Memoir - Draft Done - What's Next

Hello Writers

It is a beautiful fall day in the Haliburton Highlands, and as I sit in the sun, I can’t help but feel thankful for the goodness of my life. I worry about the world. I also know that using my thoughts, and especially my healthy times, to grab the moments with family and friends is a precious gift of living on the senior side. I work hard at putting aside the worries of the world. 

Writing time is also precious. Here is a brief look at what I have been up to in the past two weeks:

• I started a Christmas story this week, fiction taking place in 1939. There is a feeling of fun and satisfaction when I am in my creative writing mode. 

• I am organizing a Writers’ Group. If you go to my website page, you will see all the information about this. Wouldn’t it be exciting to connect with one of my worldwide clickers and have him/her/they join on Zoom? (I’d say followers, but I don’t think I have any… lol, and that’s fine. I do what I do, and I write what I write for me. If it appeals to someone else, that’s nice, but not necessary.) 

• My story, Old Whitey, in The New Canadian Stories Literary Magazine arrived by mail last week, and it’s always fun and still feels special to see one of my stories in print. 

• I had a fun interview and chat on 100.9 Canoe FM about writing memoir and creating a writing community. I am not sure when the interview will air, but once it does, it will be available on the Canoe FM website if you'd like to listen. I will also post on my website.

• I read Old Whitey for the Canoe FM Story Circle. It will air on Monday, October 26th around 11:30 am. I will miss it, as I will be swimming laps in Bracebridge at that time. So, I will listen when it is posted on the Canoe website, and I will also post it on my website under the Story Circle tab. 

• Does “thinking time” count? I think a lot about what I want to write and how a story or my novel will unfold, and then I sit down and type, and the story takes me to so many new ideas and different places, but I still believe the thinking time is worthwhile, actually essential.

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Take a Bite into Memoir - Draft done, now what?

This will be the last of my musings about my workshop Take a Bite into Memoir. We have explored why, what, and how and now we are ready to take that first draft of a short family story or memoir and push on to publishing. 

There is no right or wrong way to take your story to a published piece, and writers soon develop what works best for them. Here is what I do, and hopefully it will be a good starting point for you or a good starting point for you to decide what you will do differently.

Steps for Going Forward and Sharing with Others

1. Read the first draft aloud to yourself. I print my draft out as I “see better” when reading from a hard copy. This could be an old age thing or just a me thing:)

2. Edit as you think best. Make it better!

3. Read to a trusted friend or partner. Ask for feedback, especially with respect to:

- Does the first paragraph grab the reader,

- Is there a discernible conflict, issue or crisis? 

- Were you confused?

- Did the ending satisfy, and did it connect to the beginning or address/ solve the conflict?

4. More edits 

5. Join/create a writing group for sharing and feedback.  Now is the time, if possible, to seek fellow writers 

6. More edits

7. Publish

 If it is a complete short story, go ahead, submit it to an online or print magazine. If it is part of a longer piece, such as a collection of memoir stories, save it and move on to the next scene. You are well on your way. 

Note: If you put your story on your website or Facebook page, it is considered published. Many publishing venues, such as magazines, online and print, will not accept work that has been published elsewhere.

That’s all for now

Next time, I am going to revisit my writing rules and see how they have worked and what I need to change. Have you articulated and written down your writing rules? 

Thanks, and take care

Gail