Kia ora lovely human,
Howâs your story coming along? Did you do any work on it today? Do me a favour and arrange to do one small thing on it before the end of the day, OR tomorrow. And then keep doing more âone small thingsâ daily, and watch what happens.
So let’s talk about your authentic voice. What do I mean by that? Iâll start with AI. In this world of AI (which I appreciate for its technical help, and do use to help me transcribe and edit stories) one thing that is starting to happen is generic story telling. I can spot AI text immediately. You might be able to too. While itâs accurate, I find it kind of ⌠plastic.
I donât want your story to be plastic and perfect, I want it to be alive with your voice, with the spirit of you, and to perhaps even break a grammar rule occasionally (if thatâs whatâs needed to get your point across).
What I think AI is doing, is driving up the value of authenticity and unique life stories. AI canât replace your voice, and it most definitely doesnât know your life story.
Maybe if you trained it, over time, it could get close. But itâs not going to replace the way you speak, or know those many important little details about your history. The unique words and phrases you use (which youâve inherited from your lineage, and the culture you live in) all add up to become your unique voice.
In my opinion a good memoir is written so that one day, when youâre not around any longer, readers will feel as if youâre in the room with them, telling them a story.
So write your gloriously messy first draft and enjoy it. Pour yourself into your story, be honest, be descriptive, bring us into your story with you, move us. Itâll be tidied up in your second, third, fourth drafts (while maintaining your voice), but that first draft is where creativity thrives.
And remember – your story does matter, because thereâs nothing else quite like it.
Charlotte x
Guest speaker – Friday November 14, 2pm – for students on my Write Your Memoir in One Year programme: Naomi Alnold
Naomi is the author of âNorthbound – Four seasons of solitude on Te Araroaâ (HarperCollins, 2025).
Walking from Bluff, at the bottom of the South Island, to Cape Reinga, at the top of the North Island, award-winning journalist Naomi Arnold spends nearly nine months following Te Araroa, fulfilling a 20-year dream. Alone, she traverses mountains, rivers, cities and plains from summer to spring, walking on through days of thick mud, blazing sun, lightning storms, and cold, starlit nights. Along the way she encounters colourful locals and travellers who delight and inspire her. An upbeat, fascinating, and inspiring memoir of the joys and pains found in the wilderness, solitude, friendship, and love.
An instant bestseller, Northbound spent several months in Nielsen’s Top 10 New Zealand non-fiction list, was Highly Commended at the 2025 New Zealand Mountain Film & Book Festival, was voted a reader favourite in Whitcoulls’ 2025 Top 100 Books, was chosen by Spotify as one of its Best Audiobooks of 2025, and continues to gather critical acclaim.
Charlotte Squire 