Monthly Archives: September 2013

Finding Your Ideal Reader, memoir-writing

How a Chance Encounter Sealed My Reason for Writing Blush a “Real-Life Plain Life” Story by Shirley Showalter

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Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Shirley Showalter/@shirleyhs

 

” We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow man.” Herman Melville

 

I am thrilled to feature Shirley Showalter in this guest post on her new memoir, Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World. Shirley and I met online several years ago and have been following each other ever since. Her blog is an excellent writing resource as a well as a source of ongoing inspiration and motivation for writers.

 

 

On June 4, 2013,  100 days before her book publication,she launched “The 100-day Challenge”, inviting her readers to participate in a “New Beginnings Challenge” where we shared a new beginning we had experienced each day. In doing so , she led us all gently , yet enthusiastically by the hand into her own personal journey to publication.

 

My reviews of Blush can be found on Amazon and Goodreads

 

 

 

Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World Book Cover

 Excerpt of Book Description from the back cover:

“Little Shirley Hershey grew up in  a plain Mennonite home, yet she was named for a movie star. With her nose pressed to the window of the glittering world, she felt intensely the gap that existed in the 1950s and 60s between Mennonites and the larger world. This is a story of how a rosy-cheeked, barefoot Mennonite farm girl prepared to enter the glittering world and learned to do it on her own terms.”

 

Welcome , Shirley!

 

Large size and smile (1)
Memoir Author Shirley Showalter

 

 

A Chance Encounter…

 

Do you believe in divine providence? Or in destiny?

 

Here’s an author/reader story that confirms my belief in both.

 

My husband picked a surprise destination for our 44th wedding anniversary: Tangier Island. To get there, we traveled by boat—the Chesapeake Breeze ferry. By chance we met another couple. Eventually the topic of my book entered the conversation.

 

Shirley’s husband Stuart waits to board the Chesapeake Breeze. He had the romantic idea of planning a surprise. “Pack your bags. We’re going to celebrate” was his only instruction.

 

I discovered that the woman in our shipmate couple loved to travel to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, the setting for most Amish and Mennonite romances, and that she was one of the millions of readers of fiction depicting this subculture. Like many of those readers, she identified herself as an evangelical Christian.

 

I was very excited to meet her, because I wanted to know if the interest in Anabaptist (a term that includes both Amish and Mennonite) fiction translates into an interest in Anabaptist memoir. In my new friend’s case it did! She has ordered two copies of Blush, and I plan to autograph them before my publisher sends them to her. She should have them by the time you read this story.

 

Background: I had read my first Amish romance novel as I prepared to launch my childhood memoir Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World.

 

I chose Harvest of Hearts by Laura V. Hilton. The plot consists of a romance between a “drop-dead-gorgeous Amish man” Matthew Yoder and an Amish girl runaway Shanna Stoltzfus, who has to eventually choose where her true home is.

 

I chose this book because the Amish Fiction Group on Goodreads made it their selection. In my own youth I enjoyed Christian fiction, especially romance, so I understand the appeal of a love story that confirms one’s own belief system yet offers an intriguing window into a different culture – and enough conflict to make the pulse quicken.

 

In the year 2012 there were 85 Amish romances published, most of them to an excited, loyal readership. Valerie Weaver Zercher’s book Thrill of the Chaste explains the amazing growth of this publishing phenomenon. I carried Amish memoirist Saloma Miller Furlong’s review of this book on my blog, and a stimulating conversation ensued.

 

One of the many reasons I wrote Blush is that for a long time I felt a connection between the story of my childhood and the longing that brings tourists to Lancaster County (and to a half dozen other Mennonite and Amish communities, mostly in the East and Midwest). I described that longing as an element of finding my own voice as a writer in this post on Susan Weidener’s blog:

Writing to Find Authentic Voice

 

Now here’s the truly amazing part of this story. I was taking a course from marketing expert Dan Blank: Master Class :Roadmap to Readers at the time of this trip to Tangier Island. He had asked all of us writers to describe our ideal reader.

I had just constructed this picture of “Rachel,” my ideal reader.

 

IMG_5204 Rachel
“Rachel”, my ideal reader

 

 

Now, here in front of me was a “Rachel.” She was a woman I knew I would enjoy getting to know better. As she reads and responds to my memoir, this is what I hope to learn:

 

  • Where were you moved, inspired, challenged as you read?

 

  • Who else might enjoy this book?

 

  • Where do those people congregate?

 

  • Will you help me connect with them?

