FESSING UP

Greetings to my blog friends and readers
It's time for me to fess up and stop confusing you all. National Nonfiction Writing Month is turning into something different than I planned. I am NOT writing my teachers' book. I am focusing on my memoir.

Last night I viewed the first of four webinars presented by Linda Joy Myers and Brooke Warner. The topic is various aspects of writing craft using the book "Eat Pray Love" as an example. I've also enrolled in their online course "Write Your Memoir in Six Months." With that in mind I want to focus on memoir writing.

Between now and January when the course begins I hope to develop a list of the turning points of my memoir, write a loose chapter outline and make a list of memories/flashbacks that will help to explain events that occurred during the period of the memoir. I am very excited about writing this memoir as it's taken me many years to muster the courage to write it. It involves exposing my own difficulties as well as writing about other people who are no longer in my life. The struggle in postponing the writing is not only about being afraid to be so honest on the page but also fear of reliving past events I'd just as soon forget. Now that I've moved on and into a better life I can be more comfortable writing my truth.

As far as publication goes, that's another consideration. I am a writer and therefore want my stories and poems out in the world for people to read. I want the acknowledgement and honor of being a published writer. I didn't think I could publish this memoir and therefore avoided writing it as just a therapeutic exercise. Now it's time to write it and to seek publication when it's done.

Since writing memoir is my new focus I would love to attend the Story Circle Network's biannual conference in April-- Stories from the Heart. I attended in 2010 and it was phenomenal! The workshop sessions are fun and informative and the presenters are very accessible. It's a marvelous group of awesome women who attend. I'd love to go again and hope to make it work financially since I would have to get to Austin, Texas for the event!

All things considered I'm feeling really good about my writing and hoping to narrow my focus. I want to seriously commit to my book while taking the course. After the six months I hope to have much of the first draft done. At that point I will consider working with either Linda Joy or Brooke as a consultant on finishing the book and making it publication ready.

Wish me luck!

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