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FromThe Writer’sCouch Ingrid'sWritersColumn
So,howdoyoustart?
Below are 10 tips as gleaned from MasterClass, an online forum for writers:
1. Engage the reader from the first word.
2. Build trust with the reader.
3. Bring emotions out of the reader.
4. Lead with a laugh.
5 Open with a dramatic moment
6 Think like a fiction writer
7 Keep it relevant
8 Write for the reader as well as yourself
9 Be honest
10 Write the opening last
Each of the above tips, and more, is expertly explained in the MasterClass article: https://www masterclass com/articles/how-to-startwriting-a-memoir
I would like to add another tip to the above list: Read a memoir, the more the better In addition to the titles named in the MasterClass article, I recommend some well-known earlier ones: Mary Brave Bird’s Lakota Woman, Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes, Caroline Kapp’s Drinking: A Love Story.
On a final note: I cannot stress enough the importance of tip number 9 above. Telling your uncensored story is the greatest gift you can give to the world because it gives other people hope, joy, or permission to act accordingly
I’m a novelist and watercolour artist living in Ottawa and the author of a post-WWII childhood memoir I Stood Among The Ruins And Cried. click any of the links below https://www.amazon.com/Stood-Among-RuinsCried%20Illustrated/dp/B09L3FLZYV/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0? _encoding=UTF8&&qid=167487375%203&&sr=1-1
For the German speakers among all women who rock, here’s the link to the German edition of the memoir: https://www.amazon.com/Zwischen-Tr%C3%BCmmern-Weinte-IllustriertKindsheitserinnerungen/dp/B0BLYNJCV1/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0? _encoding=UTF8&qi d=1674873753&sr=1-2
If you have further questions concerning your writing goals, feel free to contact me through my website: www.ingridmccarthy.com https://www.facebook.com/rosedfranklynauthor
Happy writing and reading!
Ingrid