 

 

Was meeting “Rachel” on the boat to Tangier a chance encounter or was it God having fun, stirring up a few waves in the Chesapeake?

 

You decide.

 

I know what my answer is.

 

***

Author Bio: Shirley Hershey Showalter grew up on a Mennonite family farm near Lititz, Pennsylvania. The first person in her family to go to college, she eventually became the first woman president of Goshen College in Indiana. After six years as an executive at the Fetzer Institute, Kalamazoo, Michigan, she became a full-time writer living in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

 

Shirley can be reached at:

Twitter @Shirleyhs.

Her Facebook fan page : https://www.facebook.com/ShirleyHersheyShowalter.

Her Google + profile is here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/117720879252864367816/about

Her website

Amazon ordering link

 

 ***

Thank you Shirley for transporting us into your publishing journey as well as into your “real -life plain life.” You have shown us how connecting with your purpose for writing helped you find your readers.

 

 

 

How about you? Who is your ideal reader? Have you ever had a chance encounter that changed your life as a writer? Do tell!

 

Shirley has graciously offered to give away a copy of Blush  to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.

 

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

 

***

Stay Tuned: Every  Friday in October Memoir Author, Coach, Editor Denis Ledoux of  The Memoir Network will present  four posts on Memoir Writing Tips in preparation for “November is Life Writing Month”

10/4:   Action is Essential in Memoir Writing

10/11: Describing Characters in Memoir Can Be Easy

10/18: Establish Your Setting

10/25: Conveying Theme Effectively

 

Denis has generously offered to give away his Memoir Starter Package at the end of the series to a commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.

 

Next Week:

Monday, October 7:  I will be participating in The Memoir Network Blog Carnival with “What Memoir Writers Have in Common with Sculptors.”

 

Wednesday, October 9: Memoir Author Paige Strickland will discuss ” How I Found my Memoir While Searching For My Roots” in conjunction with the release of her memoir, Akin to the Truth: A Memoir of Adoption and Identity.

 

Friday, October 11: Memoir Writing Tips byDenis Ledoux as above.

 

Friendgrief, Publishing options

Divide and Conquer: Turning a Book into a Series by Victoria Noe

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Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Victoria Noe/@Victoria_Noe

 

“In our world, divide and conquer must become define and empower.” Audre Lorde

 

It is my pleasure to welcome Viki Noe back for a guest post on why she decided to turn her nonfiction book about friend grief into a series. Viki and I met in Dan Blank’s  Build Your Author Platform Course in 2011 and have been mentoring each other ever since. Viki has recently released her third in a series of books on dealing with the loss of a friend.

Welcome back, Viki!

MG00239-20120102-1626 viki profile
Victoria Noe, Author

The Story Behind the  Story…

It’s been four years since I embarked on the latest reinvention of my work life. The learning curve – coinciding with explosive change in the publishing world – has been steep and constant. That’s the thing about being a writer  these days (self-published or not): you are constantly learning. It might be new technology, new marketing possibilities, new opportunities. But learn you must if you are to be successful in your craft or business.

 

One of the things I learned was to choose my mentors carefully. Kathy is one. Porter Anderson is another. And so is George Davis. Kathy keeps me grounded and focused on the craft of writing, as well as a constant, gentle reminder of the importance of supportive friends. Porter keeps me informed and occasionally entertained on the business side. And George…well, George is the person responsible for my book becoming a series.

 

I spent about 18 months shopping my book about people grieving the death of a friend. I went to pitch slams at conferences, researched agencies, sent queries and proposals. Those who were professional enough to respond (about half) gave a variation of the same response: great idea, but they didn’t know how to market it.

One day I opened the email with the latest rejection and said to myself, ‘well, I do.’ That’s when I took Porter’s advice to self-publish. Not long after, I was having lunch at Book Expo with friends, including George. I told him of my decision to self-publish, which he enthusiastically supported. Then he said,

“I’m telling you, this should be a series.”

 

If memory serves me, it wasn’t the first time he’d made that suggestion. I already knew breaking up the book into a series of small books would not pass an agent’s inspection. But now…now the decision to self-publish made the series possible and quite intriguing.

 

In the original book proposal, each chapter was a different situation – war, AIDS, 9/11, workplace – where people have to cope with the death of a friend. As George and I talked, he pointed out the obvious: each chapter could be a separate book. And though it has morphed somewhat, his original observation has proven true.

