment of that best-selling series, and. She is the host of the global radio show "Giving Voice to Your Courageous Story." She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and two children.

Book Summary:

At age nineteen, Dorit Sasson, a dual American-Israeli citizen, was trying to make the status quo work as a college student―until she realized that if she didn’t distance herself from her neurotic, worrywart of a mother, she would become just like her.

Accidental Soldier: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice in the Israel Defense Forces is Sasson’s story of how she dropped out of college and volunteered for the Israel Defense Forces in an effort to change her life―and how, in stepping out of her comfort zone and into a war zone, she discovered courage and faith she didn’t know she was capable of.

Paperback: 337 pages
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: She Writes Press (June 14, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1631520350
ISBN-13: 978-1631520358

Amazon Link: click here

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The Light Side: Adding Humor to a Dark Story, Guest Post by Pamela Jane

Humor is a good friend of mine. It's definitely helped during life's more difficult times and often pops up in nearly everything I write. Today's guest author, Pamela Jane, provides three insightful tips for adding humor to your writing (not matter how dark the story is) and how to cultivate a sense of humor in life. Following her guest post, be sure to check out Pamela Jane's recent memoir, AN INCREDIBLE TALENT FOR EXISTING: A WRITER’S STORY.

 

The Light Side:  Adding Humor to a Dark Story

Tips from Three Famous Writers

by Pamela Jane

A relentlessly dark story, especially a memoir, can be difficult to read.  But what if your memoir is genuinely dark?  Some things just aren’t funny (although comics, a notoriously angry bunch, might disagree).  But even if you don’t add hilarity, you can “fluff up” your narrative by adding color, contrast, or contradictions.

Following are three are three tips to lighten a dark story:

1.  Jane Austen: Show Contrast

“…the work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be had; if not, of solemn specious nonsense . . .” – Jane Austen on Pride and Prejudice

Whether adding shade or sunlight to your narrative, the point is to show contrast. (Although Pride and Prejudice is dazzling in its brilliance, it is not all bright.  There are moments of sober reflection, regret, and disappointment.)

One way to add contrast is to try telling your story informally to different people.  Relating the story verbally to an receptive listener is relaxing, and you might find yourself making a joke or a wry comment that allows you to glimpse a new dimension to your work.

Poet and novelist Andrei Codrescu wrote, “I think you can teach people how to relax. I don’t think you can teach them how to be really funny, but if you teach them how to take it easy and see that something that really entertains them is in fact quite hilarious, then you’re half there.”

2  Giacomo Casanova: Laugh at yourself

“I am writing My Life to laugh at myself, and I am succeeding,” – Giacomo Casanova.

Making fun of your own foibles is probably good for your health as well as your writing, and shows good literary sportsmanship.   Are you ever inconsistent or contradictory?   Does life ever backfire or behave in a way that is darkly funny, or that makes you mad?  Renown screenwriting teacher, Bob McKee, notes that comedy is fueled by anger.

3.  Woody Allen: Develop a Comic Perspective

“I think if you have a comic perspective, almost anything that happens you tend to put through a comic filter. It’s a way of coping in the short term, but has no long term effect and requires constant, endless renewal. Hence people talk of comics who are “always on.” It’s like constantly drugging your sensibility so you can get by with less pain.”

I like to amuse myself by making up funny stories about things that were distinctly unfunny when they happened.  One way to do this is to step out of the scene for a moment.  Have you ever noticed a weird, unrelated aspect to whatever is unfolding?  For example, your cat licking herself while you’re waiting for the results of a scary medical test (so uncaring and narcissistic of her!)

Pay attention to something out of the scene that contrasts or contradicts it; by being objective or merely observant, you can begin to develop a comedic perspective that contrasts with your somber tale and keeps readers turning the pages.

Thank you Pamela Jane for these wonderful tips on using humor. Also, thank you to Crystal Otto at WOW - Women On Writing for providing this stop on Pamela Jane's Blog Tour. For more info and future tour stops, please click here.

