Comments on: The Book in the Drawer, or Writing About Your Family Members

By: Rebecca Warner

Rebecca Warner — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 15:18:22 +0000

This is a wonderful article, and I appreciate your taking the “character” that your mother was and running with it (in different directions, at different paces.) I laughed out loud when your mother proclaimed,”You really nailed your grandmother!” I have a bi-polar sister who had to be included in the book I’ve just finished (My Dad My Dog, fictional but based on real-life family dynamics and dementia.) It was a really challenging to make her not her. I kept imagining her reading the book and having one of her “fits,” so I made her thin and beautiful. Since she’s also a narcissist, I’m hoping she’ll focus on that : )

By: Gabi Coatsworth

Gabi Coatsworth — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 22:08:22 +0000

Change the hair color and add a few pounds, eh? Sounds like a plan…

By: Donna Brown

Donna Brown — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 18:22:36 +0000

Hey Maddie,
I really enjoyed your story about how you started writing your book about your mom! In similar ways, you were writing about my mom, as she was also a bit bipolar, crazy and unaware of the damage she inflicted. She is gone now and has been gone for a long time, yet the legacy lives on.
I just finished my autobiography and of course, she is in it, and like you said, writing this book his given me perspective of what my early home life with mom was like and how it shaped me into who I am today! I also underwent several years of therapy, yet feel those years helped me sort out a lot and emerge with a better outlook on life. Although I didn’t have any manuscript hidden in any drawers, I did find numerous journals lying around the house and after years painstakingly tedious review of the journals, I turned it into a book!
I am wondering if you went through a traditional publisher, or self-published?
Thanks so much for your interesting and thought-provoking article! Look forward to your reply! Best wishes and Write On!!!