A lot of conversation around writing and revision focuses on middle- and late-stage questions. "When should I use beta readers?" "What sort of editor do I hire?" "How much revision is enough?" But everything for the writer starts in a much more basic place: "What do I want to write about?"
When it comes to memoir, this question can appear simplistic at first. Then it may become overwhelming the closer you look at it. Because there it all is: the stuff of your life. Your own private playground full of kids on sugar highs, all scattering in different directions and crying out for attention at once.
Where will you focus, and what will you set aside for now? What facts and meaning most need to be gathered close, examined, and transformed into a story that resonates?
It’s a question that every aspiring memoirist needs to answer: how do I narrow down my topic?
I offer writers a 5-step process to achieve clarity about the topic of their memoir on my website, at https://www.ultreyaeditorial.com/blog/how-do-i-narrow-down-the-topic-of-my-memoir
Ultreia et suseia!
Like cross stitch, writing a compelling, coherent, and enjoyable memoir requires focus. (Detail from Dimensions pattern designed by Marilee Carroll, © 2000) Photo credit Adam Groves | Ultreya Editorial