Tuesday Tidbit: If you’re giving your family an early edition of your memoir for Christmas, it needs a title

If you’ve written a few vignettes for your memoir, consider giving your family an early edition for Christmas. (See Thursday’s post, You might already have the perfect Christmas gift for your family.)

Think of it as a preview, a pledge of more to come, a promise that you’ll hand them your finished memoir in the future.

You have about ten weeks to get it ready! You can do this!

In addition to editing and polishing your stories (very important!), begin working on the documents you’ll place at the beginning of your book.

For today, let’s work on just one: the title page, the first page your readers will see. Your title will appear on the front cover of your memoir and also on your title page. Give yourself a by-line. Your title page might look something like this:

From Desert to Mountaintop: A Journey to Joy

by Jane Jones

And remember, you can always finalize your title later when you’ve finished the whole memoir. Consider this first title just a working title. Feel free to use it for your preview edition this Christmas.

Check out these links to my earlier blog posts about titles. They’re packed with good info for you.

Does your memoir have a title yet?

Craft your memoir’s best title, Part 2

Your memoir’s title, Part 3: The art part

Your memoir needs an outstanding subtitle

There you have it—your Tuesday Tidbit.

Tuesday Tidbit: Your memoir’s title

Last week we looked at giving your memoir a temporary, working title instead of a permanent title because the process of writing often takes the story places the author never expected. If that should happen to you, you’d have to change your title. (Click on that link to read last week’s post.)

While you write your memoir, in the back of your mind play around with possible title ideas.

When you’re close to finishing your manuscript, the time has come to get serious about choosing just the right permanent title.

Kathy Pooler offers good advice in her post, “Does Your Memoir Title Pack a Punch?” She lists questions she asked herself in crafting her memoir’s title: 

• Is the title catchy?
• Does the title strike at the heart of my story?
• Does my title reveal my promise to the reader?
• Does the title create interest for the reader?

For now, then, ask yourself Kathy’s questions and come up with a few potential titles for your memoir.

And there you have it: your Tuesday Tidbit.

We’ll have more tips on Thursday, so y’all come on back!

Front matter: Have you created it for your memoir?

After you’ve finished writing your memoir’s chapters, or maybe even while you’re still writing, develop the following front matter, important documents to place at the beginning of your collection of stories:

The Title Page is the first page your readers will see. Your memoir’s title* will appear on the front cover as well as on your Title Page. Give yourself a by-line, too, such as “Swimming with Sting Rays,” by Buck Alexander. (I know people who used to swim with sting rays, including my husband and children!)

The next page is your Dedication Page where you name those for whom you’ve written your stories and why. Consider adding an Epigram on the Dedication Page. An Epigram is a saying, poem, Bible verse, or quote that pertains to what your readers will discover; an Epigram adds depth or clarity or pizzazz. (You can also include Epigrams at the beginning of your chapters. Read more in our earlier blog post, “Add Richness to Your Memoir’s Chapters.”)

Next, develop your Table of Contents (optional). If your memoir is a collection of vignettes or chapters, you will have given them titles. If so, list them for your readers and include page numbers.

After that, write your Introduction. Think of this as writing a letter to your readers. State why you wrote your stories (see especially Deuteronomy 4:9 and Psalm 66:16). You might want to share why you chose your title. Explain that your memoir is merely one slice of your life (a collection of stories pertaining to a certain theme—review What is a memoir at this link).  Include what you hope people will discover by reading your accounts. And here’s a bit of good advice from Frank P. Thomas: “Avoid making any apologies in your introduction for your life, for your writing, or for anything else. You are better than you think. So be positive.” (How To Write The Story of Your Life)

Some authors include a Prologue which gets the reader ready to begin Chapter One. A Prologue might include your memoir’s setting, date, and other background information. A Prologue can help readers settle into your story—which makes it more likely they’ll read it all the way to the final page.