 

In March of this year, 3-1/2 years after starting my research and writing, I published the first in the Friend Grief series: Friend Grief and Anger: When Your Friend Dies and No One Gives A Damn. Its purpose is to introduce the concept of friend grief, why it’s often disrespected and the anger felt as a result. The following month, Friend Grief and AIDS: Thirty Years of Burying Our Friends came out. Those books, as well as the new one, Friend Grief and 9/11: The Forgotten Mourners, were rooted in personal experience. And although I expand well beyond my own situation, the intensity made them difficult at times to write.

 

What serializing has done was enable me to expand on topics that deserved far more space than one chapter. The 9/11 book is the longest so far at 14,000 words. I suspect the next one, Friend Grief and Community: Band of Friends, about the military and how grief/survivor guilt contribute to PTSD and suicide, may be longer. The final two books in the series will be about workplace grief (with a very broad definition of workplace) and people who made major life changes brought on by the death of a friend.

 

Serializing is not for everyone. It’s expensive. When I’m done I will have paid for 6 different covers, 6 rounds of editing, 6 sets of formatting into print and ebooks. When totaled up, it’s probably more than I would’ve paid for one “normal” book. But the marketing is what finally made up my mind. Instead of pitching a book that has one chapter on 9/11 or AIDS or veterans, I have a book about 9/11, a book about AIDS, a book about veterans. That opens up marketing venues that may have been reluctant or even resistant to a single book covering all these topics and more. It has also allowed me to build on my marketing, something I needed to do since I’m in this for the long haul.

 

Then what? What happens after the sixth book is out? Well, I’m already looking past next spring when that happens. First, I re-write book #1.

 

That’s the beauty of self-publishing: you have do-overs whenever you like. Second, I’ll re-purpose the series into one book. I’ll probably need another cover design, and will do some judicious editing, but putting them all in one seems like a nice closing of the circle. I’ll release it as an audio book, too.

 

Finally, I’m working on a memoir I’m helping a friend write, and next year I’ll turn my attention to a full-length book that’s just about men grieving their friends. I promised Porter I’d do that, and I think it’ll contain surprises for a lot of people. It’s certainly opened my eyes. All of that should keep me busy for the next two years or so.

 

The series? Well, there’s always a chance I could add a seventh book. A topic has been suggested to me by several people, but it depends on whether I think I can do it justice. I touch on it in the fourth book, but it’s a topic that frankly scares me (which may be an indication that I should definitely write about it).

 

The other advantage to a series is that you build your audience. Few things are as exciting as a reader asking you “what’s next?” And to have those people actually suggesting new titles for the series, well, that’s exciting! That means they’re not just invested in your series, they’re invested in you. Is there a higher compliment?

***

Thank you Viki for sharing your publishing journey with us. You show how creative ideas and supportive friends have helped you step out of your comfort zone to find new ways to get your work out there. And thanks to all your hard work over these past few years, when we google “friend grief”, we get a myriad of resources from you about dealing with the loss of a friend  rather than information about dealing with the loss of  pet which occurred before you came on the scene. Congratulations on your very worthy mission!

Friendgrief and Anger, first book
Friendgrief and Anger, first book

 

Friendgrief and AIDS, second book
Friendgrief and AIDS, second book

 

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Friend Grief and 9/11, Third book

 

 

 

Author Bio:

Victoria Noe has been a writer most of her life, but didn’t admit it until 2009. After earning a Masters from the University of Iowa in Speech & Dramatic Art, she moved to Chicago, where she worked professionally as a stage manager, director and administrator, as well as a founding board member of the League of Chicago Theatres. Her next career was as a professional fundraiser, raising money for arts, educational and AIDS service organizations. After a concussion ended a successful sales career, she switched gears to keep a promise to a friend to write a book. Her freelance articles have appeared in Chicago Tribune and Windy City Times. She also reviews books on BroadwayWorld.com. Victoria lives in Chicago with her family.

Viki can be reached on :

Twitter @Victoria_Noe

Facebook: Friendgrief Victoria Noe

Google+

Goodreads

Website: Friend Grief blog

How about you? Have you thought of serializing your book?

Viki has generously offered to give each of her books to three separate commenters whose names will be selected at random.

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

Next Week:

Monday, 9/30: Memoir Author Shirley Showalter will discuss “How a Chance Encounter Sealed My Reason for Writing Blush,a Real Life Plain Story in conjunction with her book launch. She will give away a free copy of her memoir to a  commenter whose name will be selected in a random drawing.

Friday, 10/4:  In preparation for National  Life Writing Month in November, Memoir Author and Teacher Denis Ledoux of The Memoir Network will present a series of memoir writing tips-action, character, theme and setting -for  all the Fridays in October.

