Reflections on Writing Memoirs

One problem I think memoir writers face is having to make their memoir interesting. A book is a great way to leave a mark on the world and tell your story, and autobiographies or memoirs can really impact someone and wake them up to what's going on around them. I believe that as a writer, words and books and poems and songs and stories can really impact someone, positive or negative. So, one thing to worry about is if your story is entertaining and connects with the reader. Another thing is how the reader will interpret what you are saying. Today, there are so many issues surrounding race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and other sensitive topics that sometimes can be taken the wrong way. It's almost like walking on a very thin path surrounded with spikes or dangerous obstacles, and telling your story while also being careful to not offend anyone. That is what I am worried about as well; you never know what will trigger (or offend) someone, so expressing yourself and painting the picture of your life experience or experiences is tricky for everyone. So what I wonder, going along with that same thought process, is how much authors don't include in their memoirs. All we know about them is what they have said or written, but everything else is things only they have knowledge of. So how much gets cut out? How much don't they include because they know it will raise controversy? Is this a common thing among writers? How common is it? Do authors just know that they have to only include some of their story in books as to not get negative comments thrown at them? Am I going to have to do the same thing?

So, authors may have issues making their memoir interesting or appeal to the audience they are trying to reach. They also may have issues with stirring up controversy because of their writing or being censored.

Look out for the next blog on Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers.