When I began writing stories about my early childhood, I had no idea they would end up in book form. Originally, I intended to print out a dozen or so stories, staple them in a folder, and give them to family and close friends; a sampling of my life during the 1930’s and 1940’s. I began writing in 2015, my stories accumulated beyond my wildest imagination, and became a book: BURLING STREET GIRL.
Since we published BSG, I’ve heard “I’ve been thinking of writing a book” many times. I’m not an expert, not a teacher, and have no background in writing. Once the idea of a book began, I did a little background reading. While I was writing every day, I checked out articles on the internet and purchased an e-book on how to write a memoir, and I believed that helped me a great deal.
I altered my writing just a bit, and began describing a scene for each story and the people involved, in more detail. I used the old standby— who, what, when, where, and why— as a guide. A thesaurus was always within hand’s reach. I needed all the help I could get.
I hoped the reader would become the “fly on the wall,” a witness to what was taking place in my life and those around me. If I succeeded in that, I’m a happy camper.
There will be more blog entries to come on how I wrote the book.