10/4: “Memoirs Need to be Action-Driven”

 

Back to My Roots, Memoir, Uncategorized

Back to My Roots: A Memoir Moment

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Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

“A person without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Marcus Garvey

 

Every year from the time I was seven years old until I graduated from high school, I spent the entire summers in Schenectady, New York with my maternal grandparents, Carmella (Nan) and Alfredo DiCerbo. Grandpa had come over from Dugenta-a small mountain village near Naples-on the USS Calabria out of Naples in 1900 with his brother, Vincenzo. His family farmed tomatoes and grapes but Alfredo and Vincenzo wanted to find more lucrative work in America. They sold their portion of the farm to relatives and took off for the land of opportunity.

 

 

Sign to Dugenta, population 2,000
Sign to Dugenta, population 2,000

The brothers married American-born Italian women and settled across the street from one another. They were very close for their entire lives. They often spoke of longing to see their family in Dugenta.  Uncle Vincenzo traveled back to Italy several times with his family but my Grandpa never did. He relied on phone calls and letters to stay in touch.

Grandpa and Uncle Vincent
L-R Uncle Vincenzo, Cousin Louisa, Sizzy ( Vincenzo’s wife and my grandparents Carmella ( Nan) and Alfredo DiCerbo, 1956

The happy memories of Grandpa DiCerbo’s kindness and fun-loving nature still make me smile. I can still see him sitting on the back porch in the dark on a hot, summer night listening, to the Yankee game on the radio and spewing out his reactions in Italian. He loved his Yankees. He also loved Chester from the TV show, Gunsmoke. The vision of him standing in the living room, mimicking Chester’s limp and laughing as his gold–capped front tooth glistened still makes me chuckle. But my best memory is of his unbridled excitement when he’d receive a letter from his family with updates and pictures from “the old country.” He would get so excited he’d start rattling off something in Italian that I never understood. But I felt his uncontained joy.

I often wondered how difficult it must have been for him to leave his family at the age of 16 and never see them again.

For years, I longed to visit Italy myself. Mom’s brother and sister, my Uncle Michael and Aunt Rose had traveled to Italy with their families and visited with the extended family several times, bringing back pictures and tales of standing in the bedroom where Grandpa was born. They were greeted with warmth and love.

On Easter Sunday, they have a tradition of opening the window and raising their glasses of homemade Strega (an Italian Liqueur), sending their blessings to their famiglia in America. Salute!

I just returned from the land of my grandfather. From 9/9-9/19, my husband Wayne and I traveled to Rome, Pompeii, The Amalfi Coast, Florence and Venice. All spectacular sites to behold. But nothing could compare to the experience of connecting with Grandpa’s birthplace and the family he loved so dearly.

On Friday, September 13 ( no I’m not superstitious!) we rented a limousine from Benevenuto Limousines and a delightful interpretor named Maurizio  made my dreams come true. For months before our visit, a lovely lady names Barbara helped me communicate with the family by translating letters.   I visited the nieces and nephews of Grandpa DiCerbo in Dugenta and clearly , they were prepared for our visit:

 

Maurizio, Benevenuto driver and translator extraordinaire
Maurizio, Benevenuto driver and translator extraordinaire
Grandpa's street in Dugenta
Grandpa’s street in Dugenta

We walked  around what seemed like a self-contained village surrounded by fig and kiwi trees, grapevines and a few chickens wandering around in fenced-in yards. Then, we saw a lady at the window who motioned for us to use the front door. It was Marie, Grandpa’s niece. She showed me the bedroom  and bed where Grandpa was born.

 

The bed Grandpa was born in
The bed Grandpa was born in

The phone started ringing and before we knew it, we were walking down the lane to visit Vittorio and his wife who was wheel-chaired bound. By the time this visit was over, we had been served Expresso coffee and cookies and were off to visit Luigi and his wife, Maria. Within an hour 20 people had shown up at Luigi’s house for nonstop hugs and chatter–from every direction. Maurizio was very busy!

IMG_20130913_053557_301 famiglia gather

Then came the five-course meal:

Prosuitto and fresh bread

Pasta with tomato sauce and sides of stuffed peppers and sausage

IMG_20130913_070649_130 meal

Roast beef that filled each plate and salad

Homemade Tiramasu

Homemade tiramasu
Homemade tiramasu

Fresh Fruit-nectarines, grapes and figs

And of course white wine and lemons from the region

Wine and lemons from Dugenta
Wine and lemons from Dugenta

 

I had to keep reminding my husband that refusing any food at an Italian table was not acceptable, I had grown up with these multi-course meals so I knew what to expect. Needless to say, we didn’t have to eat again until the next day.

We shared stories and pictures of our families  along with laughter and tears as people streamed in and out. Some were on their lunch hours.

 

They opened their hearts to us and showered us with gifts–bottles of liqueur, baseball caps, linen table clothes, and  a dozen pink roses:

IMG_20130913_085738_933 famiglia farewell

 

If I closed my eyes, I was ten years old again, sitting around the table filled with lots of delicious food and feeling the warmth and love of the big Italian family I am blessed to be a part of.  And I could see that gold-capped tooth glistening as Grandpa threw his head back and laughed while chattering on in Italian.

 

It doesn’t get much better than this–reconnecting with my roots was truly the highlight of my Italian tour.

Molto Bello!

 

How about you? Have you reconnected with your roots?

 

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

 

Thursday, 9/26: Viki Noe, author of Friend Grief series will discuss ” Divide and Conquer: Turning My Book into a Series” Viki has graciously offered to give three  of her books away to three commenters who will be selected in a random drawing.

 

 

Memoir Writing Tips, Storytelling

6 Tips for Honoring the Story Within: A Memoir Writer’s Challenge

6 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler.

I am honored to be a guest over at Madeline Sharples’ blog, Choices, today:

Six Tips for Honoring the Story Within: A Memoir Writer’s Challenge…

Writing a memoir is hard work.

I know because I have been writing mine for the past four years.

I actually started writing vignettes about twelve years ago and have journaled since my teens. But I didn’t get serious about my memoir writer’s journey until 2009 when I started taking memoir writing workshops and attending writing conferences.

It’s very humbling to learn what you don’t know and when I started out, I didn’t know anything about writing a memoir. I only knew that I had a story inside me and that I wanted to write about it.

It is a well-known fact in memoir writing circles that writing a memoir is a daunting task fraught with many challenges, not the least being: excavating painful memories, standing in your truth, and dealing with family members or close friends who may not agree with your perception of the truth.

All that on top of a market that says you have to be a celebrity to sell your story.

The odds against writing a memoir that will sell can feel pretty overwhelming.

But readers love stories they can connect with and we all have a story within to share.

How can we honor these stories?…

To read more please visit Madeline’s blog here

 

Please join me over at Madeline’s blog. I’d love to hear from you either here or there~

 

Next Week: “Back to My Roots: A Memoir Moment.”

 

 

 

Kindergarten Wisdom, Memoir

Remembering Kindergarten Wisdom

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Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

Author’s Note: I’m offline until 9/19 This was originally posted in June ,2011. Even though my grandson Jacob is a big third grader now, he’s off to bigger and better things because of what he learned in Kindergarten. I’d like to think we all are. Feel free to leave comments and I will respond when I return.

***

“The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.” H.L. Menchen, Prejudices

As I sat in anticipation of my grandson’s Kindergarten “Career Presentation”, this poster on the front wall caught my attention:

I immediately calculated the hours I had spent in on-line writing courses, writers’ conferences,critique groups over the past two years to learn what my 6-year old grandson, Jacob and his classmates had learned in Kindergarten. Their project was to write a story about what they wanted to be when they grew up then to read their story to their audience of parents, grandparents and younger siblings. They had to dress the part.

We hushed and turned our heads as the twenty smiling six-year olds marched in line (remember those lines?) through the library to the front of the room. There was a paramedic, a doctor, a few ballerinas, a chef, a few police officers, a few teachers, a soccer player and an astronaut (that would be Jacob). One by one, they approached the microphone to read their stories. Some were shy,barely audible, and needed a little prompting from their teacher who sat right next to them with her gentle encouragement. Others stood tall and confident as they broadcasted what they wanted to be. But they all told their stories in their own unique ways, capturing our hearts with their hopes and dreams.

When I asked Jacob why he wanted to be an astronaut, he replied: “Because I want to see the planets. I’ve never been in space before and I want to go there.”

Such a simple answer made me think..Hmmph, there really are no boundaries in a child’s mind.. I really need to tap into that pure wisdom…I’ve never published a book, I really want to go there…or ________________(you fill in the blank)

I might not have learned the art and craft of storytelling nor dared to dream of flying to the moon in my 1951 Kindergarten classroom but I am learning from the Class of 2024 that the sky is the limit when it comes to following my bliss.

