Read like a writer. Your instruction manual is on your bookshelf.
Decision #3 from Sixteen Superpowers Memoir Writers Need to Have. Over sixteen posts, I help you make pacts with yourself so all will go well for you.
Photo by Carrie Borden on Unsplash
3. Read like a writer.
YOUR MANTRA: The instruction manual is on the page.
The how-to book you wish for is probably on your bookshelf. It’s in the library, where your true competition is. What you’re looking for is right here, word by word, sentence by sentence. Every page on your shelf is telling you exactly how to get there. Every page is another writer who has gone before you, holding a lantern to light the path.
Train yourself to read like a writer.
It’s way easier to get published if you do this. That’s because when you read like a writer—specifically concentrating on memoirs that break new ground and take bold chances—you’re writing from the leading edge of the genre, as opposed to imitating what you think memoir is.
Whatever you think it is, it’s not what you think.
Find out what the new frontier is with memoir, and you’ll find you have more in your toolbox than you ever believed.
DECISION: Choose three to four memoirs to read while you’re writing your memoir. Two of these should be “scripture” books. (More about that in my paid posts in The Memoir Catalyst series.)
See my list of recommended memoirs on my Bookshop wishlist here.
ABOUT SIXTEEN SUPERPOWERS OF MEMOIR WRITERS
It’s easy to write a memoir! All you need to do is write something with universal resonance that is true and comes from your life.
Let’s get real. To write a memoir, you need a basket of superpowers.
As a memoir writer with a forthcoming book (BOUNDLESS, coming December 2024 - pre-order here at Bookshop | Barnes & Noble | Amazon and as a book coach/developmental editor who works with memoir writers, I’ve learned quite a lot about tapping into literary superpowers.
What’s enduring about memoir is that it is real, and it matters. A few decisions you make on the front end will determine whether it will go well.
In this series of posts, I give you 16 decisions to install at the beginning of your journey. Make these pacts with yourself, stick to them and you’ll get there!
THE FULL SERIES - AVAILABLE FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS
The Sixteen Superpowers of Memoir Writers: Make These Decisions on the Front End, and All Will Go Well for You
Related posts
Why Writing Your Book Will Change You As Much As It Will Change the World
From Lived Experience to a Book: The Path of My Memoir, Boundless