Writers' Narrative eMagazine May 2024

EDITORIALTEAM

WendyH.Jones-EditorinChief-isalsoourExecutiveCommissioningandFeaturesEditor.Sheisthe multi-award-winning,best-sellingauthorofadult crimethrillersandcozymysteries,children’spicturebooksandnon-fictionbooksforwriters.Inaddition,sheisawritingcoach,partnerin Auscot Publishing and Retreats andhoststheWritingandMarketingShowpodcast.

SheenaMacleodisourDeputytotheEditorinChief. Sheoverseestheday-to-dayproductionanddesign. Sheis authorofthehistoricalfictionnovels,ReignoftheMarionettesandTearsofStrathnaver,andco-authorofthenonfictionbookSo,YouSayICan’tVote!FrancesConnelly.

PaulineTaitisoureditorialmanager.Paulineisaprolific novelist,children’sauthorandwritingmentor.She writesbothsuspensefulromanceandchildren’s picturebooksfor3to7years.

AllisonSymesisourCopyEditor.Sheisanawardwinning,publishedflashfictionandshortstorywriter. Shealsowritesaweeklycolumnontopicsofinterest forwritersforonlinemagazine, Chandler's Ford Today.

Susan McVeyisourContentEditor.Susanwrites dystopianfictionandfantasynarratives,tailoredfor theyoungadultandteenageaudience.ShepublishesunderMartiM.McNair.Herworksinclude Island of Ruin (RuinorRedemptionBook1).

MaressaMortimeroverseesourmarketingandoursocial mediaengagement.MaressaisauthoroftheElabi Chronicles, Burrowed and Sapphire Beach.

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WelcometotheMay2024editionofWriters’Narrative,wherethefocusisonwritingMemoir.We feltitwasimportanttohighlightthisgenreasit isdrivenfromadesiretotellastorythatonly you,thewriter,cantell.Itisalsopopular amongstreaderswholovetheglimpseintoother people’slivesthatmemoirbringsthem.

OurfeaturedinterviewiswithJessicaBell, whoserawandemotionalmemoirhasnotonly inspiredmanyothersbuthasledtotheirjourney aspublishedauthors.

Fromhintsandtipsonwritingmemoir,fromresearchingforyourmemoir,itcoverseveryaspect ofthetopic.Ofcourse,thereisawritingbookof themonthfocussingonthistopicwhichwillhelp

youonyourjourneytobeingapublishedauthor ofmemoir.Thereareallourregularfeaturesand Bookshopofthemonth,andlibraryofthe month,sosomethingforeveryone.

Ihopeyouenjoytheissue.

Wendy H. Jones Editor in Chief

Wendy H. Jones Author, Publisher, Writing Coach

Letterofthe Month

DearEditor,

Thanksverymuchforyourarticle'SelfEditing:TipsandTrickstoGetYouStarted'. Thementionof'fillerwords'mademesmile-I haveaterriblehabitofincludingthese.Possiblyasawayofkeepingthefirstdraftwords flowingwhenmybrainisstrugglingtowork outwhathappensnext!

Myownpetfillerwordsare:'very','actually and'seemed'.Iusethe'find'facilityinWord tosearchoutthesebaddies.Removingthem makestheprosemorepunchyandeffective.

Myowntip:Writethecompletefirstdraftbeforedoinganyformofediting.Otherwise thereisadangerofeditingChapterOneto perfectionandneverfinishingthebook.Or youmayfinishthebookbutfindthatChapter Oneisnowredundantorrequiresmajor changesbecausethetrajectoryofthestory haschanged.

Bestwishes

SallyJenkins

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Please email letters to the editor to writersnarrative@gmail.com

Interviewed

byWendyH.Jones

FeaturedAuthorInterview JessicaBell

Wendy H. Jones interviews author and publisher Jessica Bell

IamdelightedtohaveJessicaBell,authorof GO: A Memoir about Binge-drinking, Selfhatred, and Finding Happiness, withusthis month.Thankyou,Jessica,fortakingtime outofyourbusydaytojoinus.

Whatinspiredyoutowriteyourmemoir,and howdidyoudecideontheparticularevents orthemestofocuson?

Ioriginallystarteditasacatharticexercise,writingshortvignettesaboutmypast,promising myselfthatno-onewouldeverhavetoread them.Ithinkstartinglikethisallowedmetobe 100%honestwhenexpressingthe‘bad’sidesof mypersonalitythatIdidn’twantanyoneto know.Ididn’tdecideonthethemesuntilIrealizedthatIprobablyhadabookinmyhandsthat wasworthpublishing.AndthenIbeganalong roadofrevisions.Itwasn’tuntiltheendofthat processthatIrealizedwhatIshouldkeepand whatIshouldexclude.Iguessyouhavetogetto theendbeforeknowingwhatyouhavetowork with.

Canyoushareyourprocessfororganizing andstructuringyourmemoir?Didyouuse anyspecifictechniquesorstrategies?

InthebeginningIjustwrotedownalotofmemoriesintheformofvignettes.WhenIfeltlikeIhad nomoretowrite,Idatedthemandorganized themintochronologicalorder.Iwasgoingto publishitasacollectionofshorts,butIdecided tosenditofftoadevelopmentaleditor,who thenconvincedmetofillinthegapsandcreatea propernarrativearc.Theboneswerealready there,Ijusthadtofillinsomegapsandgoabit deeperintocertainthings.I’msogladItookher advice.Itturnedintoamuchbetterbook.

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

Memoirwritingofteninvolvesdeeplypersonal experiences.Howdidyounavigatethebalancebetweenhonestyandprotectingtheprivacyofyourselfandothersmentionedinyour memoir?

IhavetosayfirstthatIdidn’tintendonpublishingthis,soIdidn’ttrytoprotecttheprivacyof anyonetostartwith,includingmyself.Also,in

JessicaBell

theend,Icouldn’treallychangethenamesand identifyingdetailsofmyparentsandfamily members,sinceanyonecouldjustworkoutwho theyare.

Imadesuretogetapprovalfrommyparentsbeforepublishing.Iactuallysaidtomymother, whenIhandedherthemanuscript,“Ifyoudon’t wantmetopublishit,Iwon’t.”Shestayedupall nightandreaditinonesittingandsaid,“You have topublishit.”Whichwasasurprisetobe honest,butareallywonderfulmomentinboth ourlives.Ithinkitservedassomekindofclosure forallthetensionswe’dsharedovertheyears. Foranyothercharacters,Ichangednamesand certaincharacteristicstoprotecttheirprivacy. Allinall,Ibelievethebalanceisinmebearing myentiresoul,whilebeingselectivewithdetails aboutotherpeople.

Didyouencounteranychallengesorobstacles whilewritingyourmemoir,andifso,howdid youovercomethem?

Yes.Revisionsaftereditorialinput.Itreallywas horriblehavingtorelive(andsodeeply)allmy hardshipsoverandoveragain.Ididn’tovercome themuntilthebookwaspublished.Itactually causedmealotofanxietyandI’mnotentirely surewhyIputmyselfthroughit.I’mgladIdid thoughandI’mveryproudofthebookandthe responseitreceived.I’mtryingtowritemynext memoirnow.Tentativetitle, STAY: a memoir about self-respect, changing your life, and living your dream.Itsoundspositive,butthereisstill quitealotofstruggleinthereandIkeepputting itoffbecauseIdon’thavetheemotionalcapacitytoreliveit.It’sgoingtobehard,toputitlightly.

pasteventsasclearlyasweshouldinorderto beabletorecreatethem,butyou’dbesurprised atwhatstartstocomebackwhenyoubeginto write.

Onceyoustartdigging,youtriggermoreand morerecollectionsandrealizationsthanwhat youthinkyoucan.It’salittlebitlikeamatryoshkadoll.Youstriponelayerawayandyoufind moreandmoreunderneath.That’snottosay thatIdidn’thavetomakeupsomedialogueand detailstobringscenestolife.ButIalways stayedtruetothetimeandpersonalitiesofthe peopleinvolved.

ThisiswhatIsayinmyauthor’snote: I have tried to recreate events to the best of my ability, relying on my own memory. While all the events in this book are true, on some occasions I have been creative with the way they play out due to my inability to recall specific details. I have instead filled these gaps in memory with what I assume would be the most logical and fitting details in relation to the era and circumstances.

Names and identifying details of characters other than myself and family members have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved. Some place names have also been changed. In some cases I have compressed or merged events; in others I have made two or three people into one. Likewise, the conversations in this book are based on my memory alone, and though they are not written verbatim, I have retold them in a way that evokes the feeling and meaning of what was said. In all instances, the essence of the events and dialogue is as accurate as I could make it, from my perspective.

Memoirsoftenincludedialogueandscenes fromthepast.Howdidyourecreatethesemomentswithaccuracyandauthenticity?

Weoftenthinkthatwecan’trecallthedetailsof

Memoirscanevokestrongemotionsforboth theauthorandthereader.Howdidyouapproachtheemotionalaspectsofyourstory, andwhattechniquesdidyouusetoconvey theseemotionseffectively?

Thisisanoddquestionforme.Idon’tuseany technique;Ijustfeelandconvey.Ithinkmaybe

it’sbecauseIstartedasasongwriterandmusician.It’singrained.ArtishowIexpressmyfeelingsandIdon’tfinditdifficulttoputmyselfin otherpeople’sshoes.

Memoirscanalsoinvolvereflectionandintrospection.Howdidyouincorporateyour thoughtsandreflectionsontheeventsdescribedinyourmemoir?

Thefirsteditionofthisbookwasactuallycalled, Dear Reflection: I Never Meant to Be a Rebel. Which,tobehonest,Ilikemore,butitwasn’t hittingmytargetaudienceorthemarket,soI hadtomaketheharddecisiontorebrandit.The originaltitlewasestablishedbecauseofthesectionsinthebookwhereIstandinfrontofthe mirrorandtalktomyself.Therealme,standing infrontofthemirrorwasmyvulnerableside, andthereflectionwasthatberatingvoiceweall have.Iusedthatasadevicetopoeticallyexpressmyfeelingsinawaythatwasn’tquiteconventional.

Didyouhaveanyspecificgoalsormessages youwantedtoconveythroughyourmemoir, andifso,howdidyouensurethesecame acrosstoyourreaders?

Yes.Youcanhealyourselfandacceptyourself thewayyouarewithoutchangingwhoyouare. Happinessisallaboutperceptionandselfrespect,inmyopinion.Andyouneedtorealize thatitisn’taconstantstate.Itebbsandflows, andthat’snormal.Wecan’tallbehappyallthe time,butthatdoesn’tmeanyouaren’thappyin general.Iknowthissoundsclichéd,butthe goodcomeswiththebad,andifitdidn’tthe goodwouldn’tfeelgoodandthebadwouldn’t feelbad.It’sabalance.

Mywholestoryisbasedonfindingmyway throughdarkness,andrealizingthattheonly

personwhocancreatelightismyself.Bythetime Igettotheendofthememoir,Ihavemadethat realizationinrealtime(whilewriting),andIhope thatalsoreflectsonthereader,andthereader canalsoexperiencethisshiftinperspectivetoo.

Whatadvicewouldyougivetoaspiringmemoirwriterswhoarejuststartingtheirownprojects?Arethereanypitfallsorcommonmistakestheyshouldbeawareof?

Forgeteverythinganyonehassaidtoyouwhen you’rewritingthefirstdraft.Itonlyhindersyour creativityandwillmakeyoucensoryourself withoutknowing.Justkeepwritinguntilyou can’twriteanymore.Writelikeno-oneisgoing toreadit.THEN,beginwork.

Aswellashavingwrittenmemoir,youarealso afictionauthor,poetandpublisher.Tellusa bitabouttheseaspectsofyourcareer?

Andsinger-songwriterandbookcoverdesigner! Ihaveaportfoliopageat iamjessicabell.com wherereaderscangetmoreinformationabout meandallmyotherprojectsifthey’reinterested, butIwillsaythatbeingthepublisherofVine LeavesPressisextremelyrewarding.Igettonurtureotherwriters,publishexcellentbooks,and designcoversthatarebothartisticandcompetitiveinthemarket.

It’shonestlyadreamjob!

Go:AMemoirAboutBinge-drinking,Self-hatred,AndFinding Happiness

byJessicaBell

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

AllittookwasonesecretdrinkatfifteenforJessicaBelltobingedrinkherselfintooblivionforthenexttenyears.

In1980sAustralia,ErikaBachandDemetriVlass,whofounded ApetheCryandHardCandy,twoofMelbourne’siconicindie bands,encouragedJessicawithunreservedlovetopickupthe guitarandwriteherownsongs.ButErika’sbackproblembecame anightmareofpill-popping,alcoholabuse,andanxietyattacks, andDemetriretreatedintosilenceforfearoftriggeringErika’s drug-inducedpsychosis.

