Comments on: In Defense of True Stories

By: Lani

Lani — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 07:38:47 +0000

In reply to Mary Latela. Absolutely. It is indeed life's work and part of the fabric that we are all weaving - together.

By: Lani

Lani — Sat, 31 Jan 2015 07:38:02 +0000

In reply to Maggie Harris. Thank you Maggie. Sorry, I didn't see your comment earlier, I guess automated notifications don't always work! Glad you found success and a home for your story and thank you for sharing your journey.

By: Mary Latela

Mary Latela — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 14:54:36 +0000

Searching for the truth is a life’s work. Writing about MY truth is part of telling my story, and I WANT others to listen.

By: Maggie Harris

Maggie Harris — Sat, 03 Jan 2015 08:42:30 +0000

I got my memoir, Kiskadee Girl, published by entering a Life Writing Competition run by Kingston University Press.It also helps if you research publishers who have a particular interest in some aspect of your memoir whether it be historical or location based or a unique family story. Memoirs are social history and immensely important. However, fiction does play a part in the writing,as memory and research alone are not enough. This is where creativity and the imagination comes into its own. Writing Kiskadee Girl invigorated my interest into prose fiction, and I’ve since gone on to write and have two short story collections published.Don’t give up, look at your work closely and see where it might find success!

By: Lani

Lani — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 10:18:34 +0000

In reply to Linda Strader. I think this is why so many are self-publishing. Agents even admit that they cannot predict what will sell, so they go with the safest bets. If you feel the urge to publish it, that is the route I would take. You could always give it a rest and see how you feel about it at a later time. I tried to get mine published years ago and no one was interested. I put it up as blog and got some really interesting reactions. It's been a long process (years), and yes,I tried again with agents, but I'm finally going to self-publish by the end of the year.

By: Linda Strader

Linda Strader — Sun, 23 Nov 2014 07:14:24 +0000

I finally gave up on getting my memoir published. Agents tell me they are too hard to sell (even though they admit my story is unique and intriguing). How can you get past that?

By: Lani

Lani — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 11:55:40 +0000

In reply to Jo Carroll. Agreed, both are wonderful. It's just sometimes I feel like fiction gets more respect.

By: Jo Carroll

Jo Carroll — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 07:57:31 +0000

I just think they are different – Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is extraordinarily powerful, and definitely fiction. At the same time there are memoirs that touch us at a very deep level. I love both!!

By: Lani

Lani — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 03:31:28 +0000

In reply to Linda Strader. Thanks Linda, for adding your voice to the conversation :)

By: Linda Strader

Linda Strader — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 19:19:36 +0000

I totally agree memoirs and true stories are more powerful. Many times I’ve found myself amazed how strange and captivating a true story is compared to fiction.