Armed with all this pure and innocent wisdom, can you even imagine the places they’ll go?May we all approach our hopes and dreams with the same child-like wonder and energy that permeated the room during their presentation last week.

Class of 2024, you are our future and we can all learn from your Kindergarten wisdom. Thank you for reminding me that:

Future Astronaut,Jacob, with his Kindergarten teacher,Mrs Hoffman

All I Ever Really Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum:

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain but there in the sandbox at nursery school…..

“I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be.” Joseph Campbell

 

What Kindergarten Wisdoms do you have to share?

 

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

 

 

Thursday, September 19: Join me over at Madeline Sharples’ blog, Choices for a guest post: “Five Tips for Honoring the Story Within: A Memoir Writer’s Challenge.”

 

Next Week: “A Memoir Moment: …a surprise!”

Author Platform

Finding the Target Audience for Your Memoir

8 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

 

Author’s Note: For the next two weeks I will be reblogging previous posts. This post was originally posted in January 2012. Feel free to leave comments but since I will be offline from 9/8-9/19 I will not be available to respond to comments until after 9/19.  I will be on a Magical Mystery Tour and promise to come back with more new stories!

I selected this topic as I recently completed Dan Blank‘s awesome Roadmap to Readers Course and the topic of identifying target audience was a main point of discussion.

***

“Have faith. There’s someone out there who has waited their whole life to read your story.“ Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo in his closing speech, The Drive to Write, at the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in NYC, January, 2012.

 

The above words struck me so deeply as I sat in the closing session of the conference that tears welled up in my eyes. For that moment I was spellbound by the vision of someone, a reader holding my book in his or her hands. It made me question,

Who exactly am I writing for?

 

stock-photo-18245632-people-search

Photo Credit: iStockphoto “People Search”

I needed to define my “target audience”, the people who will be interested in and moved by my message and story. Otherwise why would they go to the trouble of buying  my book or downloading it on their e-readers and why would they spend their time with or even care about my story? Why would they want to follow my blog or follow me on Twitter?

The answer to that question  only came when I could answer another question:

What is the purpose of sharing my life story?

Mandee Sears poses these questions in her blog post on Who is Your Audience/Memoir:: 

“Am I writing to leave a legacy for my family? Am I writing for mainstream publication? Am  I just journaling for the pleasure of getting my emotions down on paper for myself?”

These are important decisions that must be made before we as writers can decide how much time and energy we are willing to put into our efforts.

Underlying all of this is a commitment to put our best work out there.

Jane Friedman defines target audience as an essential component of an author platform,along with “visibility, authority  and proven reach” in this post on  A”Definition of Author Platform.

I have set a goal to publish my memoir.  For the  past four years  I have been learning my craft of memoir writing and building my platform.

I would like to share what I have learned about defining my target audience from taking Dan Blank‘s Build Your Author Platform Course and beyond.  Dan’s course laid the foundation for defining, focusing, targeting, creating, sharing and growing.

As I was thinking about redesigning and upgrading my website  I responded to a tweet calling for volunteers to have their website reviewed online by Caitlin Muir of Author Media. As a result of this critique  I arranged a consultation with Caitlin to discuss website strategies  This included identifying ways to improve my readership by building a community around a core idea which for me has been chronicling my memoir writer’s journey including memoir writing/publishing/social media tips and sharing hope one story at a time around my kitchen table.

Caitlin also has an excellent post on “How to Build Your Community on Your Blog” which sums up the process. She asked me these questions:

How can I differentiate myself from others who blog about memoir writing?

Who am I writing for, both on my blog and in my memoir?

Where do I find them?

Caitlin suggested that I write with personas in mind and directed me through a series of questions about my audience .  She asked me to describe three different “personas” in these terms:

*What is the name?

*What motivates that person?

*What are they trying to accomplish?

*What are their goals, their attitudes their behaviors in relation to what they want?

From there, we developed strategies for helping each one.

Here’s an example of one persona:  Molly Memoirist is a middle-aged woman who has always had a dream to write.  She is full of stories but doesn’t know where to begin. She has a loud inner critic that she doesn’t know how to silence. She just needs a friend to show her the ropes. She’s had a painful past that she doesn’t talk about. She’s plowing through the pain.”

Now that I can visualize Molly, I can write to her by sharing how-to steps, ways to get started, ways to deal with her inner critic or share my own story so that she may gain some hope for herself.

Based on this profile Caitlin also suggested doing a blog series on “Blogging for Retirees” and package it as an e-book.