Another optional feature is a Timeline. Why? Think back: You have a good grasp of the order of your life’s events. Probably your kids do, too, but how about our grandchildren and great-grandchildren? They probably won’t have a clue.

If you arrange your stories in a non-chronological order, or if you have flashbacks or insert backstory, a Timeline can be important for your readers.

Your goal is to make it easy for readers to follow along with you.  A Timeline can clear up anything that confuses your readers or hiders your stories’ message.

Keep your Timeline simple—a list with dates should work just fine, or you could create a horizontal line across two facing pages with key dates marked.

OR: Here’s a simpler way to organize your front matter: 

• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Introduction—In this case, your Introduction would include the following from the above list: Dedication (and Epigram if you’re using one), Introduction, and Prologue.  Some authors write two or three pages of introductory material.
• Timeline (optional)

Look through other memoirs for front matter ideas—you probably have a few memoirs stacked on your bedside table, right? You can also browse the shelves at libraries and bookstores.

Enjoy developing your front matter.

Give yourself permission

to write in rough draft form,

knowing you can come back later

to tweak and polish.

*For  more on titles, click on these recent blog posts:

Does your memoir have a title yet?

Craft your memoir’s best title

Your memoir’s title: The art part

Your memoir needs an outstanding subtitle

The beginning of your collection of stories

If you’ve written only a few vignettes for your memoir and want to give away an early edition for Christmas, (see Wednesday’s post, Your memoir: a matchless Christmas gift*), consider one of these two easy options for compiling your stories—just for now.

Option 1: Assemble your vignettes in a chapbook. I’ve made several and they are fun. If you’re artsy and have time, use homemade paper (your own or someone else’s) for your cover. Add ribbons, yarn, beads, artwork—let your ideas run wild. I found step-by-step instructions for chapbooks at the link below.* 

Option 2: Put your vignettes in a three-ring binder. I use the kind with a clear plastic cover with a slit at the top because it allows you to design your own cover. (This format will work fine if you’re putting together an early, partial edition* for a Christmas gift, regardless of how you envision your finished memoir. My published memoir started out as a three-ring binder.)

Here’s a photo of Terri’s cover (she attended a couple of my in-person classes):

Here are a couple of my own binders’ covers:

If you have time before Christmas, include a few photos or other mementos with your vignettes. (If you scrapbook, here’s a timesaver: Make color copies of pages you’ve already created.)

Place the following documents at the beginning of your collection of stories:

• Title Page—the first page your readers will see. Your title will appear on the front cover of your memoir and on your title page. Give yourself a by-line. Your title page might look something like this:

From Valley to Mountaintop

by Elaine Alexander

• Dedication—name those for whom you are writing your stories
• Introduction—state why you’ve written these stories (for ideas, see Deuteronomy 4:9 and Psalm 66:16), and maybe even tell how you chose your title. Explain that your memoir is not an autobiography or genealogy, but rather a slice of your life (some highlights within a certain theme). Include, briefly, what you hope your readers will take away from your stories. At the end of your introduction, sign your name and write the date and place you lived when you wrote it.
• Timeline—optional, if you have one ready; see Sharon Lippincott’s timeline suggestions at the link below.*

In the future, we’ll go over additional components for your finished memoir, but if you’re rushing to arrange an early, partial edition for a Christmas gift, the above will work just fine.

*Links and resources

Your memoir: a matchless Christmas gift,

http://spiritualmemoirs101.blogspot.com/2011/11/your-memoir-matchless-christmas-gift.htm

How to make a chapbook, 

http://stacienaczelnik.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-a-Chapbook---An-Illustrated--Step-by-Step-Guide

Your personal timeline will help your memoir’s readers,

http://spiritualmemoirs101.blogspot.com/2011/09/your-personal-timeline-will-help-your.html

Have you written a story about Christmas for your memoir?

If so, send me your vignette

between now and December 10

and I’ll select one to publish here

the week before Christmas.

