Kia ora from mid-summer in Tākaka 👋🏼
I write to you from a busy home, overflowing with teenage boys, a clingy dog, a husband who keeps escaping to his man-shed to paint water colours, and social butterfly of grandmother.
Have you wondered how to write a story that people can’t put down?
Every now and then I write about this subject, and after another year of helping people publish their books, here are four updated suggestions for you:
- Start your chapters with paragraphs that entice readers to want to read more – I mean, would you rather read a chapter that starts with,
‘On the 12 January 1978, my father and I set off to drive his 1963 Ford Zephr Mark III the 845 miles from Invercargill to Taupo.’
Or:
‘It was 4am on a warm, humid night in Wellington. I had woken from a deep sleep on the bench seat in the back of Dad’s Zephyr wondering where I was. Something woke me, and when I figured out what it was, I wished it hadn’t.’
Start with something unexpected, rather than ordinary, and back it up in the rest of your chapter.
- Try to make your key points in as few words as possible. What I mean by this is: when you’re going back over your draft story, ask yourself if you can say the same thing, in fewer words. Also, ask yourself if you’re sticking to the main point you’re trying to make. This can prevent unnecessary tangents, and help you keep your writing clear and easy to understand.
- Avoid repetition. It’s very easy to repeat yourself, especially for those writing longer stories. But it’s important to avoid retelling the same story in different parts of your story. It’s ok if it helps with context, but keep an eye out for this. Readers will pick up on it and be more likely to lose patience. Sometimes it’s good to ask someone else to read over your story, to check for repetition.
- Break your text up with interesting chapters and images. A good chapter heading highlights a really interesting chunk of text, and lures the reader into the story. A good photo features people up close to the camera, and is supported by a caption that explains what’s happening in the photo.
Hopefully these ideas are helpful and you feel inspired to get back to work on that memoir of yours!
Remember to send me 100 words from your story that relate to the theme ‘beginnings’ – if you’d like to share it right here in this blog, with other (mostly) Kiwi memoir writers.
Keep writing, dear one.
Charlotte x
PS if you’d like some help to write your story, my team and I can help with everything from teaching you how to do it yourself via my year long memoir programme, editing what you’ve already written, or even writing your book for you!
100 words on the theme ‘Beginnings’ by Cathy, a reader of my newsletter, who has nearly finished her memoir.
Westgate Drive, Swinton, Manchester comes to an end at a thick hedge, beyond which lies a railway line. The houses are semi-detached, built during the nineteen thirties constructed using typical Manchester red brick, with slate tiled roofs, topped with chimneys.
The chimneys constantly belch black smoke from the coal fires kept burning for the best part of the year to provide much needed heating. Three houses down from the hedge on the left-hand side number 45 is outwardly as unimpressive as the rest of the houses. To my parents, this small house represented their dream of owning their own home.
What did you think? I liked how Cathy linked the theme of ‘beginnings’ to the her parents’ experience of buying their first home. I could relate to that feeling of finally owning a humble but cherished first home (I’m still in one! And I appreciate it every day!).
Charlotte Squire 