Fiction and Non-fiction: Spinning Facts Into Gold When I began writing my first memoir I was under the impression that other people would find my story spellbinding—woman begins dating again after two divorces, discovers that dating at 60 is not like dating at 18. I was wrong. My first critics, though kind, were bored. Elmore Leonard’s writing advice, “Just cut out theContinue reading “Fiction and Non-fiction: Spinning Facts Into Gold”
WAS IT CATHARTIC/SAD TO WRITE THIS BOOK? People from total strangers to close friends often say, “It must have been cathartic to write the book,” or “It must have been sad to write the book. Did you cry a lot?” The answer to both questions is no.
Writing about other peoples' lives Writing with the idea that “nobody will ever read it” would have been crippling. After publication, after a lawsuit has been filed, it’s too late to retract.