See all the details in my November 12 post at this link:

http://spiritualmemoirs101.blogspot.com/2011/11/send-me-your-christmas-vignettes.html

Your finished memoir: How do you envision it?

When you close your eyes and picture your finished memoir, what do you see?

Have you chosen a title for your book? (If so, let me know!)

Imagine your memoir’s cover. What will it look like?

Dream big!

These days we have a myriad of publishing options. We’ll cover them more fully in the future but for now, you can start thinking about a few:

• a published hardbound or softbound book (either self-published or with an agent and/or publishing company)
• a three-ring binder
• a scrapbook-like format
• a spiral-bound book from your local print shop or office supply store
• a digital book compiled on the Internet (Is that the same thing as an e-book? I'll let you know.)

While you mull over your title, cover, and publishing options, pray for a clear sense of what you want your stories to accomplish in the lives of your readers—children, grandchildren, and other special people.*

Then, grab hold of that vision and make a plan.

This week your finished memoir might seem only a blurry dream, but planning for it now will help speed you toward that glorious accomplishment.

 

“Little is accomplished by those who dillydally.”

Donald Grey Barnhouse

Strategize, organize, and establish short-term and long-term goals for completing your memoir.

Get out your calendar and schedule weekly writing times.

And remember the beauty of memoir.*  It’s not autobiography!

In memoir, you don’t need to start with the day of your birth and include details about preschool, elementary, middle school, high school and college.

Facts that are imperative for a résumé are optional in memoir.

Memoir is a slice of life, a story or collection of short stories along a specific theme.

In Spiritual Memoirs 101, our theme comes from several Bible verses that tell us to remember what we’ve seen God do and be sure to tell our children and grandchildren. (See Deuteronomy 4:9 and 6:4-9, for example.)

And do this: Circle a date—probably on your new 2012 calendar—to finish your memoir’s rough draft.

Yes, go ahead! Do it!

Do it now!

And have fun!

*Related post: What is a memoir

http://spiritualmemoirs101.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-is-memoir.html

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Saturday Snippet: Inspiration for your WIP

What’s your WIP? It’s your Work in Progress, your rough draft. You probably have several vignettes in draft form.

Think of them as WIPs (rather than “finished”) because in coming weeks, we’ll cover additional elements you’ll want to utilize so your stories will come alive for your readers.

For example, photos play a big role in your memoir in two ways:

First, they help you remember details.

Don’t believe me? Give it a try.

Be sure to have a pencil and paper in hand, and then dig out a photo related to one of your vignettes. Give yourself a few minutes to ponder what you see and jot down everything that comes to mind. (You might need a big piece of paper!)

If it’s a photo of scenery, record the reason you were there, who was with you, what you did, and how that place or event changed you. Include sensory detail: smell, sound, taste, touch, sight.

If a person is in the photo, note his or her physical characteristics, quirks, tone of voice, talents, endearing qualities, and maybe even odors. Write some or all of those into your WIP.

The second importance of photos? Their benefit to readers. Photos add richness, texture, and depth to your stories—which, in turn, add to your readers’ enjoyment. Photos help readers experience your story with you, so consider including photos in your finished memoir.

While you’re working on your vignettes (consider them as chapters), start crafting a title for each.

And how about this fun project: Have you thought of a title for your memoir—for your whole compilation of stories? Feel free to dream up a good one!

Today you’re in for a treat because one of this blog’s Followers, Diana Trautwein, wrote a vignette about falling in love during her freshman year at UCLA. Click on the following link to read Diana’s delightful story, The Eyes Have It: http://drgtjustwondering.blogspot.com/2011/06/eyes-have-it-remembering-our-story.html

Notice (a) Diana's use of sensory detail, (b) her photo, and (c) the way she reflected on the past and drew out important lessons--an important aspect of memoir. Nice job, Diana!

C’mon back Wednesday, and between now and then enjoy writing your stories!