The main idea is that if you specifically define your target audience , you can focus on meeting their needs.  I have learned that it doesn’t work to say that your blog or your book will appeal to everyone.

It won’t.

Knowing my readers by listening to what they are saying, what they value, what they are looking for  has helped me to find and build my audience.  I have found them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn Group Discussion groups, Google+ , Pinterest and through tapping into my established memoir community- National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW), Story Circle Network, Fireheart Writer’s Institute and Women Writers and Artist Matrix, Yahoo Lifewriter’s Forum as well as face-to-face meetings at writer’s conferences.

Once we meet , I can invite them around my kitchen a table  at Memoir Writer’s Journey for some  writerly conversations and sharing hope one story at a time so we can all continue to learn from one another.

Know that I appreciate all of you and I hope to keep connecting with new people.

Here are a few useful resources I found related to the discussion of target audience:

How to Attract an Audience by Integrating Content,Social and Search– a fascinating radio interview by Copyblogger Media’s Copywriter, Robert Bruce with Lee Odden, Author and CEO of TopRank Online Marketing Team.

Writing for an Audience Can be Dangerous- an interesting perspective by Author and Editor, CS Lakin.

How Do I Get Attention in a Crowded Field?- an inspiring how-to blog post by Author and Book-Marketing Educator Jonathan Fields.

Identifying your Unique Message:The Core of Your Marketing Strategies– an enlightening  blog post by Author and Business Woman, Marsha Friedman on steps you need to take before developing your marketing plan

How about you?

 

Who are you writing for? Do you know your target audience? Do you know where to find them? Do you know what they are looking  for?

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Please leave your comments below~

 

Next Week:  9/16 Reblog of “Kindergarten Wisdom” from June , 2011

9/19 Guest Post at Madeline Sharples’ blog, Choices: “Five Tips for Honoring the Story Within: A Memoir Writer’s Challenge.”

 

 

Writing a Book Review

How to Review a Book in Eight Easy Steps: A Guest Post by Memoir Writer Sherrey Meyer

47 Comments

Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Sherrey Meyer/@Sherrey_Meyer

“A good, sympathetic review is always a wonderful surprise.”

Joyce Carol Oates

 

I am very pleased to feature Memoir Writer Sherrey Meyer in this guest post about  writing book reviews. I met Sherrey through her blog when I became intrigued with her “Letters to Mama” series. We have been online friends ever since. I am so impressed with her ability to write insightful, thought-provoking book reviews, I asked her to share her wisdom with us.

Welcome , Sherrey!

sherrey2013
Memoir Writer Sherrey Meyer

 

Loving books and reading them has been a part of who I am since childhood. The only thing that has changed is that now I review books.

When Kathy invited me to talk about how to review a book, I mentally stopped in my tracks.

 

How does one explain the process of reviewing a book?

 

There are many online sites where you can review books — on a blog, at Amazon, Goodreads and other book outlets.

Recently, author Jody Hedlund shared some “creative” reviews of her book, Noble Groom. Take time to look at these – they are interesting and unique. Although I tend to stick to standard reviews, you may find something that is a perfect fit with your blog or a book you’re reading. And one day I may step outside the box and try a new method. For today, however, I’ll just stick with explaining my standard method.

 

HOW TO REVIEW A BOOK IN EIGHT EASY STEPS:

 

  • You’ve turned the last page, and the story or narrative has come to an end. Now, it’s time to share your reading experience with not only other readers but also the author and publisher. The reader of your review is entitled to a short summary of the book’s content, what you believe the author’s intent to be in writing it, and your opinion of the author’s success in conveying that intent or communicating the purpose.

 

  • A strong lead-in sentence in the first paragraph is essential to grab your reader’s attention. You want the reader to want to read your review. A powerful first sentence draws the reader in.If reading nonfiction, think about any provocative words or statements describing the tone of  the book. Don’t hesitate to refer to them in this opening sentence and paragraph. If reading a novel, poetry or short stories, describe for your reader why the book or collection  is unique and worthy of special note and take care to describe what makes the material so.

 

  • Next it’s time to introduce your reader to the author or editor of the work. A short introduction is all that is necessary here (we’ll talk more later about this). This is also an excellent place to include a brief narrative about the work and whether you feel the author or editor has told the story well or completed the theme of a collection as intended.

 

  • One of the most important elements in your review is supporting your assessment of the work. Use any arguments you may have in your storehouse and explain why your comments and/or criticisms are credible. Were the characters developed fully, or were you left to wonder about the actions of one? Did the story line move fluidly and cohesively to its ending? Are there any holes in the plot? Did certain matters remain unresolved that bothered you? Is there something that seemed lacking in the book’s organization?