Toescapethemadnessathome,andthetormentofhatingherself,Jessicaexperimentedwithbisexualityinahighschoolrife withbullies,losthervirginitytorape,andtriedtosupplementabsentlovewithunprotectedone-nightstands.Allundertheinfluenceofalcohol.

UntilonedayalcoholnearlydroveJessicaoffacliff.

Jessicahadtolookatherselfhonestlyandfrankly.Whydidshekeeprunningfromreality,andmoreimportantly,herself?Andwasfindinghappinessfromwithin,possible?

*Previouslypublishedas Dear Reflection: I Never Meant to Be a Rebel*

Review

Youcantellfromtheblurbthisisgoingtobeanhonest,gritty,truthfulmemoirwhichsparesnopunches. Itcertainlylivesuptothis.Bellshowsustheunderbellyofachildhoodsteepedintheworldofindiemusic.Farfrombeingglamorousandiconic,itshowsthetollprescriptiondrugsandaddictioncantakeona family.

Jessicawentthroughmorethanmostteenagersandturnedtoalcoholasacopingmechanism.Notthe bestchoice.Yet,thisissomuchmorethananexposeofachildhood.Itisastoryofhope,recoveryanda lifewhichcanbefulfillingregardlessofthedemonsofone’spast.Bellshowsushowitcanbedoneinthis brutal,yetskilfullywrittenmemoir.Jessicaisnowanawardwinningauthor,publisher,coverdesigner andleadsingerinaband.Sheistestimonytothefactitispossibletochange.Ifyoulikerealisminyour memoirs,thisiswellworthreading.

SocialMedia:TheFriendOrFoeOfWriters?

Sheila Johnson discusses the pros and cons of writers using social media and shares her tales of woe with Instagram and Twitter/X.

Sincealmostthestartoftheyear,Ihave beenbattlingwithsocialmedia.Yes,itis thewriter’sbestfriendinthatawriter needstobeseentobe‘outthere’and‘known’ bytheirpublic/readers,however,thetechnologiesconnectedwithsocialmediaaren’talways thateasytonegotiate.Idon’tconsidermyselfa completenoviceeither.

Thebattlehasbeenwithmywork.IamthesocialmediacontactforaChristiannewspaper.I havebeeninthepostforjustovertwoyearsand wasofferedthepostbecauseIhadbeenaregularwriterforthepaperandhadrecentlyapplied tobealetterwriter/contactforthem.So,what aretheissues?

Instagram

Theeditorhaswantedmetogetthenewspaper onInstagramandlinkitwithourFacebookaccountforthelastyear.However,eachtimeIattemptedit,itseemedthatitwasdifficulttoopen upanaccountandgettheverificationcodefor it.Weattemptedthisseveraltimeslastyear, eventuallyconcedingdefeat.Thensuddenlythis yearIfoundthatwecouldlinktheaccountswith thesameemailaddressandonlyneededanew password.Great.Outofthewoodswiththis one?Well,no,notexactly.Althoughtheeditoris reallyhappynowthateachofourpostsonFacebookautomaticallygoontoInstagramaswell

andthatbothaccountsareupandrunning,our workaccountisnowgettingmuddledwithmy ownInstagramaccount.Ionlyopenedthislast yearinordertoprovethattheprocesswaspossiblebutnowIdiscoveredinopeningupour workInstagramaccountthatallmyfollowers andcontactshadbeenaddedtothoseofthepaper.Ihavehadtolaboriouslygothrougheachof thefollowersofthepaperdeletingthoseconnectedwithme.Ihadtodothisseveraltimes knowingthatsomeofmyfollowers woulddefinitelynotwishtobefollowersofaChristian newspaper.

Istillthinkthereissomemuddyingofthewaters herebuthavetobeverycarefultologoutofmy accountbeforeloggingintothatofthepaper.I alsofindthatIcannotbeafollowerofthenewspapermyselfasthistoowouldcausefurtherissues.

Twitter/X

TheproblemwithXisevenmoredifficultthan thatofInstagram.

Earlythisyear,myhusbandboughtusanew

SheilaJohnson

computer.Wereallyneededone,itbeingten yearsormoresincewelastpurchasedanew desktopcomputer.Ourcurrentcomputerwasso fullofdocuments,picturesetc,thatitgottothe stagewhereitwasproblematictosaveanynew emailattachmentsasitwassoslow.

Ofcourse,whenyoubuyanewcomputeryou havetologonagaintoallyouraccounts.This wasnoproblemwithallofmyown,asIhave storedallmypasswords.Itshouldn’thavebeena problemwiththeXaccountofthepapereither, asIhadalsostoredthatpasswordonline.Orhad I?No,withashortageofspaceorsomeotherissueofapossiblearticletitlethatwassimilar,the placewherethepasswordhadbeenstoredwas nowoverwrittenbyanoldarticle.Okay,Ithought noproblem,thereisa‘forgotpassword'facility, wejusthavetoclickonthat.

Ohdear,thatwaswheretheproblemstarted. Thepreviouspersoninmyposthadsavedallthe informationtohiscurrentemailaddressatthe timeandhadnowchangedthatemailaddress, nolongerhavingaccesstotheoldaddress.Neitherhadtheeditorofthepaperortheofficeany recordofeithertheemailaddressorthepassword!Afterastruggletolocatethemorrememberthepassword,itwasdecidedtocreateanew account,sendingouroldfollowerstothenew account.Thathadtobefairlyeasydidn’tit?

However,wehavenowhadseveralfailedattempts.Firstofall,acoupleoftheearlyattempts werewiththeeditoronhiscomputerandmeon mine–althoughhewasn’tactuallyontheaccountsetupfeatures.Wetriedthisacoupleof times,butheneverreceivedaverificationcode. PossiblybecauseXrecognisedthatwewereon twodifferentcomputers?ThenmyhusbandsuggestedthatIcreateanewXaccountusinga Googleemailaddresspeculiaronlytothisaccount.IdohavemyownGoogleemailaccount andperhapsthatcontributedtotheproblemwe thenhad.

Atfirsthowever,everythingseemedtowork,and Ireceivedaverificationcode.However,thefinishedaccountwasn’tinthenameofthepaperas

Ihadsuggested,butagaininmynameasaseparateaccountforme!Ithereforedeactivatedit.I hadanothergoandthatalsofailed.Meanwhile, theeditorhadtriedtocreateanaccountonhis owncomputertousingboththepaper’semail addressandalsohisownpersonaltelephone numberbutagainheneverreceivedaverificationcodeineithercase.Perhapstheemailaddressesused,ortheusernameswerealreadyrecognised?

IdecidedthatmaybeIshouldtrytoreactivate theoldaccountinmynameandtochangethe name.Thatshouldbesimpleshouldn’tit?No.I thenreceivedmultipleCaptchapicturestomove thepersonintheimagetothecorrectgivenpositionliningupwiththeobjectssuggested,first17,then1-8,then1-9andfinally1-15.Itseemedto goonforever,althoughseeminglyacceptingmy answers.Myhusbandsaiditwasonlyaccepting thatIhadananswer,notthatitwastheright one!Hesaidthesepuzzlesdemandedalogical, mathematicalbrain.Well,thatissomethingI don’thave.Idon’tevenhaveamathsOlevel/ GCSE.Iamawriter.

Ihatetosaythatsocialmediahasdefeatedme, butithas.Icannotbearthebattleanylonger.I withdrawinshame.Ifonlytherewasapersonat theendofthelinewhoIcouldexplainmyproblemsto.Butthereisonlyamachinewithfeedback.‘Yourproblemmayhelpsomeotherperson itsuggests’.Iwishitcouldhelpme…

Sheila Johnson is a qualified journalist who has written for a number of publications both local and national. She has also written two books under her pen name Sheila Donald, Alpha Male and Waireka: Sweet Waters, and recently edited and published, Bible Reflections from a life devoted to the poor by Dr Jember Teferra. www.journojohnson.com

UsingMemoirTechniquesForCharacterCreation

AllisonSymesdiscusseswhyusingmemoir writingtechniquescanbeagreatwaytocreatecharactersforfictionalworkandshares usefultips.

Haveyouconsideredwritingamemoir foracharacter?IoutlinemycharactersbeforeIwritetheirstories.Imay notneedtoknowalotaboutthem (comparedtowhatanovelistneedstoknow) butIstillneedtoknowsomething.Idrafta roughlifelineformycharacters,evenifitis justaparagraph.Inwritingthat,Ifindout moreabouttheirlives.Ithenknowwhat thosecharacterswillbedoinginmyflashfiction.

Youcoulddecidewhatyourcharacter’sfavouritememoriesaretohelpyoudeduce whatdrivesthem.Motivationsmatter.How wouldtheirhandlingoftheirmemoriesimpactontheirbehaviour(anditwould)?You needtounderstandwhereyourcharacteris comingfromtobeabletowriteaconvincing story(orseveral)aboutthem,regardlessof talelength.

“Many novelists create biographies of their characters when writing a series.”

Manynovelistscreatebiographiesoftheir characterswhenwritingaseries.Readers spotinconsistencies.Youhavetogetyour factsrightaboutyourowncharacters.Creatingbiographies,whichyouaddtoasnecessary,isagoodwaytokeepontopofthings here.

Allison Symes

Wecanusesometechniquesofmemoirwritingtohelpuscreatemoreconvincingcharacters.Theywillbemoreconvincingbecause mostofuswillhavereadsomememoirand geta“feel”forwhatcomesacrossinthese. Acharacter,whohasbeenoutlinedinasimilarwaytohavingamemoircreatedfora“real person”,willringtruebecauseyouastheir creatorwillhavedugdeepintowhatmakes yourcreationtick.

“We can use some techniques of memoir writing to help us create more convincing characters.”

Readerspickuponthissubconsciously.A characterhastoseemrealtothem,nomatter howfantasticaltheirsettingorabilities.Soa characterhavingtheirownlifeoutsideofthe storyyouputtheminisagoodideaevenif nobodyelseeverseesthatlife.Youwillknow it.Thatwillchangehowyourwriteyourcharacter.Byyourgettingtoknowthemwellfirst, youwilldiscoverstoriesthatmightnototherwisehaveoccurredtoyou.

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

IsaythatbecauseIwantedtowriteapoignantflashfictionpieceandinworkingout whatmycharacterwasgoingtosharewith thereaders,Icameupwithabackstoryfor him.Onlywhatwasmostrelevantmadeit intothepublishedpiece.Thischaracter sharedtreasuredmemorieswiththereader beforefinishinghistalewitha“punchtothe gut”ending.ButIneededtoknowtheback storywhichdidn’tmakeitintothepublished workfirst.

“Only what was most relevant made it into the published piece.”

Thinkaboutwhatyouneedtoknowabout yourcharacter.Thisinformationisforyou onlybeforeyoudecidewhatthereader needstoknow.Whatwouldyourcharacter choosetorememberandwhy?Whatdothey trytoforgetandwhy?Answeringeitherof thosewouldgiveyouanoutline.Whatmemoriesarechanging/challengingtheirbehaviour?

I’veoften“interviewed”mycharacterstounderstandwhatmotivatesthem.Againthisis acommonmemoirtechnique.Ingetting “them”toanswerIhavetodigdeeptofathomthemoutbutIdiscoverthingsIwould nototherwisehavedone.

Goodquestionstoaskinclude:-

Whatwouldyouneverdo,regardless?Your storycanthenmakethemfaceuptohaving todothisthing.

Whatdoyouconsidertobethemostimportantthinginlifeandwhy?

Whodoyouloveandwhy?

Whodoyouhateandwhy?

Whatmemorydoyoutreasuremostand why?

Howdoyougetonwiththeothercharacters inthestoryandwhy?

Ifyouarewriting“directmemoir”,these questionscouldbeusefulforthattoo.The lastquestioncouldbeamendedtosomething likehowwelldoyouthinkyougetonwith people.

Forfiction,answeringthesequestionswill giveyouanoutlineofyourmaincharacter. I’veoftenfoundoutlinestriggerideas.

Forexample,seewhatI’vecomeupwith basedonthequestionsabove.

Dorothy,aged91,wouldnevergoskydiving. Doesn’tlikeheights.Isgladtoliveinabungalow-noupstairs!

Dorothybelievescaringforothersisthemost importantthinginlife.

Dorothylovedherlatesister,Rosie,whosadly passedaway(dementia).

Dorothyhatesdementiaandwouldlovetodo somethingtohelpthecharitiestryingtobeat thedisease.

Dorothytreasuresthememoriesof idyllic childhoodsonlonelyScottishbeacheswith Rosie.

Dorothygetsonwellwithherfellowchurch membersandwhenonetalkstoherabout doingaskydiveforAlzheimer’sResearchthey plantanideainDorothy’shead.

WillDorothydoherskydivethen?Yes,ifI writeherstoryup!Thetalewouldfocuson Dorothymakingherselfdothis,herprideon achievingit,andwouldbeafeelgoodstory.

