Book Editing | michaelmohr

MEMOIR VS AUTOBIOGRAPHY

I’ve posted about this before and I do it again. The reason it’s on my mind is that I currently have a client—a phenomenal writer—who is dealing with this in his book. Here’s a quote from Writer’s Digest on the subject:

“An autobiography focuses on the chronology of the writer’s entire life while a memoir covers one specific aspect of the writer’s life. So, if I chose to write about my complete life up to this point—including growing up in Cincinnati, my time in New York, the few years I spent in Chicago and eventually landing at Writer’s Digest—I’d write an autobiography. If wrote a book about the winter of my sophomore year in high school where I got my tongue stuck to an icy pole, I’d write a memoir.”

The above points out something that is very simple and very key and yet what many new writers seem to somehow forget again and again, and again: A memoir is about ONE specific event. Now, let’s be clear; let’s clarify. That certainly and absolutely does not mean that we talk about that singular event and ONLY that event. We use back story and refer, of course, to prior life events that are directly or indirectly related to the said memoir.

But the point is, we focus on that one event. If the memoir is about your story of growing up poor in Idaho and deciding to live alone in the mountains for five years, then later becoming one of the top CEOs of Google somehow: You have to mainly focus on those specific years. Yes, you’re going to lightly comment on what mom and dad were like growing up. Yes, you’re going to mention your upbringing. But that’s NOT going to be your focus. Your focus is going to be the story you’re specifically discussing. If you find yourself talking about everything that happened in your life—from day one until now—you’re actually writing an autobiography. Unless you’re Wolf Blitzer or Bill Maher, most readers, sadly to say, won’t care enough about you to read. Sorry. Sad but true.

But lucky enough for the rest of us, there is a medium between a novel and an autobiography: It’s called memoir. But the unfortunate thing is, most of us don’t know how to write them.

Memoir should be written very much like a novel. Think story arc, plot, character arc, setting, driving desire, stakes, conflict, the whole deal. Everything that takes place in a novel should essentially be in your memoir, too. So, skip the intro, skip the boring “I was born in 1967…” and go directly to the actually STORY. Hook us on page one and don’t let the hell go. Start with an inciting incident, the whole nine yards, blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda. You all know the drill. And yet so often this is ignored in order to tell a tale from birth until current times.

Here’s another quote: “Good memoir borrows from fiction, following the rule that the story is not as important as the way it’s told. In fiction, all the characters are literally nobodies, because none of them actually exist. Fiction writers use dialogue, description, scenes, and metaphors to make these nobodies feel like the most important people in the world to the reader. Similarly, memoirists adopt fictional techniques to elevate their own nobody status, and make their stories, whether about a trip around the world or a hike through the woods, feel as important as global affairs.” (From ‘Autobiography vs Memoir: The Changing Landscape of Recollective Writing,’ by Jennie Yabroff [‘Biographile,’ Random House, 2014])

The point above—again—is that memoir is written LIKE fiction, using similar techniques. Furthermore, memoir is an odd beast. It is considered nonfiction, it’s true. And in a way, it is. Anyone will tell you right off the bat: Of course memoir is nonfiction; it’s a ‘true’ account of the facts of your life. But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll find other notions of memoir.

As Stephen King famously said—yes, another King quote; I love the guy, what can I say?—“When it comes to the past, everyone writes fiction.”

There is a large element of truth to that quote. NO one, I don’t care who you are, can remember things exactly as they happened in their past 100%. Just simply isn’t possible. As I’ve brought up before, memoir is about ‘emotional truth.’ Sure, you try your best to get the facts right. A memoir MUST center around the planet that is ‘true’ life event/fact. But other than that—and doing your best to stay the course in terms of ‘what actually occurred’—you’re going to focus on that emotional truth. The main difference between autobiography, memoir, and fiction is: Autobiography tells the WHOLE story of your life, using much information and fact; memoir tells a specific story of your life that’s true but you’re using fictive techniques to tell emotional truth; and fiction is completely, for the most part, made up out of your imagination (obviously there are elements of truth in fiction).

Pretty simple. But again, it seems to be commonly misunderstood. For example: The Kiss, by Kathryn Harrison; Jarhead by Anthony Swofford; The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. In all three of these memoirs (all great by the way if you haven’t read them) the author focuses on ONE SPECIFIC time in their lives. With Harrison it’s her twenties having a secret love affair with her estranged father. With Swofford it’s the Gulf War. With Walls it’s her crazy and alcoholic father, leading her family around the country like poor lunatics. In Walls’s book she does go deeply into her early childhood to explain the present, and she flips back to current times at the beginning and at the end, but those times are only used to demonstrate the story therein being told.

So, the moral of the story, so to speak is, when writing memoir, be honest and tell the truth (we don’t need another James Frey, author of ‘A Million Little Pieces,’ which by the way, regardless of the truth, was a great book!) but also be aware of the fact that you’re only telling about one key moment or time in your life—not the whole thing—and that really, memoir rests on fictive techniques and emotional truth. Then come hire me to edit your memoir

Write on!

“You said it. Let’s edit.”

Michael Mohr

I do developmental book editing. Right now I am—happily—booked solid until August. IF you want a free test edit now I can do that, but I’ll have to throw you in line for Aug. Cool with that? Have an adult novel (no sci-fi please) or memoir? Email me: michaelmohreditor@gmail.com.

Also, check out my client Christian Picciolini’s book: “Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead.” True tale of a neo-Nazi who got out and became an activist for love and positive change. Great read. Buy it on Amazon (click here). (NOW RE-PUBLISHED BY HACHETTE BOOKS DEC 26 2017, AS WHITE AMERICAN YOUTH: My Descent into America's Most Violent Hate Movement—and How I Got Out)

LITERARY REJECTION: YOU’RE NOT ALONE

Here are some quotes from ‘Literary Rejections’:

“After 5 years of continual rejection, the writer finally lands a publishing deal: Agatha Christie. Her book sales are now in excess of $2 billion. Only William Shakespeare has sold more.”

“The Christopher Little Literary Agency receives 12 publishing rejections in a row for their new client, until the eight-year-old daughter of a Bloomsbury editor demands to read the rest of the book. The editor agrees to publish but advises the writer to get a day job since she has little chance of making money in children’s books. Yet Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling spawns a series where the last four novels consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history, on both sides of the Atlantic, with combined sales of 450 million.”

“Louis L’Amour received 200 rejections before Bantam took a chance on him. He is now their best ever selling author with 330 million sales.”

“Too different from other juveniles on the market to warrant its selling.” A rejection letter sent to Dr Seuss. 300 million sales and the 9th best-selling fiction author of all time.”

“You have no business being a writer and should give up.” Zane Grey ignores the advice. There are believed to be over 250 million copies of his books in print.”

***

Now, these are referring to publishers, not agents, so it’s a little different, because many of us—myself included—are in the process of trying to land agents. But you get the gist. It’s freaking TOUGH to get published in 2015. Everybody gets rejected in the beginning—from Stephen King (he’d thrown his first novel, Carrie, in the trash; his wife retrieved it and he made a quarter-mill on it) to Harlan Coben to Agatha Christie to Jack London. You name ‘em, they’ve been rejected.

Here’s a quote from Joe Bunting of ‘The Write Practice’ online:

“A friend on Twitter told me she has a wall in her closet where she pins all her rejection letters. She highlights all the nice things editors say. (Why don’t the rejection letters I get say nice things?) Stephen King did something similar, and in On Writing, he says at fourteen, ‘The nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and kept on writing.’ Rejection is a red badge of honor. It means you’re serious, you’re disciplined, and you won’t give up. If you haven’t been rejected, it probably means you’re not passionate enough.”