 

  • If the book includes graphics, maps, sidebars of commentary, tables, charts, photographs, i.e. elements to support the book, include your opinion on their placement, use and effectiveness.

 

  • Offer a restatement of your general impression of the work, including a precise statement of recommendation, endorsement or rejection of the book. If you are careful to choose books which are in genre you enjoy, hopefully you will never feel the need to reject anyone’s book. However, there are times when we, the reviewers, are disappointed. When that is the case, carefully state the reason for disappointment and what troubled you. Using a respectful tone here is important. As an example, read my review of Impossible Odds. Following this review, I exchange emails with the authors’ agent and enjoyed a pleasant discussion of why the book ended as it did

 

 

    • I do not use star ratings on my book blog because I find them confusing from site to site with Amazon, Goodreads and all the rest having different definitions for the number of stars.
    • If you choose to use star ratings, be clear in your definitions for the number of stars given and attempt to be consistent in your ratings.
    • Of course, Amazon, Goodreads and others use a star system for you to rate the book, but you have the right to rate or not on your blog.

 

  • Finally, introduce the author or editor of the book or collection in greater detail here using a bio from the writer or publisher’s site. Include a photo of the author or editor. Supply links to the writer’s website, social media links or any other information that will allow your reader to learn more.

 

 

  • Additionally, the FTC requires anyone who has received a book, video, or other published material to clearly state in their review how they acquired said materials and for what exchange or compensation. Example: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

 

REMEMBER, as a reviewer, it is your job to be reasonable and honest. Try to remain impartial and allow that partiality to show through especially if you’re reviewing a book by a favorite author or if you’re reading a book and find yourself disagreeing with the author’s politics or philosophy. Book reviewers are here not to champion or chastise any author but to give an honest assessment of the merits of the author’s work.

**

 

Sherrey’s Bio and Contact Information:

A retired legal secretary, Sherrey Meyer grew tired of drafting and revising pleadings and legal documents.  She had always dreamed of writing something else, anything else!  Once she retired she couldn’t stay away from the computer, and so she began to write.  Among her projects is a memoir of her “life with mama,” an intriguing Southern tale of matriarchal power and control displayed in verbal and emotional abuse.  Sherrey is married and lives with husband Bob in Milwaukie, OR.  They have three grown children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.  Their tuxedo cat, Maggie, rules the roost.

Visit Sherrey on her websites:  Healing by Writing, Found Between the Covers; or connect with her on Twitter @Sherrey Meyer, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

 

 

Guest Posts

“My Love Affair with Writing Tools,” guest post on Philadelphia Writing Examiner, 11/08/12

“Blanketed in Grace,” contribution to One Woman’s Day Blog for Story Circle Network, 09/19/12

“CHANGE means . . . moving on,” guest post on My Rite of Passage, 9/21/12

“A Trick or Treat Bag of Fear,” memoir contest winner (honorable mention), Women’s Memoirs, 5/31/12

“Memoir Writing + ? = Healing, guest post on Women’s Memoirs, 12/11/11

“Then Why Do You Do It?,” guest post on (in)courage, 12/24/10

Contributions to Anthologies

“The Crumb Gatherer,” Loving for Crumbs: An Anthology of Moving On, edited by Jonna Ivins, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (August 13, 2012)

“Mama and Her Arsenal,” “My Gutsy Story” Anthology, Third Edition, compiled by Sonia Marsh (2012) 

Publications

“Blanketed in Grace,” Story Circle Journal, Vol. 16, No. 4, December 2012.

 

Thank you ,Sherrey, for sharing these helpful tips on how to write effective book reviews. In addition to influencing readers, one the best ways we can support one another as authors is to take the time to post honest reviews of each other’s works. I appreciate your suggestions for handling unfavorable reviews, always” maintaining a respectful tone.”

 

How about you? Do you have any tips to share on writing book reviews? How are you influenced by book reviews?

 

We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~

 

ANNOUNCEMENT: Congratulations, Diana Cruze!  Your name was selected in a random drawing of commenters to receive Sheila K. Collin’s memoir,Warrior Mother: Fierce Love, Unbearable Loss, Rituals that Heal.

 

 

Please Note: For the next two weeks, I will be offline. I will be posting previous posts during this time:.

9/9:  “Finding the Target Audience for Your Memoir”

9/16 “Remembering Kindergarten Wisdom

 

I’ll be back 9/23 with new stories!