InsketchingoutafewdetailsofDorothy’s “memoir”,Ihaveapotentialstory.I’vealso

givenDorothyapowerfulmotivationfordoingsomethingshewouldnotnormallyconsiderdoing.Readersunderstandthat.

Memoirtechniquesthenneednotjustbe confinedtothosewhowritememoiritself.All fictionwritersneedtoselectthedetailsthey sharewithreaders.Memoirwritershaveto selecttherightdetailstofocusontobring aboutapowerfulstorywhichwillhaveemotionalimpactonthosewhowilleventually readit.

Evenifyouneverintendtowritememoiritself,usethetechniquestostrengthenyour fiction.Yourreaderswillthankyouforthat becausetheywillidentitywithyourcharacters.Theywillseewheretheyarecoming from.

Ireadtofindoutwhathappenstothecharacters.Theyhavetogripmetokeepme readingsoiftheyarebasedonwhatweunderstand,aspartofourownexperiencesof theworld,theyaremuchmorelikelytocome acrossasrealisticeveniftheyaresetonthe PlanetZog.

Givethequestionsideaago.Whatmemoirs canyoucreateforyourcharacters?Howwill youusetheresults?

GeorgeOrwell 1903-1950

It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.

GeorgeOrwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)

GeorgeOrwellwasthepennameofEnglishnovelist,poet,essayist,journalistandcritic,EricArthur Blair. Hewasbornintoafairlywealthyfamilyin England.In1922,hebecameanImperialpolice officerinBurma,wherehismaternalgrandmother lived.Followingaspellofillness,EricBlairreturnedtoEnglandandresignedfromthepolicein 1928towrite.

AfterafewyearsinParis,hereturnedtoEngland where,from1932,heheldvariousteachingpositionsbeforesettingoutforSpainin1936tofightin theSpanishCivilWar.Whileonthefront,hewas shotinthethroatandreturnedtoEnglandin1937. Whenhewasdeclaredunfitformilitaryservicein thefirstworldwar,hejoinedtheHomeGuards.

EricBlairwasdiagnosedwithTBin1947anddied inJanuary1950.

Down and Out in Paris and London (1933) isamemoirintwoparts(ParisandLondon)onthetheme ofpoverty.

OtherNotableWorks

Nonfiction

The Road to Wigan Pier -1937

Homage to Catalonia -1938

Allison Symes is a flash fiction/short story writer, blogger and editor based in Hampshire. She runs writing workshops, judges competitions, and writes weekly for writers for Chandler’s Ford Today. She has two flash fiction collections published (Chapeltown Books) with a third in the pipeline.

Fiction

Burmese Days -1934

A Clergyman’s Daughter -1935

Keep The Aspidistra Flying - 1936

Coming Up For Air -1939

Animal Farm –1945

Nineteen Eighty-Four –1949

RareBirdsBookShop

ROur bookshop of the month for May is situated in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Scotland.

areBirdsBookswasfoundedin2017byRachelWoodsandhasprovidedanonline bookshopandbooksubscriptionservice sincethenthroughtheRareBirdsBookClub.

In2021,RareBirdsBooksopenedtheonly bookshopinScotlanddedicatedentirelytowomen’swriting.

ThisuniqueshopissituatedintheheartofStockbridgeinEdinburghandisagreatplacetodiscovernewbookswrittenbywomen.

IfEdinburghisn’twithintravellingdistance,you canalwayssubscribeonline.TheRareBirdsBook Clubhasalargecommunityofmembersacross twenty-threecountries.

RareBirdsBooksalsooffersarangeofbookrelatedgifts fromgenrescentedcandlestoaboxof writingcardprompts.

FindoutmoreaboutRareBirdsBooksat: https://rarebirdsbooks.com

We've made it our mission to champion female authors and help you discover brilliant books you'd never have otherwise heard of. From literary heavyweights to breezy beach reads, we're here to help you make space on your bookshelf for women's writing across every genre.”

PoeticForm:RondelSupreme

Lis McDermott discusses Rondel Supreme and shares her poem ‘My Memento-Mori’

Atfirstsight,thispoeticformcanappear quitedaunting,butinreality,itisn’tso bad.ItisaFrenchform,with14lines,including2refrainsandcontaininganend-rhyme pattern.

Thepoemconsistsofthreeverses/stanzas.

Therearenosyllablerestrictions.

ThereisanArhyme,refrain,andBrhyme,refrain. Whichlookslikethis:

Abba abAB abbaA(B)

Line1RefrainA---A

Line2RefrainB.---B

Line3 ---b

Line4 ---a

Line5 ---a

Line6 ---b

Line7RefrainA---A

Line8RefrainB.---B

Line9 ---a

Line10 ---b

Line11 ---b

Line12 ---a

Line13RefrainA---A

Line14RefrainB.---B

Themagazinethemethis monthisMemoirs; therefore,Ichosetowriteapoemaroundthat idea.

Asalways,Istartedbyconsideringwordchoices tofittheendrhymes.

Tofittherhymeendings,youneed5rhyming wordstofittheAlines,and5tofittheBlines.

Initially,Ichose‘name’and‘story’asthefocus formyendrhymes,althoughthelatteraltered. However,Istillchoseawordthatrhymedwith ‘story’.

Ithoughtaboutsynonymsfortheword‘story’ andcameupwith:tale;narrative;account;anecdote;history;yarn.

Therhymingphraseendingforoneofmyrefrainswas‘remembermyname’.Thenextaction wastocreatemywordbanktorhymewith name.

Game; fame; frame; shame; claim; aim

Thendoingthesamefor‘story’,Iendedupwith: tory; glory; hunky-dory; auditory; oratory; territory; statutory; gory; memento- mori

LisMcDermott

Formyfirstattempt,Iwritetherhymepattern endingsdownthesideofthepoem’slines–just toensureIremainontrack,anddon’tletmy mindwanderoffintootherideas.

MyMemento-Mori

AWhenI’mdeadandgone,whowillremember myname?

BNone,withoutmymemento-mori.

bAlifeled,filledwithtimesofbothobscurityand glory,

athoughmostlyalowlyexistencewithoutgreat fame.

aBysomepeople’sreckoning,mytimehasbeen tame.

byetforafewyearsmysurvivalwasviciousand gory.

AWhenIamdeadandgone,whowillremember myname?

BNone,withoutmymemento-mori.

aHopefullymytalewillkeepyoufreefromsimilarshame

byou’llnotmakethesamemistakes,fallintoa parallelterritory.

aMysadtaleofwoewillensureyoutakeapositiveaim.

AWhenIamdeadandgone,whowillremember myname?

BNone,withoutmymemento-mori.

SomeotherideasofwhereImightmakechanges.

When I leave this mortal coil, who will remember my name?

None, in absence of my memento-mori?

A normal life filled with unusual/unexpected glory

few years my path to survival was vicious

I’msuremanyofusconsidertherathermaudlin question,thatoncewe’redeadandgone-will webeforgotten? Onewaytomakeensureyou’re

not,istowriteamemoir,whetherjustforyour family,ortobepublishedfortheworldtoread.

Hopefully,thefinishedversionofthepoem, makesyouwonderwhatthispersondidduring theirlifetime. Whatwastheirsadtaleofwoe?

MyMemento-Mori

WhenIleavethismortalcoil,whowillremember myname?

None,inabsenceofmymemento-mori.

Anormallifefilledwithtimesofunexpectedglory,

thoughmostlyalowlyexistencewithoutgreat fame.

Though,bysomepeople’sreckoning,mytime hasbeentame.

yetforafewyearsmypathtosurvivalwasviciousandgory.

WhenIamdeadandgone,whowillremember myname?

None,inabsenceofmymemento-mori.

Hopefullymytalewillkeepyoufreefromsimilar shame

you’llnotmakethesamemistakes,fallintoa parallelterritory.

Mysadtaleofwoewill,hopefullyensureyou takeapositiveaim.

WhenIamdeadandgone,whowillremember myname?

None,inabsenceofmymemento-mori.

Lis McDermott is a multi-genre author, poet and writing mentor. Visit Lis’ website: https://lismcdermottauthor.co.uk

21TipsToHelpInWritingAMemoir

Eva Melissa Roshan shares 21 invaluable tips for writing memoir.

Sincepublishingmymemoir Wearing RedOne Woman’s Journey to Sanity, I’veoften beenaskedbyaspiringwritersforguidanceonmyprocess.I’vecompiled21tipsthat mighthelpanyonewhoiswritingorabouttoembarkonwritingamemoir.

I’lltellyouthecontextofmybooktoclarifymy experience.Writingandpublishingmystory, Wearing Red,wasalife-affirmingandhonouring process.Iwrotethismemoirtoshowitispossibletosurvivetragiccircumstances,tocomeout theotherside,andcreateasuccessfullifeofintegrity,dignity,andself-respect.Itisatestimony tothepowerofreleasingsecrets,speakingout, andbeingheard.

Thestoryistoldinvignettesofdefiningmomentswhichrevealmypathintoaddiction,depression,andself-abuse,untilIfoundthewisdomandcouragetoforgeanewpathofrecovery,freedom,andovercomingshame.

AsAnneLamottsaid, “Writing a memoir is like allowing your truth to escape from jail.”

Ifyouarehoveringoveryourdecisiontowrite yourmemoir,Iurgeyoutobegin.Youwillnot regretit.Ifyouhavestarted,Iurgeyoutocontinueandfinish.Ifyou’reanythinglikeme,you’llbe immenselyproudofyourachievement.

Herearethe21tipsI’velearnedfromthewriting processthatmayanswersomeconcerns.

Tip1:PurposeofWritingyourStory

Beclearaboutpurpose.Thinkaboutwhyyou

wanttowriteyourmemoir-isitforyourself;for yourfamilyasarecord;forpublication,orasa searchformeaning?Thiswillaffecthowand whatyouwrite.

Iwrote Wearing Red forpublication,tobepartof thereleasingsecrets,speakingoutandbeing heardcampaignsaroundsexualabusetrauma, andmentalhealth.InthewritingIdevelopedthe couragetofindmyvoiceandtellmytruth.Itbecameanempoweringprocesswhichhashelped meacceptmypastandmymoodswings.Ihada storytotellIconsideredworthtelling.

Nolesssignificant,anotherpurposewasasagift tomyself,soIcansayoutloud-‘Yes,Ididthis’fulfillinghalf-finishedpromises.

Iwantedtousethebookasaspringboardto raiseawarenessandtosupportotherswithsexualabuserecoveryandaddictionrecovery.Iincludedmypracticaltoolkitsforstayingwelland improvingourmentalhealth.

Tip2:ReadLotsofMemoirs

IfollowedNatalieGoldberg’sadvice(2007)tolist tenmemoirsyouwanttoreadandthenread themall.Takenoticeofallthedifferentstyles andtechniques,whichmayhelpwiththeway forwardinwritingyourstory.

EvaMelissaRoshan

Tip3:AvoidReadingLotsof‘HowtoWrite Memoir’

Books

Forme,thesebooksbecameanobsessionasI filledmyshelvesbutdidn’tstartwriting.EventuallyIchoseone-NatalieGoldberg’s(2007) Old Friend from Far Away asmyguideandworkedmy waythroughtheexercises,whichactedas promptstowritingstoriesformybook.

Tip4:AvoidSearchingforthePerfectIdea

Yourideasforformatandcontentwillchangeas thestorydevelops.Ihadthreedifferenttitlesand themesoverthefouryearsofwriting Wearing Red.Theclaritycomesinthewriting.

Tip5:JustGetYourFirstDraftDown

Inordertoachievethis,banishthatinnercritic. Getheracupofteaandtellhershecancomeout laterwhenyou’vefinished.Thisphaseinvolves noediting.Refiningandeditingcomelater.There willbemanymoredraftsasyourstoryiswritten. FormyfirstdraftIwroteaseriesofvignettesand usedoldjournalsasprompts.Puttingtheseinto workableordercameintheseconddraft.

Tip6:YouhavetheRighttoWriteWhatYou Want

Forthefirstdraft,writewhatyouwant,notwhat youthinkyoushouldsay.Writeabouttheworst emotions.Writewhatyou’reafraidtosay.The bitsthataredifficulttomakepublicare stumblingblockswhichstifleyourcreativity.So,start there.

Listallthethingsyouthinkyoushouldnotwrite aboutandthenwriteaboutthem.Thinkabout howyoumightnegotiatethemintobeinginyour story.Digupthethingsyoudon’tremember.This releasesagreatdealofenergy.

NatalieGoldberg(2007)says, “Build a tolerance for what you cannot bear.” Thisbecomesyour writingmuscle.Youcandecidewhethertoincludethemornotinlatereditingstages.

Tip7:LeaveaTouchofAmbiguity

Lettheaudienceworkthingsout.Ihadahabitof wantingtoconcludeeachvignette.Ihadtolearn toleavetheendingopentointerpretation.

Tip8:TheProcesswilltakeLongerthan Planned

Ittakesaslongasittakesandtherewillbemany changesfromyouroriginalintention.Iwasalwayssettingmyselfdeadlines,thenchanging them.Ittookmefouryearstoreachthefinal stageofpublication.