I love the above quote. And I think it’s very, very true. Currently, I am submitting my suspense novel (87,000 words) to agents seeking representation. It’s been slow going so far! I submitted a novel years ago that I now realize was entirely not ready. But I figured that now, years later, and after having 15 short stories published in various lit mags and journals, and having worked for an agent, and having received a writing degree, and being a book editor, that, you know, I would HAVE WHAT IT TAKES to get my book published!

And you know what? I do have what it takes. The problem is that I want it to happen right now and on MY terms. That’s often the case with us writers. And we’re sensitive. This is our ‘baby,’ right? Our literary flesh and blood, on the page and in the prose.

But the truth is, I know I need to not be married, so to speak, to my book. I need to take the actions and let go of the results. In other words: I need to keep submitting and let go of what happens next. How often does the thing you hope for actually happen the way you foresee it and when you foresee it? Very, very rarely; at least in my experience. Especially in the writing industry.

Maybe it’s just my first 5 pages. Or my first 10. First chapter. First THREE chapters. Or, maybe, it’s the whole book. Or maybe the book is fine now the way it is and I just need to sit tight and allow the right agent to find me. I don’t know. It’s time to face my fear and walk through the uncertainty. But if you’re anything like me, you know how self-defeating we writers can be. We like to think about throwing in the literary towel, blaming the [unfair] industry, shooting our anger at agents, at editors, at the publishing industry, period.

Sure, no one’s going to deny that the industry is magnanimously flawed. There is a clear and present profit motive. We ARE talking about a capitalistic enterprise here. And we all know that terrible books seem to somehow find their way on book shelves more and more every year. And, in general, less people are reading books in America. So, yes, it’s tough. I hear editors say all the time that the market is hard because the books have to be THAT good, THAT exceptional. I disagree. I try not to be a pessimist. But, having worked in the industry as an agent’s assistant, I can say that, from what I’ve witnessed, I think what the crux of the issue is, is that there is WAY too much competition.

The truth is, agents will tell their interns—and you’re almost always submitting to an 18-21-year-old intern from college—to reject for nearly any reason. If there is a typo in the query, reject. If the first line doesn’t hook you, reject. If the voice isn’t ‘strong enough’ in the first five pages, reject. If they address you as ‘Dear Agent,’ they’re not professional: reject.

Of course, we writers are scrambling for the tiny resources we can find to please these bastions, these Gate Keepers of the industry, trying to both ‘write what we know,’ as Hemingway said, and also keep the reality of the market in mind. It’s a tough, nearly impossible balancing act. At the same time, we’re hoping that the intern got laid the night before, has had her coffee, and is feeling excited to discover new talent.

Don’t hear me wrong. I am not anti-agent. I love agents: I think they do an important job and are viable, practical champions of writers’ work. I want one. Many of us do. All I’m saying is that, the writing playing field isn’t like what it used to be in the eighties or nineties. There are other writers everywhere, vying for the same thing as you, all the energy from our collective drive being focused on one area: The Protectors and Gate Keepers of industry. The hallowed Agent Extraordinaire.

So my point is: Keep trying, respect what agents do, don’t give up. And accept rejection for what it is (as discussed via the quotes above): A very real, very irritating part of the process of being a professional book writer. Or short story writer. Or poet. Or anything, really. Don’t take it personally. Don’t tear up your book and throw in the towel. If anything, see it as another opportunity to turn it over to the universe and LET GO. Allow the process to unfold the way it’s supposed to. I have had several referrals lately, to agents, which is supposed to be a gold ticket. And it is, because it means they’ll truly read the pasted pages. Still rejected. ‘Not for them.’ ‘Unfortunately.’ ‘The industry is very subjective.’ ‘I’m sure your book will find a home.’ ‘Best of luck in your search for representation.’ ‘Feel free to query me again in the future if you have another book.’

I get it. We’ve all been through it. Tough it out, shake it off, and turn it over to something higher than you. Let go. Do the work. Like King, Coben, Christie, London, etc.

I’ll see you in the future, on the bookshelves J

Write on.

Michael Mohr

“You said it. Let’s edit.”