About the Author:  

Pamela Jane has published over twenty-five children’s books with Houghton Mifflin, Atheneum, Simon & Schuster, Penguin-Putnam, and Harper.  Her books include Noelle of the Nutcracker illustrated by Jan Brett, Little Goblins Ten illustrated by NY Times best-selling illustrator, Jane Manning, and Little Elfie One (Harper 2015). Pride and Prejudice and Kitties: A Cat-Lover’s Romp Through Jane Austen’s Classic (Skyhorse) was featured in The Wall Street Journal, BBC America, The Huffington Post, The New York Times Sunday Book Review and The Daily Dot, and has just come out in paper. Pamela Jane has published short stories and essays with The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Antigonish Review, Literary Mama. Pamela Jane is a writer and editor for womensmemoirs.com

Below are three clips of her work:

Literary Mama:

http://www.literarymama.com/creativenonfiction/archives/2015/10/the-ambivalent-agnostic-an-adoption-story.html

Womensmemoirs:

http://womensmemoirs.com/memoir-writing-prompts/5-tips-for-getting-your-memoir-published-in-2016/

http://womensmemoirs.com/memoir-writing/memoir-writers-take-note-help-i-cant-press-the-send-button/

Find Pamela Jane Online:

Website:  http://www.memoircoaching.com

 http://www.pamelajane.com (children’s books)

http://www.prideandprejudiceandkitties.com (humorous book)

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pamela.jane1

Twitter:  @memoircoaching, @austencats

See below or click on the link for the Book Trailer for “An Incredible Talent for Existing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PA1znyLsaGY

Book Summary:

“An Incredible Talent For Existing: A Writer’s Story” summary: It is 1965, the era of love, light and revolution. While the romantic narrator imagines a bucolic future in an old country house with children running through the dappled sunlight, her husband plots to organize a revolution and fight a guerrilla war in the Catskills.

Their fantasies are on a collision course.

The clash of visions turns into an inner war of identities when the author embraces radical feminism; she and her husband are comrades in revolution but combatants in marriage; she is a woman warrior who spends her days sewing long silk dresses reminiscent of a Henry James novel. One half of her isn't speaking to the other half.

And then, just when it seems that things cannot possibly get more explosive, her wilderness cabin burns down and Pamela finds herself left with only the clothes on her back.

From her vividly evoked existential childhood ("the only way I would know for sure that I existed was if others lots of others acknowledged it") to writing her first children's book on a sugar high during a glucose tolerance test, Pamela Jane takes the reader along on a highly entertaining personal, political, and psychological adventure.

Check out the book trailer:

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Audry Fryer, please visit:

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Finding Joy While Writing an Inherently Evil Protagonist, Guest Post by Jennifer-Lynn Keniston

Welcome Jennifer-Lynn Keniston author of Afta-U with a guest post on the emotional rollercoaster the writer rides when writing an evil protagonist. Surprisingly, there's many rewards for taking on such a challenge, both for the writer and the reader alike.

Finding Joy While Writing an Inherently Evil Protagonist

by Jennifer-Lynn Keniston

I’m here to tell you that as an author, there is joy found in writing an inherently evil protagonist. I will even go as far as to proclaim that, perhaps, there is more joy gained from writing an evil major protagonist than in writing the leading sympathetic protagonist everyone will cheer for. I know, I am just as shocked! I will tell you that the first taste of joy comes from the success in doing something you feared you might not, or could not do, such as struggling to connect with the coldness and chipped pieces inside an evil character. After all, it is someone you create and who is formed from within yourself, from outside experiences with people and your imagination, that is often fueled from media outlets, books, and, yes, from living life itself. Emotional triggers ignite and you work to put flesh on this character, and then eventually once you finish the book, you obtain a pure sense of joy: “a feeling of great happiness.” Throughout the process, you are aware that a reader doesn’t want to have the leading character(s) smoothly make his or her way through a story without conflict. You are, after all, a reader yourself.  I was stunned to discover that with the completion of Afta-U, my favorite characters are my two inherently evil supporting protagonists: Damian and Michael.

Let’s jump back to those emotional triggers. Personally, I embody the cliché of emotional triggered eating. Looking back on the day I initially went to write my first inherently evil protagonist in Afta-U, I was conflicted and commiserated with a tub of rocky road ice cream. I confess, it is a fleshly sin of mine.

