Thinking of writing your memoir?

You can listen to a Wall Street Journal interview with Paula Stahel of Breath & Shadows Productions in Tampa, Fla. She researches and writes memoirs for people.

I disagree with some of Stahel’s advice. She’s an advocate of the nicey-nice school of memoir writing, where the writer leaves out anything that might make anyone uncomfortable. That may be fine for a memoir aimed only at family. But it’s likely to make for an incomplete picture of your life.

I enjoyed reading “Memoir vs. Memoir,” the accompanying article by Jeffrey Zaslow about his parents’ memoirs. As the overview states, “Married almost 60 years, Harry and Naomi Zaslow each put their life stories on paper. But revisiting the past, as families are discovering, can be a wrenching experience.” The article appeared on page R1 of the June 26, 2006 Wall Street Journal.

The article also mentioned these memoir-related groups and businesses:
* Association of Personal Historians Inc.
* Center for Autobiographical Studies
* Memoir Press
* Memoirs Inc.
* Memories & Memoirs (note: this URL didn’t work for me)
* Visiting with Words