#6 Sizzling Tips for Writing Memoir. Award-winning memoir author Karen Tyrrell shares the how with us.

Hello everyone!

Writing a travel memoir is on my list. How about you? Want to write about events in your life? Creative non fiction? 

Memoir writing has its own guidelines, so today I invited Australian award-winning memoir author and friend Karen Tyrrell to share with us. Karen is a Brisbane award winning author of 5 resilience books, winner of 3 awards and 3 grants.  Karen writes memoir, self-help  and empowering books for children. 

#6 Sizzling Tips for Writing Memoir

1.  Start at a pivotal point in your life. Make your writing dramatic, cinematic and intriguing. Connect with your reader on an emotional level so the reader is hooked and wants to find out more.
2. Reveal your personal story, warts and all via your thoughts (in italics), dialogue, prose and action. Be emotional, honest and open. Reveal the dark water underneath.
3. Write in scenes, based at different times and places. Only include gripping intriguing scenes which bring your story forward. Only include VIP ‘characters’ who add to your story. Delete the rest.
4. Consider which viewpoint to write from. A younger more naive self or the older and wiser you, looking back on your life.
5. Be aware of legal considerations. Be careful not to reveal names, times and places which might get you sued.
6. Answer every question and every line of intrigue that is asked in your book to satisfy your reader.  

Good Luck J

Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness, - written from two viewpoints, narrates my downward spiral into insanity and how I clawed my way back.

Me and Him: A Guide to Recovery, - is part self-help and part memoir. ME & HIM begins at my yearly psychiatric assessment. There, my husband divulges secrets he’s kept from me for the last six years, devastating me. 

STOP the Bully , 

Bailey Beats the Blah   and 

Harry Help Grandpa Remember 

All are available from Amazon, selected Dymocks, Angus & Robertson, Mary Ryan stores, plus more. 

Karen presents writing workshops and Masterclasses. Read MORE about Karen: www.karentyrrell.com

• Do you enjoy reading memoir?
• Have you written a memoir?
• Would you write a memoir in the future?

Do visit Karen's blog if you feel inspired to know more about her and what she's accomplishing in the Brisbane community.

!!And I remind you that Yolanda Renee and I are bringing back WEP. Here you can post your flash fiction, non fiction, poetry etc. Please join us on August 19 for our first challenge - to be announced any day now!!

Thanks for coming by today.