Speaking of flesh: for this blog, I looked up the definition of flesh. “It is the soft substance consisting of muscle and fat… found between the skin and bones...” and then I looked up the Biblical definition: defining “flesh” as “sinful nature.”

When writing, the bones for the character are assembled first. Then, as already acknowledged, you need to put the flesh on this character. My approach you ask? Well, I feed it Rocky Road ice cream. I embrace the freezing coldness, the slippery feel, the chipped dark pieces that crumble, and the fluff that helps to build a 3-D profile. And I think of all the other fleshly sins out there in the world, while I take a spoonful at a time enjoying the guilty pleasure I’m finding along the path of my figurative rocky road that I’m surprisingly enjoying my walk along. The joy only ends when the bowl, tub, or final spoonful is empty and the final page is written.

But perhaps my greatest joy since finishing the novel, came from being told by a reader, that the day after finishing the novel, she is still very angry at Michael as if he were a real person.  Now it is time to jump on that treadmill before opening that freezer door again.

Thank you Renee Roberson, Blog Tour Manager, at WOW -Women on Writing for providing this stop of Jennifer-Lynn Keniston's tour. For more dates and stops along this blog tour, click here!

About Jennifer-Lynn Keniston
:

Raised in Hanson, Massachusetts, the author earned a Master of Arts degree in English, from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a concentration in writing and a minor in philosophy, from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire. Jennifer-Lynn currently works as a project manager for a company that provides cloud software products for call centers at small, medium, and enterprise companies. In April 2014, she started her own business, Ansel Resume Resolution Services LLC, writing resumes and cover letters. She now lives and writes in Concord, New Hampshire, and enjoys teaching Spinning classes in her free time.

Website: http://www.jenniferkeniston.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjenniferkeniston/
Twitter: @jenkeniston

About: Afta-U

Sometimes decisions made in an instant can echo throughout a lifetime.

In the pages of her new novel, Afta-U, Author Jennifer-Lynn Keniston, takes us into the heart of Jean Cartwright Rhodes, a woman who is struggling to come to grips with the heartbreaking and senseless death of her childhood best friend, Hope. Twenty-nine years after the fact, Jean fights for her very sanity as she confronts the dark web of relationships and intrigue that appear to have been set in motion by a split-second decision she made in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Afta-U is an adult mystery/suspense novel for ages 17 and older. The book is complex and sometimes dark, and filled with Christian messages.

Purchase Link:

http://www.amazon.com/Afta-U-Jennifer-Lynn-Keniston/dp/1680284274/

Writing Around a Day Job, Guest Post by Jennifer Roland

              

Welcome Jennifer Roland, author of Ten Takes on Writing, with a guest post on tips about finding time in your hectic schedule to write. (Something I know a just a teeny-weeny about!)

How to Write around a Day Job

by Jennifer Roland

When I was a kid dreaming about being a writer, most of my visions involved a dedicated writing space, all the time in the world to devote to writing, and frequent visits by the muse. Picture Jo March in modern garb and sitting in front of a computer rather than a typewriter.

Well, the computer’s there. But not much else lived up to my fantasy.

For the past eight years, I’ve been writing around a day job in marketing.

Yes, that means I spend my days writing direct mail sales letters, newsletter copy, social media posts, and whatever else my employer needs from me. When I get home, I shift to freelance writing work and personal projects, as well as family responsibilities. Dogs must be fed and kiddo must be bathed, after all.

To make it all work, I’ve had to adjust my image of what it means to be a writer.

Schedule Everything

I have specific times of day I can do specific things.

I schedule interviews before work or during my lunch hour. This means 90% of my interviews are done in my car. I take advantage of my Bluetooth connection with my smartphone and take copious notes.

When I get home from work, it’s dinner, bonding time with my son, feeding the dogs, bath time for my son, and then back to work. There is a lot more coffee and energy drinks involved in my writing then I thought there would be!

On weekends, morning time is for writing and client work, and afternoon is for family. Then, just like a student, I finish up projects and get prepped for the week on Sunday nights before bed.