YOUR FIRST NOVEL PAGE

The first page of your novel or memoir has to do some very specific things; it can’t just ‘be’ your first page. You are introducing your story. Remember: when you submit your query and sample pages for an agent to view, that first page could make or break you. Hell, that first paragraph.

The truth is, yes, you have to HOOK the reader. I know, I know: A lot of English Lit teachers of the classics will tell you this is some bullshit commercial gimmick to capture the reader and produce the effect in them to want to keep reading; that, in other words, it’s almost like a trap. But so what? The publishing climate in 2015 is insane. In order to rise above the constant buzz of submissions, you absolutely HAVE to create a strong hook. When you go fishing, you add attractive, colorful bait, right? Same deal here.

Here’s an example of hooking a reader with a first sentence. “Going to Mexico was a bad idea and my roommate and I knew it.” That’s the first line of my short story called, ‘Tightrope,’ published at Alfie Dog Press online. See how it hooks you in? A good first line sentence not only offers an intriguing plot possibility (letting the reader know there will be fun/entertainment to be had), it also asks questions. What’s going to happen in Mexico? Who is this narrator? Who is this roommate? Is this narrator reliable or not? WHY is going to Mexico a bad idea? Are drugs or alcohol involved? Youth? Corruption? All these things can be considered just from a good first line. (And I know I am shamelessly promoting myself here.)

The next thing your first page needs to do is give us at least a basic idea of setting. Who is it, where are we, what is it, when is it happening, and why? Remember: just a taste. And not necessarily all at once. At least let us know who the protagonist is and where we are, and maybe a little TASTE of what his/her journey will be. Don’t make us guess or make us feel like this character is living in a vacuum/cipher/void. Give us a time and a place. Ground us in setting. When we’re grounded in a clear setting we feel more settled as readers; more comfortable. It allows us to then focus on the actual STORY.

Next we need at least a whiff, even on the first page, of the stakes. What is going to happen and how serious is it? Whether physical, psychological, emotional, or some other type of ‘death,’ we need a whiff of this on page one. Let me be clear. A WHIFF. Don’t try to cram the stakes, direction, setting, and hook sentence ALL on page one. Overload. But give us a taste. We’re talking 250-300 words on the computer page here; not a lot to work with. And yet, good writers can achieve a lot with that amount of space. And hey, your query letter is the same length, so you might as well get good at this now.

And, lastly, you need to clearly demonstrate your voice. This is what, whether they realize this or not, readers are really looking for in your novel. Sure, they need plot. That’s essential. Some books are more character driven, some more plot. But today, in general, for a debut author, you need at least SOME plot. And you need stakes and direction and setting, etc. But if a reader—or an agent—can’t fully connect with your narrative voice on page one, they will usually reject. Agents see red flags all over the place when this happens because they know that fundamental rule: readers connect with an author’s voice. That’s what they are subconsciously searching for; that voice that will speak directly to them, privately. The plot and character development are profoundly important—and if you lack these you’ll likely not get published—but you GOTTA have voice. A-number one.

So my advice would be to really hone that page one, get it tight, and make sure that the rest of your book continues in the same vein. The first three chapters are always the hardest. And they’re the first thing that an agent will read. And if you DO get published, when a potential reader opens your book, they’ll often read the first page at the bookstore, before they buy. If that voice doesn’t connect right away, it’s likely they’ll put the book back on the shelf. You just lost a sale.

But it’s not just about sales, right? You’re a writer. You should want to truly and vulnerably connect with your readers. You do that, starting on page one, with voice.

Write on.

“You said it. Let’s edit.”

Michael Mohr

Please buy my short stories online at Alfie Dog Press.

Have a novel or memoir you need edited? I do developmental editing for a reasonable rate. Email me your first chapter to: michaelmohreditor@gmail.com. My turnaround right now is August/September, due to demand!

Find me at @Michael_Editor (Twitter)

Please subscribe to this blog! Learn more about the writing and editing industries every week! I post once a week on Fridays. Spread the word!