Tag: Memoir
-
Nigeria – the setting and landscape of my story, but also a character.
When I began to write my memoir, Oduduwa Crescent, I wanted Nigeria, the setting and landscape of the book, to be as well-drawn as any character. My book is, in its essence, the story of my charismatic father, whose rise and fall is set against the tumultuous backdrop of post-colonial Nigeria – a time of coup d’états,…
-
LOVE your book but….
I am deep in the querying process for my recently completed memoir. It’s a pretty tough process, one characterised by constant rejection and unfiltered feedback – both good and bad. Last week, I spoke with an agent who I got connected to via a writing group I belong to. It was a remarkably short conversation,…
-
On connecting with creative outlets.
How do I stay rooted in creativity when I am knee deep in a project? This is my fifth year working on my book. The book is now on its 6th draft following some very constructive feedback I received to reduce the word count from 120K down to 95K. Working on a project consistently for…
-
How Dani Shapiro’s podcast, FAMILY SECRETS, inspired me to confront the shame of a family secret and write my memoir.
In 2019, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour and had surgery to have it removed. The surgery, though traumatic, went very well and all the pathology came back completely cancer-free. A relief, an immense blessing. Following my surgery, I spent several months at home quietly recuperating, which forced me to take time to…
-
Shame and the motivation behind my memoir.
Shame consumes you. It ravages you from the inside, leaving an imprint and an aura that follows you about everywhere, like the lingering smell of tobacco infused into the clothes of a chain-smoker. I was ashamed of my father for many years. I was ashamed of the recluse he became and of the crumbling house…
-
Do I need a platform?
This is a question every debut author asks themselves largely because we hear it time and time again: “If you want to get published, you need a platform – expert status in something, a significant social media following or celebrity /influencer / notoriety status.” Indeed, my recent literary agent rejection came with the added note:…
-
The sounds of my childhood
Brown Girl in the ring by Boney M. Celebration by Cool and the Gang. Mamma Mia by Abba Night to remember by Shalamar Candy Girl by New Edition. ABC by the Jackson 5. Writing memoir evokes so much, the memories flood back with intensity. The familiar tunes of my childhood have been ringing in my…
-
I found an old poem I wrote that is so telling.
Between 2009-2011, I did a creative writing program which exposed me to different genres of creative writing. During one of the semesters, we explored different types of poetry and were encouraged to mine our emotions and memories, and write our own poems.I must, at this juncture, state that poetry is not really my thing, but…
-
When your closest loved ones are main characters
As an aspiring memoirist, this is a conundrum! How does one write about closest family and friends without causing offence? Is that even possible? The thing about memoir is that you are writing from YOUR perspective, about your memories of specific events as best you remember them. By definition, your memory of events could be…
Novice Memoirist 