Tip9:FindaWritingMentor

Havingawritingmentorisinvaluable;someone atyourback,pushingyouforward,critiquing yourwork,keepingyougoingwhenyouwantto giveup.Amentorsupportsyouthroughthe gremlinsofdoubtthatinevitablycreepintothe process.Mywritingmentor,BarbaraBloomfield, waswithmeeverystepofthewayandmademe believeIcouldcompletethismammothproject andmystorywasworthyoftelling.

Tip10:UsingPrompts

Tohelpwiththefirstdraft,aswellasoldjournals,Iusedphotographsandrecordsofconversations,toaidmymemory.Mostofmyfirstdraft waswrittenfreeflowstyle.Ididn’twriteinchronologicalorderandifIhadtriedthat,Idon’tthink I’dhavefinishedthebook.Ijustdelvedintoavignetteorpoemthemeandletthewritingtake over.

Tip11:WritingEmotionalMaterialSafely

Whenwritingdifficultmaterial,it’simportantto staysafe.Iusedtimedwritingandhadalitcandleassupport.Youcouldtrywritingemotional areasindifferentcolourpensorfonts.Tryusing yournon-dominanthandforthemosttroublesomeparts.Ifounditusefultocreateadialogue withthepartofmecarryingtheemotionandmy

wiserself.Sharethesesectionswithyourwritingmentorforvaluablesupport.

Tip12:InterruptingtheNarrative

Ifoundinterruptingthenarrativebyspeaking directlytothereaderwasausefultechniquein diffusingsomeoftheemotion.Includingthings like‘Thisisdifficult. Ifoundwritingthissection hard.’Thisisalsoatechniquewhichishelpfulif youbecomestuck.Thisemphasisestheemotionalimpactofthematerialforthereader.You canchooseifthesepartsstayintheworkata laterstage.

Tip13:ObjectifyingorExternalisingDifficult Material

Trywritingemotionalmaterialinadifferent tense,ormakeitintoaseparatestory,orwrite asifitwereafairytale.Iwroteaboutthesexual abuseofmyyoungerselfinthevoiceofthe childandusedmychildhoodname ‘Carol’ratherthan‘I’.Thiscreateddistancefromthesensitivenatureofthematerial.

Tip14: ExpandingMemories

Usingdramatisationwithdialoguehelpsembellishthestory.

Tip

15

:MixinguptheFormat

Youdon’thavetosticktooneformat.Ichosea mixtureofproseandpoetrythroughoutthe book.Thiswasespeciallyhelpfulinconveying thefreneticnatureofmoodswingsinthesection How It Is. Myreadersfoundtheformatvarietyappealing.

emsinthebook,called Ghosts of a Time givesan exampleofthistechnique:

Idon’tremember thesaltycrabsandwichesonwhite, anddrinksatWeymouthharbour, sittingonthegreenbench outsidethepubinthesun, facingclankingyachts offeringfalsepromiseofbetterdays, oneday.

Tip17:WritingastheOtherCharacters

Thisformatallowsdifferentvoicesandperspectivestoemergeinthewriting.Iwroteasmymother,father,andsisterwhenIwascoveringthesexualabuseperiodofmylife.

Tip18:RewritingtheStory

Rewritingthestoryofothercharactersinvolved allowsaperspectivetodevelopofhowthings couldhavebeendifferent.

Tip19:UsingthePowerofMyth

UsingHomer’smythologicalstoriesofPersephoneandSisyphusinmywritingdeepenedmyunderstandingofwhathappenedtome.Ialsorewrotetheirstories-Persephonetakingpower overHadesandbefriendingSisyphusforsupport. Atthefinaleditingstage,Ichosenottoinclude thesesections,butmywritingwasenhancedasa resultoftheinsightgained.

Tip

16:‘IDon’tRemember.’

Writingfromadifferentperspective,usingthe words,‘Idon’tremember’allowedthememoriestoemerge.Again,thiswaspartofthedistancingmethod.Anextractfromoneofmypo-

Youcouldchooseamythicalstorythatresonates withyourmaterialandwriteabouthowthisrelatestoyourlifestory.Tryrewritingthemythical storiesandseewherethattakesyou.

Tip20: FindingReaders

Beforethefinaleditstage,Ifounditusefulto choosesomereaderswhowerewillingtogiveme

constructivefeedbackandprovidequotesfor thebook.Thiswasvaluableinfamiliarisingmyselfwithcriticalreviews.

Tip21:PublishingChoices

Choosingtheassistedself-publishingmethod allowedmetomaintaincontrolovermybook.I seemyselfasanindie-author-thecreativedirectorofmybookfromconceptiontocompletionandbeyond,usingthesupportofaprofessionalservice.

Writing Wearing Red- One Woman’s Journey to Sanity hasgivenmeanewlevelofacceptance, forgiveness,andtransformation–amoving fromvictimtochampion.Findingthecourageto speakoutandbeheardiswithoutdoubtapowerfulprocess.Sexualabuse,addiction,andtheir effectonmentalhealthhavebeentabooissues fortoolong.

Thisbookisacelebrationofmylife,mystory andmycouragetosurvive.Itisanactofhope andresistance.Itisaprocessoffindingsignificanceintheeventsthattookplacetoallowa transcendenceofmycircumstances,asIchoose tolivewell.

Ihopeyoufindthesetipshelpful.Writingyour storycanbecomeagifttoyourself,oneyouwill cherishforlife.

WHENTHEPAINSTOPS(from

Wearing Red)

Thepainstops.

Curtainlifts.

Blacknessrecedestostageright.

Resting.Waiting.Watching. Nolongercentrestage. Aspaceappears. Withroomtomove, thebelljarlifts.

Air,freshandbreathable, bringsunspeakablerelief.

Beyonddescription.

Onlythosewho’veventuredintotheirdarkness canunderstandthetrauma ofbeinglostinPersephone’swinter. Andthedelightwhenthepainstops. AsHopeentersstageleft withlantern.

Thereisroominthiswelcomeplace forpossibilitiestobreed. Noneedtorush. Thereistime. Themomentissweet.

Ismile.

References:

Anne Lamott (1995) Bird by Bird. New York. Anchor Books.

Natalie Goldberg (2007) Old Friend from Far Away. New York, Free Press, p12

Eva Melissa Roshan is a redheaded author and poet; mental health awareness trainer; writing for wellbeing workshop facilitator; and a member of the Board of Trustees for Brecon and District Mind. She lives in Brecon, Wales with her husband Jonny Kinkead, a guitar maker. Wearing Red - One Woman’s Journey to Sanity is her first published book, which is available from www.browndogbooks.uk Her core aim is to normalise speaking about mental health challenges, especially child sexual abuse trauma, and addiction recovery. She is a fervent campaigner to change mental health attitudes. She writes a weekly mental health blog, on her website, www.evaroshan.com about tools that help us stay well on a daily basis - a life strategy for well-being.

MonthlyWritingPrompts

Wendy H. Jones and Tami C. Brown set this month’s writing prompts. Inspired by a theme of memoir they provide a range of prompts. Why not give them a try?

AsMay’sthemeismemoir,wehavetakena slightlydifferentapproachtothismonth’swritingprompts.Wehopeyoufindsomeinspiration fromthem.

Words

Sometimesthepastcancomebacktohaunt you.

Afamilyalbumcanstirmorethanmemories. Schooldaysmeantlongholidays.

Music

FamilyPortraitbyPink

TheBestDaybyTaylorSwift

CountonMebyBrunoMars

Images

ForMay,TamiCBrownputhercameradown andthoughtaboutwhatmemoirmeanttoher. Shebecamethepicturegatherer,lookingfor picturesofafewfemalefamilymemberswhen theywereyoungerandthinkingabouttheirpossibledreams.Atonetime,wewerethatyoung womanoutofschoolandexcitedaboutthefuturewouldhold.

WritingPrompts

(Photographic images by Tami C. Brown)

Wearetrulyfascinatedbytheautobiographiesof thefamous,butlisteningtothestoriesfromyour ownfamilyandtheirvastexperiencescould changethetrajectoryofyourlifeaswellas the abilitytosharethemwithfuturegenerations. You'llnoticethepicturesshechosehaveonly theirfirstnamelisted,shefeltthatwassoimportanttohonourthemaswomenbeforethey tookon"roles"inourlives.

Image1:Ellen

WendyH.Jones TamiC.Brown

Editor in chief, Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award -winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

Tami C. Brown loves to have her camera ready to snap beauty wherever she goes. Her family and friends, affectionately known as the Queenies, are well prepared for random stops along the journey to have a photo op. She’s grateful for all photography opportunities and the adventures that come along with it.

Image3: Fran

MemoirWriting:ReflectionsOfALife

John Greeves looks at different ways of writing memoir and shares helpful tips.

“A memoir” says, Gore Vidal “is how one remembers one’s own life, while an autobiography is history, requiring research, dates, facts double checked. In memoir it isn’t the end of the world if your memory tricks you and your dates are off by a week or month as long as you honestly try to tell the truth.” (Palimpset: A Memoir)

Memoircomesinmanyformsandcanbe articleorbooklengthandcanrelateto manythings.NigelSlater’sbook Toast isachildhoodmemoiraboutfood,whileKaren Blixen’s Out of Africa is delineatedbytimeand place.FrankCourtin Angela’s Ashes meanwhile createsabittersweetmemoirofgrowingupin NewYorkandIreland,whileKeithColemanin Memoirs of a London boy in the 50’s and 60’s providesahilariouslookofsurvivalandlifewhen thingsweresomuchsimplerandthekidshappierdespitethepovertywhichexistedatthe time.

Manypeopleinterchangethetermautobiographyandmemoirandbookshopsoftenplace theminthesamecategory.Inrecenttimesthe umbrellaterm‘LifeWriting’hasemergedwhich Iprefertoaccommodatetheseoftenseemingly overlappinggenres.

Anautobiographycanbeseento:

Focusonthetrajectoryofanentirelifechanging

Proceedchronologicallyfrombeginningtoend.

Havebeencarefullyresearchedhistoricalinformationwithspecificdatesandcarefullychecked withratifiedcontentwhichstrivesforfactualand historicaltruth.

Amemoirhaslessrigidityandcanstartanywhereandmovearoundintimeandspace.The writingcanfeelmorepersonal,involvelessdependencyonfactcheckingasitstrivestoembraceemotionaltruths.

Memoirprovidesawayinwhichtoinvitereaders toshareyourintimateworldandconveyanover reachingthemeormessage.Mostmemoir shouldbejustascompellingasgoodstoryand includeconflict,obstacles,characterdevelopment,setting,plot,dialogueexposition,tension alongwiththeclarity,coherence,andcorrectnesswhichcomeswithcraftedwriting.Aboveall thewritershouldpresentatruth,anhonesttruth andprovideanintimateinsightandreflectionof themselves

Before you consider memoir writing

Beforewritingamemoiryouneedtoconsider

JohnGreeves

whyyouwanttowriteamemoir?What’sthe drivingambition? Whatisityouwanttosayand whatmessagedoyouwanttoconveytoyour reader?Someoneoncetoldmewritinganybook islikeamarriageandyouhavetochoosewisely inanylongtermrelationship.Acceptingthisendeavourcanbebothexhilaratingandhardand therewillsuretobesetbacksalongtheway.

Starting off

Somepeoplearenaturalhoarders,theyaccumulatemementoesoftheirlivesanythingfrom oldconcerttickets,Spanishdolls,matchbox toystoaMaryQuantcreation.Ihaveabagof Jerseyhalfpennieswhicharrivedfromsomewhereandliveinoneofmy‘mandrawers’with otheroddities.AsaladIcollectedcigarette cards,matchboxtops,Germanbeermats, stamps,marbles,footballandrugbyprogrammesandevenKellogg'scerealgifts,from toycars,rocketstobinocularsanddecoder rings.Addtothesediaries,schoolreports,letters,postcards,poemsmembersofyourfamily mayhavewritten,oldaddressbooks,certificatesoralhistory,cuttingsfromnewspaper,variousfamilyhistoriesandstoriesthathavepermeateddownaswellasheirloomsthenthere’s certainlyenoughtobeginyourmemoirquest.

Following the chronological or the thematic path

Somepeoplepreferahighlystructuredchronologicalformat,whileotherspreferalessrigid organicmodelwhichemanatedfromacentral themeintheirwrittenapproach.TheChronologicalpathwayprovidesaroutethrough:Birth, Childhood,Primary/Secondaryschool,Adolescence,YoungAdultYears,Earlymarriage,Career years,MiddleYears,LaterYearsandRetirement years.Eachofthesecategoriescouldbefurther subdivided(Perhapsusingaflowdiagramor mindmap)tocreateastructureforyourmemoir writing.

Forexample,with‘Earlyschoolyears,’you mightwanttoinvolveamemoirthatinvolves

yourfirstimpressionofschool,poignantheld memories,thingsyoulovedandhated,friends (someofwhichmighthavebecomefamous), historicaleventsthatmadeanimpact.

IremembertheHungarianUprisingbeing squashedbytheRussiansinthe1950sandseeingasadHungarianboybeingtakenfromclass toclassbytheheadmistresswhileweplayed amongthewooden Fröbel blocks.Perhapsyou remembertheplaygroundgames,ortherigid streamingwithinaclassroomwhichwassubject toyourweeklytestresultsasyouapproached the11+.

Myownservicefamilywasalwaysonthemove.I attendedatleasteightPrimaryschools.One memoryIcanrecallistheonslaughtofredink thatpermeatedmyEnglishexercisebook,which highlightedmyspellingmistakesandappeared thentobethefundamentalmeasureofsuccess. That’suntilanenlightenedteacherspraisedthe contentofmyideasandimaginationforthefirst time.Whatacontrast,aseminalmomentindeed,whichfinallyspurredmeon.

Astructuredchronologicalapproachcanhave limitations.Howmanyofusknowaboutevents surroundingourbirth,orhavevividmemoriesof thoseveryearlydays.Whatifwehaven’t reachedretirementage,andarestillinourthirties,orbelieveasignificanteventwhichhappenedinourmidforties,shadowedallothers andlaterdefinedourfuture.Usingathematic approachcouldaddressthesedifficulties.

Themescouldinclude:acceptingachangedlife, comingofage,dealingwithloss,placesofsentiment,turningpoints,illness,relationships,geographicalorpsychologicaljourneys,obsession, naturaldisasters,chance,survivalandwarjust tomentionafew.Thelistisvastandfocuseson thoseexperiencesorsignificantotherswho haveimpactedyourlife.

IcanrecallsomeoneIknewwritingamemoir aboutanincidentinthe The Rhodesian Bush War. This was aconflictinRhodesia(nowZimbabwe)betweenthewhiteminoritygovernmentof IanSmithandtheblacknationalistsoftheZANU

andZAPU.Sadly,likemanyconflicts,murder, rape,abduction,torture,beatings,robberyand cattlemaimingbecameafeatureamongsomeof thewarringfactions.Imaginebeingayoung childathomewithyourmotherwhensuddenly armedgroupturnsupatyourfarm.Someare boysoldiers.Theirintentionsremainunknown tomotherandchild,whoarealonewiththem, knowingacarelesswordoractionmayresultin suddendeath.

Thememoirnevermentionedfear,ortension, insteadthewritertalkedabouthowhermother heldherhandandhowhermother’svoicenever waveredasshesoughttocalmandnormalise theday.Themeneventuallymovedoffandno onewashurt.Inrelatingthisincidentasamemoirthewriterneverforgotheraudience,thefocusalwaysremainedonthekeyelements,while thecauldronoffearsimmeredbelow.Asawriter shewasabletoshowratherthanexpresstheraw emotionthathappenedthatdayandconnect intimatelywithherreaders.

Noteverymemoirhastobethatbrutalandthe appealofthememoircancomethroughother truthsandsentimentslike The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, whichcoversthenostalgic charmofavanishedworld,showingmemories canbeevokedinmanywaysthroughmemoir.

How do I start?

Anywriterorartistfacedwitha‘blankcanvas’ oftenfindsitdifficulttobegin.Sometimesthe personmaynotbeabletoclarifyyoursubject,or itstheundefinedparameters,orthey’reworried aboutbreakingafamilytaboowhichleadsto uncertainty.Ifyoubelongtoawritinggroupand thisisyourfirstventureinto‘memoir’talktothe groupaboutafavouriteobjectandaskthemto listenoutforthemostcompellingsentence whichdrawsthemin.Thesemightbegoodstartingpointsforyourwriting,orpickathemelike ‘obsession’keeplistinganyideaswhichcome intoyourhead.Highlightthestrongestofthem, thenusepost-itnotestowriteparagraphsum-

mariesinsinglesentences. Youcanorderand reorderyourpost-itnotesuntiltheyfit.Thisapproachcanbeusedforchapterheadingsina book.Otherwritersmayhavetheirowntips,but thefollowingmayalsohelp.

Othermemoirtips

Writetoexpressyourtruth,nottoimpress. Thinkhardaboutwhatyouwanttosayandwhat youwanttoconveyinyourwork.Whatinfluencesorexperiences(goodorbad)havemouldedyourlife.

Engagethereaderfromthestart.

Detailyourinnerthoughtsandemotionaltruths aswellasyourphysicalactions

Buildabondwiththereader

Workoncreatinganemotionalresponsefrom thereader.

Consideryouropening.Whatwilldrawthereaderin?

Knowtherulesforgoodwritingapplyequallyto memoir

Writeforthereaderaswellasyourself.

Editingyourmemoir

“We all come from the past, and children ought to know what it was that went into their making, to know that life is a braided cord of humanity stretching up from long gone and that it cannot be defined by the span of a single journey from diaper to shroud. (RussellBaker,GrowingUp).

It’stheseindividualjourneyswhichmakememoironeofthemostcaptivatingandinteresting formsofwritinganditrelatestothehumancondition.ThequestionsI’maskedmostoftenis whetherapieceofwritingworks.Thismaybe Memoir,ShortStoryWriting,Monologueorwhatever,butIalwaysthinksthisparticularquestion doesn’thelp. Allwritingcontainsbothstrengths andweaknesses.Memoirlikemanyothergenres

stilldemandsthesamesetofwritingskills.Asa writer,westillneedtoconnectwiththereader, usesensorydetail,developcharacterizationand conveyourowntruthaswellashavingfocus, purposeandclarityinourwriting.

Forme,lifewriting,beitmemoir,autobiographyorbiographyshouldalwayshighlight

Questionstohelpyouassessyourmemoir

manyfacetsofthehumancondition,reflecting boththebaseandhigherformsofexistence.As writersweshouldstrivetocapturetheemotionalchargewhichlifeaffordsusanddoourbestto sharewithotherstheenormousdynamismand gravitasofthisgenre.

Question Yes No

Doesthewritingcaptivatethereaderfromthestart?

Isthereevidenceofanindividualvoice?

Doesthewritingdevelopideasinaninterestingway?Isthereclarity?

Doesitmakeanemotionalconnectionwiththereader,withoutbeingmaudlin?

Doesthepieceincludesensorydetails(thingsforthereadertohearsee,smelland taste?)

Canyouvisualisethesetting/location?

Canthereaderworkoutthetimeperiodforthisexperience?

Aredetails,ideaspresentedinameaningfulorder?

Doesthewriterprovidethereaderwithanaturalflowandtransitionbetweenparagraphs?

Doesthewriting‘show’aswellas‘tell’Haveyouprovidedopportunitiesforthe readertodrawhisorherinferences?

Willthereaderunderstandthepurposeofthewritingabouttheincident(s)inthe writerslife?

Doestheintentremainclearthroughout?Howbravehaveyoubeeninsharingyour experienceandhaveyourelatedthisinanhonestandtellingway?

Whatisthestrongestelementofthismemoir?

Whatistheweakestpartofthememoir?Whatactionneedstobetakenbyme?

John Greeves originally hails from Lincolnshire. He believes in the power of poetry and writing to change people’s lives and the need for language to move and connect people to the modern world. Since retiring from Cardiff University, Greeves works as a freelance journalist who's interested in an eclectic range of topics

BreakingTheRulesAndAcceptingOurFoibles

Gillian Poucher discusses why writers should accept their personal writer foibles.

Ican’tsayhowrelievedIwastoread ‘ConfessionsofaChronicSelf-Editor’byJeanettetheWriterinApril’s Writers’ Narrative. I tooamaChronicSelf-Editor. Yearsofacademic studyandaformerlegalcareerhavecombined tomakemeunabletowriteaparagraph(or,ona badday,asentence),withoutgoingbackoverit assoonasit’sdown. WhenIreturntomymanuscript,Ifindmyselftrawlingthroughthecurrent chapterandeditingbeforemovingon. It’sgood toknowIhavecompany!

Iadvocateacceptanceofourpersonalwriterfoibles.Thekeyisbeingawareofwhenthesefoiblesbecomebarriers. Insteadofbeatingourselvesup,weneedtoacceptouridiosyncrasies, butberuthlesswhentheyholdusback.

EditingasIgohelpsmemoveastoryon,especiallyaftertimeaway. Ittakesmebackintothe narrativeworldandshowsmewhereIneedtogo next. ImightrealisethatI’veshort-changeda characterwhoneedsmorespaceanddevelopment,oridentifyaplothole. If,however,Istart trawlingthroughswathesoftexttoseewhat weekdayitis,IknowI’mprocrastinating. That levelofatomicdetailcanwaituntiltheeditafter thefirstdraftisfinished.

OneeditingtipIfullyendorseisthewisdomof lettingthefirstdraftsitonthebackburnerfora while. Formylatest(unpublished)novel,Idecidedonatimeslipapproach. Iinterspersedthe maincontemporarynarrativewithextractsfrom afourteenthcenturycharacter. Iwrotethese sectionsafterconcludingthecontemporarynarrative,thenslottedtheextractsthroughoutthe novel.

IreadthemanuscriptthroughassoonasI’daddedthehistoricalstory,andthoughtitworked.

ThenIsetitasideforafewweeks. Goingbackto it,IrealisedhowwrongIwas. Thehistorical characterintrudedonthecontemporarynarrative,slowingdownthepaceofthepsychological suspense. Herinfluencethroughouttheoriginal novelwasenough. Wedidn’tneedtohearfrom herdirectly.

Butitwasdifficulttoletmyfourteenthcentury charactergo! I’vewantedtowriteherforyears, shehasastrongvoice,andprovidedavaluable 8000words. SoitwaswithgrittedteeththatI actedonthefamouswordsofWilliamFaulkner, ‘Killyourdarlings.’ Iexcisedtheextracts,and expandedthecontemporarystory. Theresult? Anovelstrongerinpaceandplot.

Sometimelater,Ireviewedthehistoricalextractsinaseparatedocument,andrealisedthat Ihavethekernelofanothernovel. Historical fictionwillbeanewgenreforme,andI’veditheredaboutit. Itwilltaketimetoresearchas wellaswrite. Thereisanotherwritingguideline urgingauthorstostaywithonegenretoestablishauthorbrand.

ButifI’vealreadybrokentheeditingrule,I’m readytogivemyselfpermissiontobreaktheauthorbrandruletoo. Icanalwaystakeapen name…

Gillian Poucher is the author of psychological suspense novels After The Funeral and A Question of Loyalty, and supernatural thriller Vision of Light. Visit Gillian’s website: https:// gillianpoucherauthor.co.uk/

GillianPoucher

WritingBookoftheMonth

BlueprintForAMemoirby

JennieNash

Reviewed by Sheena Macleod

Blurb

Thereisabigdifferencebetweenwritingmemoirforyourownpurposes toshareyourlegacy,toheal,tolearntowrite,becauseyouare curiousorcalledtodoit andwritingmemoir forotherpeopletoread.Ifyourintentionisto publishyourmemoir,thereareconceptsyou needtounderstandanddecisionsyouneedto make.TheBlueprintmethodwillhelpyouunderstandhowtoapproachtheworkofwriting memoirsothatyouhavethebestchanceofsuccessinthemarketplace.

Blueprint for a Memoir isastep-by-stepprocess fordefiningwhatyouwanttosay,deciding whattoleaveout,andcraftingapitchtotheindustryprofessionalswhocanbringitlife.

AllyouneedtotakeadvantageoftheBlueprint isastoryyouwanttosharewiththeworldand thewillingnesstotakeafewweekstowork through14toughquestions.

JennieNashisthecreatorofthebookcoach certificationprogramatAuthorAcceleratorand hastaughthundredsofbookcoachesandthousandsofwritershowtousetheBlueprintfora Booksystemtohelpthemproducetheirbest workinthemostefficientway.

Sheistheauthorof Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out; Read Books All Day and Get Paid for It: The Business of Book Coaching;andnineotherbooks.

Review

Ifyouhaveeverthoughtaboutwritingandpublishingamemoirbut,likeme,youdon’tknow howtogetstartedthenthisbookisforyou.

Eachchaptercontainseasytofollowstepstowardscreatingyourmemoir.Amongstother things,theBlueprintMethodshouldhelpyouto findyourvoiceandidentifyyourreadership. Itisjam-packedwithhelpfulhow-tostagesto writingyourmemoirandthenputtingitoutinto theworld.

Thisbookwouldbeagreatresourceforanyone wantingtowriteamemoirandgetitpublished.

BirdOfParadise:HowIBecameLatinabyRaquelCepeda

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

In2009,RaquelCepedaembarkedonanexplorationofhergenealogyusingancestralDNAtestingtouncoverthetruthaboutherfamily andthetapestryofracesandethnicitiesthatcametogetherinan ambiguousmixinherfeatures,resultingin“abeautifulstoryofreconciliationandredemption”(Huffington Post)withheridentityand whatitmeanstobeLatina.

