Kia ora!

If you’re new to this blog, welcome aboard! If you’ve been around for a while, thanks for being part of my mid-week connection with a lovely, growing community community of Kiwi and Aussie memoir writers

This week I want to talk about enjoying the process of writing your memoir, life story or family history. It can be fun, and if you’ve started, I hope you’re enjoying yourself.

But let’s be honest, it’s not always going to be a stroll through a field of daisies.

There’s one trick I use to keep myself going when times are tough in my writing world. It’s simple, and it works.

Right now I’m writing one book about New Zealand’s first gay men’s retreat, Autumn Farm, and I’m about to start writing a book about the history of a small hydro-power project called the Pupu Hydro Power Station.

Every time I write a book, I hit a hard place. It’s a mindset thing. Sometimes it comes from information overload, sometimes it comes from overthinking the book. Whatever the reason, I know this trick will usually get me through.

So come on Charlotte, get to the point, what is it?

I free-write.

As in, I write like no one will ever read it. I write messily, and imperfectly and I side step around my tendency to overthink it, and I write what I can. I write and I write. And I know I’m going to go back over it and polish it and improve it. And I know that this is the best way forward. Because I am putting words down and I am drafting out a first version of my story.

I free-write from that place in me that is perhaps very young and doesn’t know what’s wrong or right, she just gets on with the job and writes her story her way, and has quite a good time doing it because there’s no inner critic reigning her in.

Yes, my inner critic has a place, but it’s best to unleash it once the first draft is written.

Try it, it’s a fun way to write.

Charlotte x

PS and if you’d like to hear a few more tricks I use to keep the writing process fun (and keep writing), join my online course Write Your Memoir before this Saturday afternoon, just in time to join our monthly connection-session. We meet online, track our writing goals, discuss the theme (this month, it’s also ‘Keep’n it fun’!), and this month I’m also going to invite students to share a small chunk of their story. It’s safe, inclusive and encouraging. I’d love to see you there.

Do my new free video workshop:

Beginner’s Guide to Writing Your Memoir

Feedback about my free workshop, given at libraries around New Zealand.

“Thank you for having this workshop. It was very informative and got the creative juices flowing in the right direction. Would be interested in doing the weekly sessions if possible. Would love to do it again. Thanks Charlotte and Motueka Library.”

 “Charlotte Squire – Memoir writing – Excellent workshop. Very helpful. Good timekeeping. Thank you.”

 “Very informative, great course.”

“Charlotte Squire – a wonderful enthusiastic speaker, picked up lots of ideas which I hope means I will stick at actually writing something my grandchildren will find interesting.”