Use a Portable Writer’s Kit

I have been using a portable writer’s kit for years, and it is the absolute key to getting anything done.

Mine includes:

·       A purse that is designed to hold a laptop

·       My laptop or tablet, depending on what I need to get done

·       A Circa notebook

·       A spiral notebook and pen

·       My smartphone

This allows me to do work on my lunch break when I need to, and to do those interviews I mentioned earlier. My Circa notebook is for taking to-do lists and notes about all my grand plans, and the spiral notebooks are for interview notes and notes during client calls.

Learn to Write Anywhere

I have written entire articles on my lunch break in a parking lot in my car. (I may or may not have used McDonald’s free wifi to send it to my editor. And I’ll never tell which article it was.)

I’ve gone to coffee shops on PTO days to get stuff done, and at night, I’m working on the couch with the dogs and occasional interruptions when my son needs goldfish. Apparently, only mommy can get those.

Practice writing in all different situations so you can get the words flowing no matter where you are, how uncomfortable it is, and how many distractions are around you.

Ask for Help

After bath time, my son hangs out with my husband so that I can focus. When I’m doing interviews at home, my mom makes sure my son (and the dogs) are quiet. I would simply not be able to get things done in the short amount of time available around my day job.

Are you writing around a day job? Tell us what keeps you going in the comments below.

*Thank you, Jennifer Roland, for your helpful tips. I do schedule time to write and attempt to write on the go. I'd love to hear from my readers with their clever ways to find time to write.

*Also, much appreciation to WOW - Women On Writing for providing this stop on Jennifer Roland's Blog Tour.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jennifer Roland is a freelance and marketing writer with more than 20 years experience in newspaper, magazine, and marketing environments. Jennifer also works as a virtual assistant to writers, helping them build their online presence and connect with readers so they can focus on what they love — writing.

She loves fiction and writes that under the name Jennifer C. Rodland. She hopes to put all of the lessons she learned writing this book into getting more of that published.

Jennifer can be found online at:

http://10takesonwriting.com

http://twitter.com/jenroland

http://instagram.com/thejenroland

BOOK SUMMARY:

Ten Takes on Writing summary: From novelists to poets to playwrights, Jennifer Roland interviews a variety of authors who have one thing in common — they have all chosen to make the Pacific Northwest their home. Covering a diversity of disciplines — from comics, fantasy, and detective novels to long-form poetry and illustrated children's series — 10 distinguished authors provide unique perspectives about their craft, provide helpful writing advice and tips for success, and share their passion for living and writing in the Pacific Northwest.

BUY LINK: http://shar858.wix.com/gladeyepress

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Blog Hostess, Audry Fryer,

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Can Writing Be A 9 to 5 Job? Guest Post by Michelle Dim-St. Pierre

Welcome Michelle Dim-St. Pierre, author of Pinnacle Lust, with a guest post posing the question of whether writing can really fit into a tidy time constraint. If you're a writer, I'm sure you'll be nodding your head, yes, like I did at Michelle's answer!

  

Can Writing Be A 9 To 5 Job?

by Michelle Dim-St. Pierre

The 9 to 5 lifestyle: go to the office, do your work; leave the office, leave work behind. In some ways it has its advantages, something I thought I could bring with me when I decided to work for myself.

A while back I found myself able to live my dream of becoming a full time writer. Excited at the possibility of putting my heart and soul into my new position, I created a cozy writing space in my home. I had the best of intentions, and readied my days for long hours of writing and editing, pouring my heart and my inspiration into everything I wrote. Then the challenges began.

I could stare at the screen for hours, never getting more than a word or two out at a time. Yet the moment I would leave my workspace and do something just for me, that’s when true inspiration would find me. Very quickly I realized that as a full time writer, I would never have a 9 to 5 job ever again.

Writing doesn’t work that way. Writing is a process that extends beyond the time you spend behind a computer screen, fingers touching the keys. To become a writer means always thinking about how your words will come together. It means cultivating ideas from every thing I do, watching stories grow and come together in my mind.

I have learned several things in my time as a writer; things that have helped me become more efficient with my writing process.

