I feel you on this! For me, the "slowness" is usually a sign that there's something else I need to learn and discover before moving forward—recently, it was a place I wasn't willing to go for the sake of the story but am ready to now. Just think of this as "the dip" and give yourself permission to wander so that when you do sit down to write, it'll be because you're bursting with inspiration.
Hi Claire, I just saw your quote in Writing Class Radio and had to check you out! I love the idea of memoir as therapy; that writing our stories can transform them in some way.
I am about to start writing a memoir about my recent road trip to Alaska and figuring out what comes next after infertility. So from my vantage point of having zero words, your progress is admirable!
This is great: "Memoir writing means picking at old wounds and scars. Before I started my book, I did a really good job of carefully tucking away traumatic parts of my life. But writing, editing, rewriting, and sharing these scenes with my teachers, writing groups, and writing buddies made me feel like those tough times weren’t all that bad." Yes, Claire, yes. I consider writing memoir to be, in a strange way, writing a love letter to my future self because I have often had almost no compassion for my former one. If we use the tools of story well, if we write scenes, and limit our "telling" and allow it to unfurl before us on the page, there the compassion is born. It's amazingly subtle and I might suggest that is what heals...our ability to finally have a measure of compassion for ourselves (or simply being with ourselves, which is the very definition of compassion) which then allows us to be more compassionate with others. Oh dear! Got a little long winded there. 💗
Currently working on a fantasy fiction 1st draft and I gotta say, I'm much more comfortable writing memoir but only because the scenes are already constructed and the story is my story so the POV and the voice is in the bag too. Lol But no matter what genre getting to the chair to write is always the hardest part and then when I hit little walls and challenges or learn that I'm telling not showing I just want to go back and edit what I've done so I end up doing circles around the first 6,000 words instead of just plugging through! Eek!
Anyway, thanks for your transparency. Your struggle is warranted and you are not alone. Keep up the good arduous work! And don't forget, a good workout or nature walk is always good for clearing the brain cobwebs. You can do this! You are amazing and talented and you're right, your story needs to get out there, even if you self publish! Wishing you some strong inspirational vibes!
Good luck w/ your memoir venture. I've written one (my first book) and it was a good experience. As you mention, not easy, but it felt really good to get thoughts down, and the fun parts were great b/c I could re-live them all over again. Quick question- you mention you turned on Upgrade to Paid, back in Nov, I think. Has it produced any results? I'm not sure when I should begin to monetize. Any advice will be appreciated, Claire. Thank you.
I am not writing a book, but sometimes just editing a post for Substack brings up so much - I can’t imagine the rollercoaster ride of writing a memoir! Last week I was working on a post and I kept tweaking and editing and after a few days I was feeling like “I hate this post entirely” 🤣
"The deadline that forever feels like 'someday'" Man! I feel this! I spend months obsessed with my memoir and then months where I can't even look at the file in my google docs, AND oh, what about that short story I want to write??
I love Elizabeth Gilbert's take on creativity. I re-read her Big Magic at least once a year. She was on one of The Isolation Journals talks and she talked about how there is always a point (or more than one) where you lose your (pardon the crude talk here) hard on for a project. And I totally get it. As soon as I hit a little bit of friction I fall into negative self talk. I've learned to accept these feelings as part of the process. It still sucks, but I know it won't last forever. Keep going Claire! The world needs your story!
I feel you on this! For me, the "slowness" is usually a sign that there's something else I need to learn and discover before moving forward—recently, it was a place I wasn't willing to go for the sake of the story but am ready to now. Just think of this as "the dip" and give yourself permission to wander so that when you do sit down to write, it'll be because you're bursting with inspiration.
Hi Claire, I just saw your quote in Writing Class Radio and had to check you out! I love the idea of memoir as therapy; that writing our stories can transform them in some way.
I am about to start writing a memoir about my recent road trip to Alaska and figuring out what comes next after infertility. So from my vantage point of having zero words, your progress is admirable!
I look forward to following your memoir journey.
This is great: "Memoir writing means picking at old wounds and scars. Before I started my book, I did a really good job of carefully tucking away traumatic parts of my life. But writing, editing, rewriting, and sharing these scenes with my teachers, writing groups, and writing buddies made me feel like those tough times weren’t all that bad." Yes, Claire, yes. I consider writing memoir to be, in a strange way, writing a love letter to my future self because I have often had almost no compassion for my former one. If we use the tools of story well, if we write scenes, and limit our "telling" and allow it to unfurl before us on the page, there the compassion is born. It's amazingly subtle and I might suggest that is what heals...our ability to finally have a measure of compassion for ourselves (or simply being with ourselves, which is the very definition of compassion) which then allows us to be more compassionate with others. Oh dear! Got a little long winded there. 💗
You got thisss!!!
Currently working on a fantasy fiction 1st draft and I gotta say, I'm much more comfortable writing memoir but only because the scenes are already constructed and the story is my story so the POV and the voice is in the bag too. Lol But no matter what genre getting to the chair to write is always the hardest part and then when I hit little walls and challenges or learn that I'm telling not showing I just want to go back and edit what I've done so I end up doing circles around the first 6,000 words instead of just plugging through! Eek!
Anyway, thanks for your transparency. Your struggle is warranted and you are not alone. Keep up the good arduous work! And don't forget, a good workout or nature walk is always good for clearing the brain cobwebs. You can do this! You are amazing and talented and you're right, your story needs to get out there, even if you self publish! Wishing you some strong inspirational vibes!
Good luck w/ your memoir venture. I've written one (my first book) and it was a good experience. As you mention, not easy, but it felt really good to get thoughts down, and the fun parts were great b/c I could re-live them all over again. Quick question- you mention you turned on Upgrade to Paid, back in Nov, I think. Has it produced any results? I'm not sure when I should begin to monetize. Any advice will be appreciated, Claire. Thank you.
I am not writing a book, but sometimes just editing a post for Substack brings up so much - I can’t imagine the rollercoaster ride of writing a memoir! Last week I was working on a post and I kept tweaking and editing and after a few days I was feeling like “I hate this post entirely” 🤣
"The deadline that forever feels like 'someday'" Man! I feel this! I spend months obsessed with my memoir and then months where I can't even look at the file in my google docs, AND oh, what about that short story I want to write??
I love Elizabeth Gilbert's take on creativity. I re-read her Big Magic at least once a year. She was on one of The Isolation Journals talks and she talked about how there is always a point (or more than one) where you lose your (pardon the crude talk here) hard on for a project. And I totally get it. As soon as I hit a little bit of friction I fall into negative self talk. I've learned to accept these feelings as part of the process. It still sucks, but I know it won't last forever. Keep going Claire! The world needs your story!