Diggingthroughmemorieslongburied,Cepedajourneyednotonly intoherancestrybutalsointoherownhistory.BorninHarlemto Dominicanparents,shewassenttolivewithhermaternalgrandparentsintheParaíso(Paradise)districtinSantoDomingowhilestilla baby.Itprovedtobeanidyllicreprieveinherotherwisefraught childhood.Paraísocametomeanfamily,home,belonging.When CepedareturnedtotheUS,shediscoveredherfamilyconstellation hadchanged.Hermotherhadanew,abusiveboyfriend,whorelocatedthefamilytoSanFrancisco.

Whenthatrelationshipfellapart,CepedafoundherselfbackinNewYorkCitywithherfatherandEuropeanstepmother:attendingtennislessonsandCatholicschools;fightingviciousbattleswithherfather, whodiscouragedherfromexpressingtheDominicanpartofherhyphenatedidentity;andimmersedin the’80ship-hopcultureofuptownManhattan.Itwasinthesestreets,throughtheprismofhip-hopand thesometimeslovingembraceofhercommunity,thatCepedaconstructedherownidentity.

Yearslater,whenCepedahadbecomeasuccessfuljournalistanddocumentaryfilmmaker,thestrandsof herDNAwouldtakeherfurther,acrosstheglobeandintohistory.Whowereherancestors?Howdid they andshe becomeLatina?Herjourney,asthemostunforgettableonesoftendo,wouldleadherto placesshehadn’texpectedtogo.Withavibrantlyricalproseandfiercehonesty,Cepedaparsesconcepts ofrace,identity,andancestralDNAamongLatinosbyusingherownDominican-Americanstoryasone example,andintheprocessarrivesatsomesortofpeacewithherfather

InanattempttobroadenmyreadingchoicesandseekingforamemoirIcameacrossthisone.Notbeing familiarwithLatinaculture,thetitleandpremiseofthebookintriguedmeandIdecidedtopaygood moneytobuyacopy.IamgladIdid.

Thebookisahard-hittingdiscussionofidentityandembracingthatidentity.Cepedaleavesnostoneunturned,andherhonestyisrefreshing.Sheuseseverywordtogoodeffect,drawingthereaderintoher world.Thisisaworldthatdrawsontwoidentities–DominicanandAmerican,specificallyNewYorker.At onepointshedescribesherselfasDominayorkian.Herheritageshapeswhosheis.However,Cepeda takesthisfurtherbyhavingherDNAanalysedandembracingeverypartofherculturalheritage.Ifound thebookfascinatingandaninteresting,ifsometimesraw,read.Likeanygoodmemoir,ittookmeintoa worldwithwhichIwasunfamiliarandgavemeagreaterunderstandingofthatculture.Italsogavemea greaterunderstandingoftheimportanceofidentity.

Anna sPromisebyPaulineTait

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Strugglingtocometotermswithlosinghermother,Anna embarksonajourneytouncoverthetruthaboutherfamily andhermother’shiddenpast.

Andwhilealetter,aphotographandtheOldLodgeleadher backtotheIsleofSkye,Annaisshockedtodiscovertheislandshehadholidayedonsooftenasachildhasbeenquietlykeepingthesecretshermotherhadleftunsaid.

Hamish,handsome,quiet,andmoody,seemsunnervedby Anna’spresence.Ben,acityslicker,outofplaceanddeterminedtohelpAnnainherquest,provesinvaluable,butishis presenceontheislandmerelycoincidental?

Meanwhile,anewlydiscoveredfamilymembermaynotbea causeforcelebration.

Annamustfindthestrengthanddeterminationneededto fightforwhatistrulyhers,allwhilewonderingifhernewly mappedoutfutureiswhatshetrulywants.

Arivetingandunmissablenovelaboutnewbeginningsand thepowerofloveoverloss.

ThisisthesecondbookintheMarenBaySeries,andithasproventobeaworthysuccessortothefirst.

Taitisatalentedwriter,evidencedineveryskilfullywrittenword.Thestoryitselfdrawsthereaderinand intriguesthemenoughtokeepreadingwaypastsensibleo’clock.Thisisagentlebook,ratherthananon theedgeofyourseatmystery,butthatisoneofitsgreateststrengths.Thereaderisabletoimmerse themselvesinthestory,settingandcharacterisationinawaywhichbringsafullappreciationofeach.

Thecharacterisationisalsooneofthebook’sgreateststrengths.Eachcharacterisdrawntoperfection, allowingthereaderaglimpseintotheirlives.Lovethemorhatethem,theyleaveanimprintonyour heart.

Ilovedthisbookandameagerlyawaitingbookthreeintheseries.

ThePastForTheFuture

Jenny Sanders looks at why all should consider writing memoir, even if you don’t want it to be published.

Acoupleofyearsago,Isettleddownto readabook.Nothingunusualthere.The booktitleevadesmebutthecontenthas stayedwithme.

ThewriterbeganherstorywithherfirstchildhoodmemoriesinChinawhereshewasbornto missionaryparents.Piecingtogethermosaic recollections,shecreatedanimpressionist paintingofwords.

Shechronicledthefamily’sreturntotheUK,her studentdays,howshemetherhusband,and theirsubsequentliferightthroughtothejoysof grand-parentingandtheircontinuedadventures intravelandmission.Thesecondhalfofthe bookswitchedtorecordtheearliestmemories ofherhusband,hisparentsandgrandparentsas wellashisperspectiveoftheirlifetogether.She wrotewell,andsinceIknewtwoofthepeople featuredinthenarrative,Ifounditfascinating.

Wasitmemoirorwasitautobiography?Byfocusingonparticularepisodesratherthanaslavishchronologyofherlife,itprobablyfallsinto theformercategory.Eitherway,sheisunlikely tobeconcernedasshepublishedherbook purelyforthebenefitofherfamily.

Throughthelimitednumberofcopiesthatexist, shewantedherchildrenandgrandchildrento haveaccesstothestoriesandfamilyhistory whichhavelaidthefoundationofmuchoftheir lives;togivecontext,flavour,perspectiveand,

perhaps,areminderthattheyareallpartofa biggerandongoingstory.

Readingitwasvoyeuristic,butalsoanenormousprivilegetolookthroughawindowonto theirextraordinarylives.Isubsequentlyreflectedonmyownjourney.

I’mnotafanofmemoirsthatwallowindarkness:thedrugaddicts,thesexuallyabused,the abandoned,andthelike.Iftheyrevealredemptivethemesofrescue,restoration,andhealing thenI’mhappiertoembarkontheircontent,but mynewsfeedistoofulloftheformerthemes andcarriessofewofthelatterthat,despitemy compassion,Iamloathetospendmyreading timeimmersedinmoreofit.

Iremembersittingatmygranny’skneetryingto squeezeinformationoutofheraboutherchildhoodandfamily.Whilesheclaimedthather memorywasn’twhatitwas,Imanagedtopiece togetherafairlycoherentfamilytreewhichIfelt wouldbeimportantforsomefuturemoment.I lovethereminderthatallofusarepartofabigger,ongoingstory.

Onmyfather’sside,asecondcousinspentyears collatingadiagramofthegenerationsthatgoes

JennySanders

backtothe1600sor1700s,Ibelieve.Sincewe weren’tsoclosetohisbranchofthefamily,it meansverylittletome.Fadednamesoncurling paper.

Idon’tholdanygreatdesiretotrawlback throughgenealogiesinthewaferthinhopethat somewhereroyalbloodhasflowedintomyancestry,butitfeelsgoodsomeonemadethe efforttodoit.Ibelongonthatrollofpaper.

Onmymother’sside,mygrandfatherwasa ScottishMurray,sosomeofhisancestorswere probablyatCullodenin1745,andsurvived.The storygoescattlerustlersfeaturedsomewherein ourdimanddistantpast–notquitethenoble ancestorswemightprefer–atwhichpointfurtherresearchwasabandoned.

Afterspeakingtomygranny,Iwasinspiredtotry totraponpapersomeoftheclearestmemories ofmyownchildhood.Afileonmylaptopnow holdsthefirmestimpressionsofmyinfantand juniorschoolclasses.Ihaven’tgotmuchfurther thanthatbutrememberingallofmyteachers andwhereIsatinthose1960sand70sclassroomshelped.

I’verecordedthenamesofasmanyclassmates asIcouldalongsidedescriptivesnapshotsoflessons,homework,sportsdays,gymclub,play timefavourites,swimmingcertificates,school playsandconcerts,thewonderfuldayIwona schoolsradiopoetrycompetition,andtheexcruciatingdaywhenateacherliedandconsequentlyhumiliatedmeinfrontofmypeers.Itwasthe firsttimeI’dcomeacrossanadultwhodidn’t tellthetruthanditrockedmyentireworld.Not inagoodway.

Theremaycomeadaywhenthosenamesand facesareexpungedfrommyageingmemory,so I’llbegladI’vecapturedthempermanently. Therearesummerholidaysstilltoberecorded, holidayromances(whichmostlyhappenedin myhead),adolescence,studentshenanigans,

dating,theearlydaysofmake-it-up-as-you-goalongparenting.

Oneday,perhaps,I’llgetbacktoallofthoseif onlyforthesakeofmychildren.Theworldat largecanmanagewithoutmymemories–they haveathousandoftheirown–butit’sthatsense ofbelongingwhichisnudgingmetoreopenthe file.Inaworldwheresomuchischanging,that assuranceofbeingpartof(yes,Irepeatagain)a biggerandongoingstoryisprecious.

IknowadaywillcomewhenI’llbegratefulthe youngerversionofmyselfhastrappedthemon paperwheretheycan’tdisappearsoeasilyand whereIcanreadthemmyselforhavethemread tome.Ihavefaiththeywilltriggermemories thatmaysustainmewhenmyphysicalbody startstoletmedown.Iseethiswritingtimeas aninvestmentforthefuture.Thatfilecatches myeyeeverynowandagain,remindingme we’reallontheclockandtheopportunitytoadd toitwon’tbethereforever.

Likeme,youmaynotwanttopublishyourmemoir,butyourfamilymaybegratefulforsnapshotsoflifethatcometothemthroughyour words,evokingnamesandplaces;thesights, soundsandsmellsofyesteryear.Iftheyaren’t,it doesn’tmatter. Youmaydiscoverinthoserecollectionsamagicalkeytoexperiences,friendships,jokes,andadventuresthathavebeen dormantforyearsandwhichbringyoulife.

Doitwhileyoucan.

Spiritual Feasting is Jenny’s faith-based exploration of authentic living in tough times. She has two collections of humorous children’s stories: The Magnificent Moustache and other stories and Charlie Peach’s Pumpkins and other stories. She is available for author visits for creative writing sessions with Key Stage 2 children in the UK

ResearchingThePastForMemoirWriting

Morna Milton-Webber discusses part of the journey she took when researching her past for writing a memoir about her childhood in India .

Theysayyoushouldn’tgobacktorevisit placesorliveinthepast.Thatcanbe quitedifficultwhenyouarewritinga memoirwhichrequiresyoutodelvedeepinto therecessesofanoftenfadingmemory.

IamcurrentlywritingaboutmychildhoodinIndiawhilstlivinginScotland.Thatinitselfhas beenchallengingasthereisnothingmuchin ScotlandthatresembleswhatlifewaslikeinIndia.

WhenIbegantotryanddescribeindetailthe sightsandsoundsoflivingonarubberplantation,itoccurredtomethatIhadforgottensimpledetailssuchaswhatthecallofthejungle birdsoundedlike.Ithadbeensomanyyears sinceI’dhearditandIhadbecomemoreattunedtothechatterofthegardenbirdsherein Angus.

AsIbecamemoreembeddedinmystory,IrealisedthereweremanymorethingsIwantedto describeinprecisedetailbutIcouldn’tquiteget thedescriptionright.ThemoreItriedtowrite, themorefrustratedIbecame.Togivemymemoircredibilityandauthenticity,IknewIhadto geteverythingspoton.Togetfactsright,researchwasimperativeasthereisonlysomuchI couldresearchonlineorGoogle.

Quitesoonintowriting,Iknewthattodothis bookjustice,itreallydidrequiremetoreturnto

whereIgrewup.Thereisnothingmorerealand inspiringthanbeinginsitu.Ibegantoformulate aplan,workingoutthelogisticsofwhereI shouldbe,whenandofcourse,whotomeetup with.Therewasasurgeofgreatexcitement whenitcametocontactingpeopleIhadn’tseen ortalkedtoinyears,someIhadn’tbeenintouch withsinceleavingin1975.

Overtheyears,IhaveoftenrevisitedIndia.Itreallyisaplacethat,whenIreturn,feelslikecominghome. However,ofallthetimesIhavereturned,itwasneverforresearch.Thistripback wasentirelydifferent.Itwasmuchmoreofafact findingmissionasopposedtoaholiday.IneededtogobacktoplacesIhadn’treallyrememberedasachild,toimmersemyselfinthewhole processofrecallingtheminutiaeofeverysingle detailtoallowthestorytellingtoflow.