Limit my writing time

While I need creative time to write each day, its equally important to have time for other things. Health, wellness, relationships – they all have an equal place in my life.

Block time for more purpose

I value the time I spend on each area of my life each day. When its writing time, I write. When I spend time with family, I’m ever present. I believe in blocking my time into chunks for more purpose and more focus.

Build ideas from what inspires you

What inspires me? Travel. Cooking. Being the best I can be. And as I discover myself through all of my activities, I find I become more inspirational as a writer, with more to give to what I do.

Find what has meaning in your life

Some of my happiest times involved places and events that allowed me to discover the best of me. They continue to inspire me today, giving me viewpoints and perspectives that make my writing more real and more vivid.

*Thank you to Wow! Women on Writing for providing this stop on Michelle Dim St. Pierre's blog tour! For more information and more tour stops, click here.

**Check out these stops for giveaways!!!

Monday, June 8 @ Empty Nest

Review and Giveaway

http://www.emptynest1.net/

Thursday, June 11 @ Romance Junkies 

guest Post and Giveaway

www.romancejunkies.com 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michelle Dim-St. Pierre was born in Tel-Aviv, Israel, where she spent more than half of her life before relocating to the United States. She lived through four wars and served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years. Unlike her first year of service in an armored division in the Golan Heights, she spent her second year serving in the medical corps where she interacted directly with the injured soldiers of the Peace of Galilee war and their families. This interaction, along with the exposure to the hospital atmosphere, fascinated Michelle and further touched her heart.

After graduating from nursing school with a BS in Nursing in Tel-Aviv, she practiced internationally for 32 years in various positions in the surgical field and quickly advanced into health care administration. During her career she worked in the Operating Room, Recovery Room, and CCU--along with many other duties.

Writing was Michelle's outlet at first, but it soon became her passion. Recently she left nursing and became a full-time writer. Her international background, along with her military and nursing experience is always at the tip of her pen. Her first novel, Pinnacle Lust, starts the Pinnacle trilogy.

Michelle is a world traveler who enjoys cooking epicurean food and creating original recipes.

Find out more about Michelle by visiting her online:

Website and blog: http://www.michelledimstpierre.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleDimStPierre

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pinnaclelust

ABOUT: Pinnacle Lust By Michelle Dim-St. Pierre

 

Review by Jodi Webb

 

Pinnacle Lust takes place during a time in history most of us are familiar with: the 1990s and Desert Storm. The twist is, instead of observing that moment in history through the eyes of citizen of the United States we see it through the eyes of an Israeli nurse. The Israeli culture gives the entire story a fresh feel as Sharon deals with love in an extremely conservative and religious community that is ruled by powerful men.

At first, Pinnacle Lust seems like a traditional story of forbidden love...a married doctor and an unmarried nurse. Author Michelle Dim-St.Pierre adds just a taste of love scenes; instead, much of the passion in the book comes from almost constant frustration of the lovers as they are forced apart by their personal situations and culture. But this book is more complicated than a love story, exploring Sharon's relationships--both personal and business--with many men in this male dominated world. How she handles each situation, sometimes giving in and sometimes fighting against their sexism will have you asking yourself how you would react in this culture.

Dim-St. Pierre does a good job of creating uncertainty for the reader, not unlike the uncertainty that Sharon felt about her own situation. Readers will find themselves seesawing back and forth between loving and hating each character. This novel reflects the ambivalence of the real world, where things are never black and white. Like Sharon, after a while you'll find yourself questioning everyone's motives: the wronged wife, the lovers, the friends, the employers. Why do they make the choices they do? I felt the strongest part of the book was not the love affair but the disintegration of the love affair. When the book stops being about passion and instead delves into fear, jealousy, revenge and even hate. You'll find you can't stop reading as you wonder what will happen to the lovers after the love ends. Will they go back to their old lives or will they be forever changed?

354 pages

Publisher: BookLogix (2015)

ISBN-10: 1610055713

ISBN-13: 978-1610055710

Pinnacle Lust is available in paperback, hardcover, and as an ebook onAmazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, and Kobo. 

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For more information about blog hostess, Audry Fryer,

please visit www.audryfryer.com