My big 8-year-old dreams
... and how one editor kicked off a desire to write
Last year, my mom gifted me with old photographs and memorabilia from my childhood home, where she still lives. I thumbed through the photos of middle school me at Sea World with my 7th grade classmates, birthday parties, 8th grade graduation, senior prom with the date whose name I can’t remember, and assorted certificates for perfect attendance, Student of the Month, and 1st place in the St. Paul School Spelling Bee.
Much of my childhood collections were destroyed in a 2008 house fire, so this was a happy surprise. I always coveted looking through my grandmother’s photo albums of trips to Europe, New England, and every family occasion, all labeled with the years, 1964-1966, 1978-1980, etc.
If I desired to know who was in each photo, where it was taken, the date and the occasion, all I had to do was peel back the sticky plastic, carefully remove the photo, turn it over, and every detail would be there, meticulously written in perfect right-slanting cursive.
Among the memories was one that I’m now convinced of was the catalyst in launching a career in writing, even if I could’ve never inferred that at age 8. Still, the memory of how I came to be published in our local paper is as clear as what I ate for dinner last night.
In the 1970s, my brother and I regularly spent weekends at our Aunt Margaret’s downtown apartment while my parents worked late nights at my maternal grandparents’ restaurant. Mom waited tables. Dad played in the band. Both didn’t’ finish until around 2 a.m., much too late for a teenage babysitter. The extra money helped pay Catholic school tuition for my brother and me, and going to Aunt Margaret’s was our weekend adventure.
Before settling in each Saturday evening with our T.V. dinners on tray tables while watching All in the Family and The Jeffersons, Aunt Margaret would give my brother and me intellectual exercises. Crossword puzzles, dictionary drills, and flash cards were fun, but one Saturday afternoon, she presented me with a new challenge.
Every week, Evening Independent columnist Jim Moorhead posed a question in his “Thinking Time” column. His prompt for that week: Where would you most like to visit?”
Aunt Margaret guided me in crafting a paragraph about visiting our nation’s capital.
On loose-leaf paper in (almost) as perfect cursive as my grandmother’s, I wrote: “I want to shake hands with the president.”
It turns out that Aunt Margaret had saved the paper from the prior week, and mistakenly gave me that prompt, instead of the correct one from the current week. Honoring a little girl’s effort to take the time to write about a bucket-list trip in the same (almost-perfect) cursive as her grandmother remains a treasured memory.
Seeing my writing in the local paper when I was just 8 years old was exciting. Each week, I looked for Mr. Moorhead’s prompt. I continued to submit paragraphs and was delighted to be published once more when I was 10.
Without knowing it, Aunt Margaret and the columnist ignited my writing. My words mattered. Someone felt that they were worth publishing. I remained a mostly confident writer throughout my schooling, until I decided to major in English. I was mostly inept at deciphering and analyzing the transcendentalist thinking of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller and Amos Bronson Alcott. That’s when I turned to broadcast news. I found that telling others’ stories was more intriguing than analyzing another’s thought processes.
This unabated curiosity I why I gravitate to non-fiction works, particularly memoir. Little did I know when my short paragraph was published in our local paper that I would visit Washington, D.C., the following year with my father, again in high school with my church, and several times thereafter with my husband and our kids, once as honored guests of President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama for one of 20 holiday parties they hosted in 2015. In 2022, I brought the Accidental First Lady, my memoir, with me as President Joe Biden congratulated the Tampa Bay Lightning on their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins.
I share this trip down my memory lane to illustrate the power of our words, even at an early age. When someone challenges you to contribute, and another believes in you enough to share your words, this can light an indistinguishable fire.
If you’ve been wanting to write a book, even your memoir, I invite you to consider poignant moments from your life that led you to want and believe that you could write. Revisit those moments. Look at old photographs. Spend some time in the past. I’ll be there’s a story in there just waiting to be told.
Aspiring authors sometimes struggle with what to write. Our lives are vast, and if we’re lucky, long. Many writers enter the memoir writing process with their topic in mind, but for those who don’t, here is practical advice for crafting a compelling memoir topic.
· Reflect on Significant Life Events Start by listing noteworthy events in your life. Think about the moments that brought about a profound change, challenged you, or taught you important lessons. These could be joyful or painful, but they should be moments that left a lasting impact on you.
· Universal Themes Great memoirs often touch on universal themes that many readers can relate to, such as:
Love and Relationships: Experiences of love, friendship, or family dynamics.
Loss and Grief: Dealing with the loss of a loved one or a significant life change.
Identity and Self-Discovery: Exploring your sense of self, cultural identity, or personal beliefs.
Overcoming Adversity: Stories of resilience and triumph over challenges.
Growth and Transformation: Personal growth and the journey of becoming who you are today.
· Unique Perspectives While universal themes are relatable, your unique perspective and voice make your story compelling. Consider what makes your experience distinct. What insights or lessons can only you share? This uniqueness is what will set your memoir apart.
When crafting your memoir, work to narrow the focus. Rather than trying to cover too much, choose a specific aspect of your life to focus on. For instance, instead of writing about your entire childhood, you might focus on a particular summer that changed your perspective. This approach allows for a deeper and more detailed exploration of your experiences.
Work to find the emotional core of your memoir. This is the heart of the story that resonates with readers. Identify the emotional threads in your experiences. What feelings were most intense or transformative for you?
While your memoir is deeply personal, it should also be relatable. Think about the lessons, insights, and emotions that others might identify with. Balance personal anecdotes with reflections that offer broader insights into human experience.
Your readers will connect with your story when you make your memoir relatable. Connect with you reader by focusing on emotions and experiences that are universal. Share your feelings honestly and vividly. Readers connect with authenticity, so don’t shy away from revealing your vulnerabilities and imperfections.
Think about the books you’ve read that you’ve found captivating. Chances are you felt that way about a particular book because the author has invited you into his/her world. You’ve taken a journey together through the vivid pictures created with sensory details. When you write, describe what you saw, heard, smelled, touched, and tasted. These details bring your story to life and make it more immersive for readers. Honesty is equally important. Be truthful about your feelings, thoughts, and actions. This raw honesty will engage readers on a deeper level.
Crafting a compelling memoir topic is the first step in writing a memoir that resonates with readers. By reflecting on significant life events, identifying universal themes, and focusing on your unique perspective, you can create a memoir that is both personal and relatable. Remember to narrow your focus, find the emotional core, and balance vivid details with honesty. With thoughtful planning and revising, your memoir can become a powerful narrative that touches the hearts of your readers.