Oneparticularplace,theplantationIwas broughttoafterIwasadopted,wasaveritable Aladdin’sCaveofdiscovery.HadInotreturned tothatexactplace,Iwouldnothavebeenable towritewithsuchclarityandpoignancyabout

whatitwasliketohavelivedthereduringthat transitionalperiod.Itseemedthattimehad simplystoodstillasIsatintheveryfurniture thatmyparentshadinthebungalowwayback inthe50’sand60’s.Towanderroundthegardensintheknowledgethatmymotherhad painstakinglyplantedmostofthetreesand plantswasincredible.Towalkpastthejasmine inflower,Icouldalmostsenseherpresenceon thatwarmeveningstrollasthescentwaftedon thebalmyeveningair.WhenItouredtheplantation,thefactoryandtheofficeswheremyfather spentthefirstfewyearsofhislongcareer,itwas asifIwaswalkinginhisfootsteps.Justbeing present,inthemoment,wasexceptionallyemotive.

Itookcopiousnotesandphotographsbutthe realityofitwassimplybeingthere,talkingto peoplewhostillrememberedourfamilyandour timetherewasnothingshortofextraordinary. Someofmybestwritingcamefrommyshort timespentinKerala,gatheringinformationand gettinglostinmemoriesandtime.Icouldnot havewritteninsuchdepthabouthowIfelt aboutthisplacefromsimplymymemory.

Researchiskey.IpossiblywouldnothavebelievedhowimportantitishadInotactually madetheefforttomeetpeople,checkplaces, distances,andclarifythatcertainconversations tookplacetobackupwhatIwaswritingwasindeedtrue.AlthoughIamwritingmyownstory,a bigpartofitrevolvesaroundaparticulartimein Indianhistorysoitwascrucialtogetmyfacts, datesandtimescorrect.

Onevitalpieceofmystoryrevolvesaroundmy fatherandthebeliefthathewaspossiblythe verylastwhiterubberplantertoleaveSouthIndia.Thereweremanyteaplantersthatremained andsettledinIndialongaftercolonialismcrumbledandindependencewasgainedin1947but Europeanswhoworkedintherubberindustry werefewandfarbetween.Sowashereallythe verylastplantertoleave?Hiscompanythought

so,butIalwayswonderedifthiswassomethingI couldwriteasacoldhardfact.ThedayIvisited thesecondplantationwhereweliveduntilwe leftIndiain1975,Ifinallygotmyanswer.

Itcamefromaveryserendipitousmeetingwitha gentlemanwhomyfatherhademployedonthe 17thJanuary1974(heproudlyshowedmehis letterofappointmenthehadkeptfromallthose yearsago).Hetoldmeherememberedtheday myfatherleft,recallingwithgreatdetailhowmy Dadgreetedthehugecrowdofpeoplewhohad gatheredtosaygood-bye.Herelayedthatmy fatherwasamuchlovedandrespectedmanager andthatthereweremanyoftheplantation workerswhowerecryingandupsetathisdeparture.Healsorememberedthatmyfatherwas visiblyupsetwhenheaddressedthecrowdin Malayalamsaying“VellakkaramPo”-which translatedmeans“lastwhitemantoleave.”

Intheend,theconfirmationIrequiredcame frommyfatherwhohadpassedaway25years ago.Ineverknewthatstoryandthatlittlegem ofinformationwouldhaveremainedburiedhad Inotmadetheefforttoresearchformymemoir.

PS.ThanksDad.

Morna Milton-Webber is a writer based in Angus, Scotland. She recently took up writing at 60, has co-authored on a book “A Woman’s Voice is a Revolution” with 50 other women from around the world and is currently in India writing her memoir.

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BraidingHistoryAndMemoir

Loretta Mulholland shares how she blends history and memoir in her writing and the themes which emerged from taking this approach.

LorettaMulholland

Work on good prose has three steps: a musical stage when it is composed, an architectonic one when it is built, and a textile one when it is woven.

Walter Benjamin

FScottFitzgeraldsaidthatauthorsoften repeatthemselvesandinthis,Ibelievehe wascorrect. WhenItookupwritingafter manyyearsofteachingandcentringmylifeon developingothers’talents,IfoundthatIoften wroteinthefirstpersonandthatallmyshort stories,inwhateverguisetheprotagonistsmight materialise,wereinevitablyaboutmyownlife andimportanteventsandrelationshipswithinit.

Whenthisdawnedonme,IbegantothinkperhapsIshouldstarttowriteanautobiographyratherthanautofiction. Ididnotsucceedinthis aimasIconsideredmybackgroundasordinary andoflittleinteresttopotentialreadersoutside therealmofclosefamily. Oreveninsidethat realm!

Theproblemwas,Ididnotknowwheretobegin andevenwhenIdidmakeastart,therewereso manycharactersorepisodesinmylifethateven Ilosttrackofwhotheywereandwhattheywere doinginmystory. So,Igaveupandfollowedmy truepassionofhistoricalresearch.

MychosensubjectistheVictorianwriterand

travellerIsabellaBird(1831-1904),anEnglishbornwriterandtravellerbasedinScotland. Unusuallyforawomanatthattime,shetravelled extensivelyunaccompanied,andpublishedaccountsofherjourneys. Iamnowexploringher writingtoreflectwhathistoriansmightlearn fromhersubjectiveapproachandhavebeguna seriesofcreativenonfictionessaysthatreflect onthedifficultiesinvolvedinwritingsuch‘artful’ histories. TheessaysalsoaddressthechallengesIsabellafacedwhenwritingasawomantravellerinamale-centredVictorianrepublicoflettersandaskwhatherlifeandtimeshavetooffer contemporaryreaders.

Myaimwasnevertowriteastraightforward memoirnorabiographybuttogivevoicetovariousnarratorsandprovidethehistoricalsetting andideologicalframeworkforasetofnarratives whichbringsdifferentperspectivesonBird’slife andtravels. Intheprocessofresearchingher work,however,Ibegantorealisejusthowmuch Bird’slifeconnectedwithmyownandthisinteractionbetweenpastandpresentledtothebirth ofmypersonalmemoir–amemoirwithina memoirifyoulike. Byexploringthelifeofatravellerfromacenturypast,Ifoundtherouteinto myownstory.

Mywritingexploresthemessuchasconnections tolandscape,solitariness,andcreativity;truth, memory,andmemorials;personalrelationships, forexample,betweenBirdandhersisterandbetweenmyselfandmyfather;exoticismintravel writingandencounteringthehistoricalother. Sub-themesincludetheraisingofmarginalvoices,addressingracistandgenderdiscourses,post -colonialconsiderations,andtheliteraryvalue oftheepistolatoryform. AsIwriteIaddressthe questionofwhatismeantby‘artfulhistory’,a formwherethetraditionalacademicapproach tohistory–headhistory–iscombinedwith emotionalhistory–orhistoryfromtheheart,to bringpresentandpastclosertogether.

Acontemporaryapproachtoadualformofhead -and-hearthistorywritingcanbeseenwhen ClareHunterincorporatesvignettesfromher ownlifewhileuncoveringhistoricalevidence andpresentingthisinherbook Embroidering Her Truth: Mary Queen of Scots and the Language of Power (2022). Beforethis,in2019,academic historianChristopherWhatleywentalittlefurtherwhenhecalledhisbook Pabay: An Island Odyssey,a‘newtypeofhistorywriting’which mightbemoreaccuratelydescribedasakindof ‘lifewriting’. Itistowardstheseformsthatmy memoirisleaning. TheimpactofArletteFarge’s personalandemotionaljourneythroughthejudicialrecordsfromtheArchivesoftheBastillein The Allure of the Archives (2013)isalsoevident whenIbegintoexploreBird’slettersattheNationalLibraryofScotlandin2019.

Thememoirisacontinuousjourney,takingme intoterritoryIhadnotforeseen. Icouldnot beginexaminingBird’slifeinachronological, linearform,anymorethanIcouldwithmyown memories. Instead, place hasplayedapivotal partinmydecisions,asthisextractmightshow: Bysomeaccounts(includingherown)Isabella’s bookonMalayaisnothermostcaptivating,butI haveanaddedpersonalinterest. Notjustbecauseofmyownformativejourneytherein 1980,butbecauseofmyfather’sconnection withMalayainthe1950s. Hewasaconscripted

soldierwiththeCameronians(ScottishRifles) andwassenttotheStraitsatnineteenyearsof age,guninhand,toservehiscountryduringthe MalayEmergency. Notawar. Aninsurgency. An Emergency. Afightagainstthespreadofcommunism,orwhatevertheyweretoldinGlasgow backthen.

TheoriginalaimofmybookwastocreateaseriesofessaysthatbuiltupontheliteraturealreadyavailableonBirdbutcastanewlighton howtheexperiencesofahistoricalindividual canbere-representedinthetwentyfirstcentury,andinthiswayaddtothecontinuingdebateonhowwewritehistoryintheUKtoday.

This is still a core factor but my journey through the archives leads also to searching questions about my own life, the purpose of travel and most of all, an understanding of relationshipsbetween family members, between people of the past and people of the present and between authors, readers, and texts. It is experimental in form and the full content is not yet known as ideasbegintounfoldwiththeuntyingofarchival ribbons and the de-cyphering of Isabella’s tiny handwriting, revealing hundred-year-old missives that begin to uncover further memories of my own. The musicality of the process is in place, providing the structure my previous attemptslacked. Itisformenowtoweaveourtwo livestogethertocreatethecompletetextile.

Loretta Mulholland is studying for a PhD in English at the University of Dundee and has been published in anthologies by Scottish Pen, the Saltire Society and Speculative Books. She is Fiction Editor for Dundee University Review of the Arts (DURA) online magazine, has had short stories and flash fiction published in Northwords Now and Thi Wurd and has written reviews for D C Thomson and www.intocreative.co.uk .

Chekhov’sBlancmange

Sophie, the office dog, ably assisted by Peter Thomas, discusses Chekov’s advice to only keep what is relevant to your writing and to deliver on anything “set up” - if you have a gun in your story, it should go off. If you have a blancmange instead, that too must have relevance to your tale.

Thepinetableandmatchingchairsbarely squeezedintothelongnarrowroom.The Welshdresserdisplayedcupsandplates asthefamilyphotographshangingonthecream wallslookeddownonthegiantalmostfluorescentpinkblancmangequiveringonitsplate.

Thereaderishooked.Whatpartwillthattantalisingdessertplayasthestoryunfolds?Itcould profitablybehurledacrosstheroomordelivered byhandintothedeservingfaceoftheantagonist.

Inacrimethrillertheblancmangecouldcontain thefilewhichsomebodywillusetoescapefrom theircell.

InamysteryitmaywellconcealtheMacGuffin whicheverybodyisgoingtobesearchingfor, hiddeninplainsightfromtheverybeginning.

Insciencefictionitwillturnouttobeagelatinousalienlifeformcovertlyobservingtheunsuspectinghousehold.

Onlyonepossibilitycanberuledout.Itwouldbe anunforgivabledisappointmentiftheblancmangeendeduphavingnosignificancewhatsoeverastheplotunravels.

Thisisanexampleofthenarrativeprinciple knownasChekhov’sgunorChekhov’srifle.In oneofhislettersgivingadvicetoaspiringplaywrights,themasterAntonChekhovwrote,"One mustneverplacealoadedrifleonthestageifit isn'tgoingtogooff.It'swrongtomakepromises

youdon'tmeantokeep.”AtheartChekhov’sgun isthetheorythatirrelevantelementsshouldbe removedfromastoryandeverypartmustturn outtobenecessary.Iftherifleisnevergoingto befireditshouldn’tbehangingonthewall.The narrativewillbestrongerifitisnotpaddedout withsuperfluousdetails.

Chekhov’sgundoesnotalwaysrefertoanobject.Inonecritiqueheapplieditmetaphorically toaportionofdialoguewhichChekhovfeltwas totallyunrelatedtotherestoftheplayand shouldhavebeenremoved.

Itcouldbeaparticularquirkofpersonality,or evenacharacter.Inhiscompilationofshortstories, The Early Asimov, or Eleven Years of Trying, theauthorinterweavesacommentaryofspecial interesttoauthorswhichdetailshisstrugglesto getpublishedandimportantlessonshehad learnedaboutwritinginthemeantime.

ThegreatIsaacAsimovoncereceivedvaluable feedbackfromateenageronhisshortstory Heredity. “HedisapprovedofthestorybecauseI introducedtwocharactersatthestartwhodisappearedfromthestoryandwereneverheardof

Sophie

again.Oncethatwaspointedouttome,it seemedtomethatthiswasindeedamajorflaw.” FromthenonAsimovbuiltintohiswritingprocess“prettymechanicalquestions”suchas, “WhatdoIdowiththischaracternowthatI’ve takenthetroubletomakeuseofhim?”

