Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler

“The challenge with memoir is to make it interesting to someone other than the writer.” David Colin Carr, editor

One of the biggest challenges in memoir writing is to turn the events in your life into a story someone else would want to read.  Writing with the reader in mind becomes an essential part of the process but I have found it does not occur in full force until the rewriting/polishing phase.

Keeping the reader in mind as I write my memoir is something I’m working on as I grind away after three years of writing vignettes and two rounds of professional editing by a developmental editor.

I am finally ready to focus on my reader.

Why now?

Because I  didn’t know the  true heart of our story until  I had poured out many drafts on the paper—often referred to as “sh*#! first draft or the vomit draft–just getting it on the page with no regard for editing or censoring.

That’s been my experience.

This point was brought home to me in a recent discussion on Belinda Nicoll’s blog, My Rites of Passage during her A-Z Blog Challenge. In Challenge #23: Writing Models, she  discusses paying attention to creative techniques  in the hopes of crafting a story that will be of interest to the readers. Belinda had posed the question,

“Do you keep your readers in mind as you write?”

In response to my comment that the longer I write and revise, the more I find myself writing with the readers in mind, Lifewriting Coach and Author Sharon Lippincott had replied:

 
“Kathy, your comment prefaces what I was about to write. Only you can say for sure, but I suspect your early focus was more on the personal cost of disclosure and less on how it would affect readers. Ideally, I think we all need to “write like nobody will ever see” in the beginning, then tailor down to our disclosure comfort level balanced with reader impact.”

Bingo!

Initially, I needed to pour the words on the page before I even knew what my story was. My focus was on digging and excavating.

Now that I have my story—the narrative arc— I can concentrate on writing with the reader in mind.

But I think there’s a fine line between giving the reader credit for figuring out the details and giving the right details to make it clear.

I have a responsibility as a writer to transport the reader into my world in a way that is grammatically correct, nicely paced, appealing to the senses and action-packed.

As a memoir writer, I need to offer lessons learned from life experiences so the reader will have something to take away from reading my memoir.

With that in mind, here are a few tips I’ve gleaned along the way to write words so the reader will be moved:

• Have enough emotional distance from the life events to be able to be objective in conveying the story.

• Be clear on your intention for  story and stay true to your theme throughout the story. Avoid distracting tangents. Yes, this means “killing your darlings.”

• Offer reflections on the wisdom gained from life events rather than listing chronological events.

• *If you are stuck on who your target audience is, try writing with one reader in mind and focus on what you want them to learn       from your story.

• Read your manuscript aloud to yourself and to others to listen for inconsistencies in pacing, clarity, voice. I use a digital recorder and tape some chapters. It’s amazing what I have been able to hear when I listen to my own words.

• Use a critique group and/or beta readers for objective feedback. In the end, it is your story but being open to how potential readers view your story is crucial to getting your best work out there.

• Commit to excellence on all levels. Invest (as you are able) in professional services for all levels of editing, book cover design, promotion. If finances are an issue, explore creative options for funding, such as kickstarter campaigns, beta readers, sharing services with other writers.

“It matters to put your best foot forward.”  Jami Carpenter, The Red Pen Girl

Keeping the reader in mind as we build our characters and move our plot along through a series of event and actions that will keep our readers turning the pages seems like a reasonable expectation.

I’d like to leave you with a question Dan Blank posed in a recent post on Writers Unboxed: “Are You Giving Your Readers  Only the Minimum Amount of  Your Attention?”

How about you? How do you move the reader with your words? As a reader, what does it take to keep you turning the pages?

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

On Thursday, May 30: Justine Schofield, Communication Coordinator of Pubslush  a global crowdfunding publishing platform will discuss: ” Crowdfunding Your Memoir: 6 Ways to Know If Crowdfunding Is For You.”  She will give away three (3) ebook versions of Pubslush’s debut title, a memoir, a beautiful mess by Ali Berlinksi.

 Memorial Day, 2013

We remember and pray for our living and deceased veterans and thank God for the freedoms of this country.