04 October 2024
|
Written under a pseudonym, Edward Charles Featherstone's racy memoir tells the story of an extraordinary life. He offers tip on how to interest readers in your life story
It is said that autobiographies or memoires are very often just vanity projects, an opportunity for the author to stroke his ego. I am also told that readers see-through these types of memoirs in an instant and repel them just as quickly. So that would be my first bit of advice. If you have a story that others would want to read, make sure it is honest and from the heart, and especially ‘warts and all,’ as the cliche goes.
I am not an author, which could be true for many people writing their memoir, so the best I can do is pass on the advice I was given along the way.
What can only be described as very unusual circumstances is what led to my authoring a creative non-fiction memoir of my life, using a pseudonym.
Whilst this is a true account of the important aspects, the purpose of using this approach was for the following reasons. There are aspects of my military service, some of which are classified, that changing some locations obviated the need for military and other clearances and permissions.
This or a similar situation may be something that you will need to consider. I had few qualms of my own identity being exposed, but doing so would expose all others.
The mostly thinly veiled name changes protect those people involved. For those who want to be identified, they can easily reveal themselves and own their characters. For those who would prefer to distance themselves from the manuscript, they can as easily choose not to pierce the thin veil that protects them.
I believe this is a good approach, especially if you want to keep your story authentic but not too exposing.
My memoir was borne out of therapy. A doctor friend urged me to write about the tragedies in my life that had caused me to suffer psychological trauma –PTSD. The fact that it was never meant to be published is probably the reason it is lauded as the most honest, no-holds-barred memoir in recent times. So much so that, in my case, it could be too open and honest.
I’m not sure if writing for therapeutic reasons is advice you’ll get from anyone else. The jury is still out on my effort, so watch the space, as they say.
Memoirs work best written in chronological order. I was also advised that for the enjoyment of readers, the author should try and adopt a novelistic approach, i.e. write it so that it reads like a novel.
To that end and a variety of reasons not dissimilar to my own, a genre that is often used when writing autobiographies is Creative Non-fiction. It sounds like a contradiction in terms, but simply put, you write your story and use some creative license so that it works better but is still based on your own life.
I was also told to write more rather than less and allow professional editing to streamline from there. It’s easier to cut than to add at the editorial stage. In my case, this transpired to be quite the opposite. I was asked to write more about my story and, as uninteresting as I thought it was, my editor thought otherwise. This resulted in me writing 350,000 words, 1000 pages, ordinarily four books, that I have since condensed it into two.
Perhaps the single most important thing is professional editing. If your life story is important to you, which it must be if you are willing to write about it, make sure it is the best that it can be.
Very often publishers may not even accept your work, in which case you would have to accept that your life story is not something for the general market. Don’t let that stop you though, as it may well be interesting to your family and close friends. There is no harm in writing for the sake of leaving a legacy.
My Rude Awakening by Edward Charles Featherstone is published by H2Z Foundation Press
Read more on writing memoir from acclaimed author and memoirist Horatio Clare here.
Want more writing advice? Don't miss the chance to sign up for regular prompts, inspiration, practical guides and writing opportunities, emailed directly to your inbox!