ThephraseChekhov’sgunhasalsooftenbeen extendedtorefertoanotherliterarydevicemore properlycalled“foreshadowing”.Thisisdroppingsubtlehintsofthingswhichwillindue courseprovecentraltotheplot,liketheprovidentiallyappropriategadgetsQsuppliestosuperspyJamesBond.

Preciselybecausegoodwritersusuallyavoid mentioningunnecessaryelements,thechoiceto includeaseeminglyirrelevantobjectorcharacter earlyon(termedthesetuportheplant)implies thatthisisgoingtobecomeimportantlaterin thestory(inthepayoff).

Inconsequentialdetailscansetthescenebyaddingmoodandatmosphere,butemphasisinga particularobject,orcharacterordialogue,builds uptensionbyintroducingaChekhov’sgunwhich demandstobefired.Ofcourse,asetupwhich neverleadstoapayoffcanbeusedtomisdirect thereader,addingtothesurpriseofthefinalreveal.Thisistheclassic“redherring”belovedof crimewriters.

ChekhovhimselfbrokehisownruleinTheCherry Orchardbyincludinggunswhichwerenever fired.Butiftherearenopayoffs,toomanyChekhov’sgunsturnouttobeinsteadonlyfrustratinglooseends.

WhenIseemydaddyputtingtreatsinhispocket, theyguaranteerewardsforwalkingwelland comingbackwhenIamcalled.Whenwestopata caféthereisthesocialcontractthatifIsitquietly IwillsharehisSausageSandwich.PlacingaChekhov’sgunonthestageisasimilarpromiseto theaudience.Itcreatesanexpectationwhichwill thenbesatisfyingwhenitisfulfilledordistressingifitisnot.

Writersneedtodeliverwhattheirreadersare waitingfor,whichremindsmethatIneedto clearupanyconfusion.Whateverthegenre, thereisnaturallyonlyoneacceptableultimate destinationforChekhov’sdeliciousblancmange –inthemouthofyourspanielhero!

PeterThomasandSophie

Rev Peter Thomas has published three non-fiction books and is delighted now to assist Sophie in her creative writing projects. Originally a teacher and author in the fields of chemistry and computing, Peter retired in 2023 after 36 years as a Minister of local Baptist Churches. He continues to add to his blog and videos of more than a thousand sermons and reflections found at www.pbthomas.com.

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Tonominateyourwritinggroup,locallibrary orbookshoptobefeaturedinfutureissues emailwritersnarrative@gmail.com subjectheadedfortheattentionoftheEditor inChief.

Pru & Me: ALoveStorybyTimothyWest

Reviewedby LouiseCannon

ISBN10:0241629551

ISBN13:978-0241629550

Publisher:MichaelJoseph(September2023)

Blurb

TimothyWestandPrunellaScalesare–firstandforemost–actors. Overseventyyearstheyhavedelightedmillions,portrayingahostof larger-than-lifecharactersthatthenationhastakenintotheirhearts. Buttheirfinestroles,itturnsout,havealwaysbeenashusbandand wife–intheextraordinaryandenduringdoubleactthatisTimand Pru.

In Pru & Me,TimothyWestchartsthecourseoftheirlives,fromthe yearsbeforetheymet–treadingtheboardsinthe50s–totheirsecret courting,marriageandsettlinginWandsworth.

AndthentogetherastheyestablishedthemselvesattheheartofBritishtheatre,televisionandfilmover thenextseventyyears,insomeofthenation’sfavouriteshows,suchas Fawlty Towers and Brass. Crammedfullofstories,oftenfunny,sometimespoignantandoccasionallyjaw-dropping, Pru & Me also vividlyrecountsthelateblazeofglorythatintroducedtheworldtotherealTimandPruvia Great Canal Journeys. Here,thecouplecharmedthenationwhileatthesametimechartingPru’sgentlestrugglewith dementia.

Review

Oozingwithheartfelt,genuineloveforeachother,intertwinedwithTimothyWest’sandPrunellaScale’s variedactingcareers Pru & Me isafascinatingbookoftheirlives.

We’retreatedtothemomenttheymet,includingbeautifullywrittenlettersandfamilyphotos.Their voicesandpersonalitiesshinethroughthebookasitchartstheupsanddown’sofworkingactors,who alsolaterhavefamily.It’slikeanopeningofastagecurtaintorevealtheirlives,behindthescenes,dayto day,travelandinperformance.

Thebookdoesn’tshyawayfromdementiaandisheartfeltandpoignantlywritten.Thisisalovestorylike noother.Itopensyourheartfurthertothemandtouchesyourownheart.It’sanamazingbooktoread.

Louise Michelle Cannon lives in Central Scotland with family and a cute but wily cat. She writes a blog – Bookmarks and Stages, reviewing books, theatre, festivals and conducts the occasional Q&A sessions.

WhyReadMemoir?

Editor in Chief, Wendy H. Jones looks at the reasons all writers should be reading memoir.

Oftenaswriterswelookatwhyweshould bewritingmemoirs,butweforgetabout thebenefitsofreadingmemoirs.I’llbe honestandsay,it’snotagenreIreadoftenbut whenIdoIusuallylovetheonesIchoose.Obviously,Ichoosewisely–I’mnotgoingtobereadingthememoirofafootballerasitdoesn’tinterestme–however,Iwouldsaythatisthesamefor allofus.

Thereisnodoubtthatmemoirispopular.One justhastolookatthesuccessof Becoming by MichelleObamawhich,atthetimeofwriting,has soldover17millioncopiesmakingitoneofthe best-sellingmemoirsofalltime.Onecouldargue,shewaswellknowntostartwith,sohersuccesswasinevitable.Let’stake Educated byTara Westoverwhowasbroughtupinanendtimes situationinthebackwoodsinAmerica.Shewas knownbyno-one,noteventheeducationor healthsystems.Yet,herstoryoffleeingattheage ofsixteenandturningherlifearoundthrough education,hassoldover8millioncopies.

Butwhyismemoirsopopular?Whatisitabout memoirthatintriguesusasreadersand,indeed, writers?Thereisaschoolofthoughtthatwelike toreadaboutordinarypeopleachievingextraordinarythings.Yes,thatistrue.Irememberreading According to Dora byDoraBryan,agreatBritishactress.Iwasfascinatedbythisglimpseinto herjourneytofame.Butitwassomuchmore thanthis.Itwasalsoaninsightintolifeasanactressindayspast;alifewhichwasfarremoved fromtheglamourweassociatewithactingtoday. All of Me byBarbaraWindsorgavemeaninsight intotheseedyunderbellyofLondoninthesixties assheassociatedwiththeKrayTwins,well knownLondongangsters.Ibelievethismakes meamoreroundedpersonwithadeepthirstfor learningnewthings.Memoirsallowthistohappeninawaywhichdoesnotoverwhelm.

Whatcanwegainfromreadingmemoirsaswriters?Ibelievetheycanhelpuswithresearch,even ifweneverwanttowriteamemoirourselves.I amreadingandrereadingamemoircalled Fiddlers and Whores: A Candid Memoir of a Surgeon in Nelson’s Fleet. Whatafascinatingbookanditis helpingmenoendwithmyresearchintoearly nineteenthcenturymedicineintheRoyalNavy. Formycontemporarybooks,Ihaverecentlyread amemoircalled I Don’t Talk to Dead Bodies: The Curious Encounters of a Forensic Psychiatrist by RhonaMorrison.Thisisanabsolutelyfascinating insightintothelivesandmindsofsomeofthe mostdangerouscriminalsinScotland.

Ofcourse,onecanalsoreadmemoirfornothing morethanenjoymentandtolearnaboutcultures otherthanone’sown.ThebookIhavereviewed elsewhereinthismagazine, Bird of Paradise: How I became Latina isonesuchbookIrecentlyread.

So,Iamsureyouwillagree,therearemanyreasonsforreadingmemoir,allofwhichmakesus moreroundedandbettereducated.Theyallow ustoseelifethroughanother’slensandgivesus greaterappreciationforotherculturesandsettings.Iamaconverttomemoirsandfullyintend toreadmore.

Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and nonfiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

TheLibraryofTrinityCollege,Dublin

OurlibraryofthemonthforMayistheOld LibraryofTrinityCollegeDublin.IthousesmanythousandsofbooksandThe BookofKells.TheLibraryisopenforpublicviewingandattractsmanythousandsofvisitorsevery year.

TheLibrarystartedwhenTrinityCollegewas foundedin1592.In1661,itwaspresentedwith theBookofKells,itsmostfamousmanuscript.

WhenTheArchbishopofArmagh,JamesUssher, diedin1656helefthisfullcollection,comprising severalthousand booksandmanuscriptstothe library.

In1801,theLibrarywasgivenlegaldeposit rights,makingittheonlylibraryinIrelandto holdlegaldepositrightsfortheUnitedKingdom atthattime,andleadingtotheneedtoexpand thehightoftheLongRoom.

TheLongRoom

ThemainchamberoftheOldLibrary,TheLong Room,hasbeeninusesince1732andhouses around200,000ofthelibrary'soldestbookson oakbookshelves.Theroomissixty-five-metres long.

Initially,theroomhadaflatceiling,shelvingfor booksonlyonthelowerlevel,andanopengallery.Bythe1850sthespacehadtobeexpanded astheshelveshadfilledup,duetotheLibraryhavingpermissiontoobtainafreecopyof everybookpublishedinIrelandand intheUnitedKingdom(throughitslegaldepositrights).In 1860,TheLongRoom'sroofwasraisedtoaccommodateanuppergallery.

TheLongRoomalsoholdsoneofthelastremainingcopiesofthe1916 Proclamation Of The Irish Republic.Thisproclamationwasread nearthe GeneralPostOfficeon24April1916.

VisitorstothelibrarymayalsoviewtheTrinity CollegeharpintheLongRoom.Theharp,which datesbacktothe15thcentury,ismadeoutof oakandwillowandincludestwenty-ninebrass strings.

TheLongRoomalsohousesa marblebustcollection Manyofthesculpturesondisplayareof greatphilosophers,writersandmenwhosupportedthecollege.

TheBookOfKells

TheBookofKellsisregardedasaworkofartand isoneofthefinestandmostfamous produced fromthelate6ththroughtotheearly9thcenturiesinmonasteriesinIreland,ScotlandandEngland,andincontinentalmonasterieswithHiberno-ScottishorAnglo-Saxonfoundations.

TheBookofKellsisanilluminatedmanuscript andCelticGospelbookinLatin,containingthe fourGospelsoftheNewTestament.Itisbelieved tohavebeencreatedaround800AD.

ThemanuscripttakesitsnamefromtheAbbeyof KellsinCountyMeath.Itwasoriginallyhousedin aColumbanmonasteryineitherIrelandorScotland,andmayhavehadcontributionsfromvariousColumbaninstitutionsfromeachofthese areas.Thetextincludesseveralpassagesdrawn fromtheearlierversionsoftheBible

TheBookOfKellsisregardedasamasterworkof calligraphy.Theillustrationsandornamentation surpassthoseofotherInsularGospelbooksin extravaganceandcomplexity.

ThedecorationcombinestraditionalChristian

iconographywithornateswirlingmotifs.Figures ofhumans,animalsandmythicalbeasts,together withCelticknotsandinterlacingpatternsinvibrantcolours,fillthepagesoftheBookofKells. Manyofthedecorativeelementsareimbuedwith Christiansymbolism,furtheremphasisingthe themesofthemajorillustrations.

Today,themanuscriptcomprises 340leaves,totalling680pages.Since1953,ithasbeenboundin fourvolumes.Theleavesaremadeofcalfvellum and includestenpagesofillustrationsplustext pagesdecoratedwithinitials.

Thescriptisthoughttobetheworkofatleast threedifferentscribes,withfourforthedecorated pages.Theletteringisinirongallink,andthecolourswerederivedfromawiderangeofsubstances,someofwhichwereimportedfromdistant lands.

ThelibraryissituatedinthecentreofDublinCity. Whileentrytothecollegecampusisfree,entryto theBookKellsisticketed.Accessisthroughthe libraryshop.

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Writers’NarrativeeMagazine

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Themesfor2024

Month

Theme

January Newbeginnings–Settingthescenefortheyearahead

February RomanceWriting–WhatelseinFebruary

March WritingforChildren–TiesinwithWorldBookDay

April Editing–Selfediting,workingwithaneditoretc.

May WritingMemoir–It’sNationalMemoirMonth

June WritingPoetry

July WritingNon-Fiction

August WritingHistoricalFiction

September ScienceFictionandFantasyit’sNationalScienceFictionMonth

October Worldbuilding

November WritingCozyMysteries

December WritingHabits.

ComingNextMonth….June2024

Theme-Poetry

FeaturedAuthor—Scotland’sMakar:KathleenJamie BookReviews

Newreleases

Andmore….

June2024