Contests for Memoir Writers — And Resources to Help You Prepare

It’s the season to be jolly and give shout outs to other bloggers and teachers. First, let me tell you about a contest from one of my “oldest” online writing buddies, Sonia Marsh. She and I met at the Santa Barbara Writer’s Conference in 2008 — or was it 2009? At any rate, we’ve both been blogging and writing manuscripts ever since. Sonia has created an amazing  contest. I am hoping some of the readers of this blog will take the challenge she tosses out below. If you have never written memoir but enjoy reading it, here’s an opportunity to try your hand. You could be a winner!

Sonia’s blog can be found here, and her Twitter handle is Gutsyliving. I love her tag line — “life’s too short to play it safe” — don’t you?

Also, here’s a free class being offered on how to write a memoir with an emphasis on short ones. Perfect for the contest above.

All the info you need about signing up for the class is here. Tessa Smith McGovern, the teacher, sent me the link because she thought the readers of this blog could benefit. If you do, please come back and tell us about your experience here.

Online community networks are wonderful ways to find good opportunities and also good resources. Lots of them are free or reasonably priced. Enjoy!

If you have a resource you want to offer, please hop on to the comments section. 

Out of curiosity, how many of you are writing memoir, thinking about it, or have already done it. Hop on for this purpose also.

Memoir First Lines–A Contest for Readers of this Blog

Rooted in the land. Tree near Bellingham, WA.

Recently I had an inquiry from a writer who asked if I had a list of excellent first lines from memoirs. That sounded like something I should have. First words contain the vital “hook” that overcomes the reader’s resistance and skepticism. Think about how you challenge a book to speak to you when you gaze at its cover or open its first pages.

A really great memoir does more than hook the reader in the beginning. The first sentence takes you right to the heart of the matter, announcing one of the themes of the book. Often, the first paragraph in a work of art is like a haiku. It says in one breath what the whole book will say more fully as we follow the red thread of meaning.

Most of the lists of best and most famous opening lines come from novels. I shared some, and readers offered others, here. But what about memoir-specific opening lines?

Here are the first lines of some of the memoirs I selected as favorites in my personal top ten list.

Two Mother’s Day Memoir Treats–In Case You Missed Them

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/23397411 w=400&h=225]

“What We Nurture” with Sylvia Boorstein from On Being on Vimeo.

I love Krista Tippett’s American Public Media show called On Being. The broadcast she did on Mother’s Day, seen in video above and in this online link–an interview with Sylvia Boorstein–allows the listener to experience the power derived from claiming motherhood (and grandmotherhood) as central to one’s story in life. Two thumbs up!

And I love six-word memoirs. Did you see the responses published in The New York Times to the Mother’s Day six-word memoir contest? Check them out! They are poignant, cute, hilarious, and profound.

What came to your mind as you watched or listened to Sylvia Boorstein? Or as you interacted with the online meditation and poetry that accompany the interview?

Have a six-word memoir about your own mother to share?

City of Tranquil Light: A Fabulous Pre-Publication Book Giveaway

I’m so excited! Today I got three shiny new hard copies of Bo Caldwell’s brand new novel City of Tranquil Light.  Caldwell wrote the bestseller The Distant Land of My Father, her first novel set in WWII Shanghai, in 2001. This excellent new novel (I’ve read it) takes place in the north China plain and tells the unusual love story of Will and Katherine Kiehn, 1906-1966.

One of these three books can be yours. Just keep reading.

This is a novel, not a memoir, so why am I even talking about it on www.100memoirs? Good question! Like a number of recent bestselling novels (Kathryn Stockett’s The Help and Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom), this one includes memoir material in it. In City of Tranquil Light, one of the two protagonists is a journal writer, and her words are included as journal excerpts because she died years before her husband narrates their story. Author Caldwell also credits her own grandfather’s memoir as well as a host of other biographies and memoirs that provide the “backstory.” If you have been coming to 100memoirs often, you know that Mennonite memoir is a favorite sub-genre here.

So, now that you know why I am giving away a novel rather than a memoir, here’s how you can be entered to win the book giveaway: Leave a comment on this post that answers one or more of the following questions. The post doesn’t have to be long or profound. I am not picking the “best” one, but I am interested in your candid comments. The contest ends on Monday night September 20 at 10 p.m. EDST. I will do a drawing of three names from among all the comments this post receives. Hey, your odds are good. Better, and cheaper, than a lottery ticket! Answer one of the questions below by clicking on the “comments” section at the end of this post.

Which would you rather read, a memoir-like novel or a novel-like memoir? Why?

How hard do you think it will be for Bo Caldwell to keep you turning pages in a novel about 20th-century American Mennonite missionaries in China? Do you expect this subject to be interesting? Why or why not?

Book Giveaway: Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz

Time to give away another book!  This time the book is Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz.

You can visit Kravitz’s blog page here and listen to a three-minute video about the book. After you do this, please come back to this blog and leave a comment by midnight Wed. June 30.

I will collect the names of all commenters, shuffle them, select blindly, and announce the winner on July 1.

The book looks great. In fact, it looks so related to one of my purposes for doing this blog, that I am hoping to contact the author. Stay tuned.

Do you ever think about unfinished business in your life? Is there an old debt you need to pay? An old enemy you want to forgive? What about justice?

Tell Your Travel Story–Win a $3,000 Vacation

Can you tell a great story in 450 characters- just about three Tweets?

If you entered the six-word memoir contest a few weeks ago, you should be in good shape to try this new contest from GoAhead Tours. They will give away 20 trips to lucky (and skillful!) players, so why not give it a try?

Contest ends February 5–that’s this Friday!  Don’t delay.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: A Potential Source for Memoir Writers

My friend Lanie Tankard discovered today that one of the stories she had published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series has now been digitized by Google.  I recommend that you open this link and read “Rite of Passage,” her description of parting with her daughter on the one hand and mother on the other.

And, for all of you who want to publish short memoir pieces, you might check out this link where the new topics for Chicken Soup anthologies are outlined.

Announcing the Winner(s) of the Six-Word Memoir Contest

The six-word memoir contest ended at 5 p.m. today. There were 28 entries, three of which were posted on Facebook  and added into the comments section of the original post by me. Click here if you want to see all 28.

I have selected the entry of Chin Pheng Oh “Watching her grow, I see myself” as the grand-prize winner of the contest. She tugged at my mother’s heart. Parents learn so much about themselves from their children. Chin explains one reason for this–as adults we are able to stand outside and observe closely our child instead of staying inside as a child sees himself or herself.

I found five entries worthy of prizes also! In the same vein as the prize winner above, Lanie Tankard wrote, “I am still that little girl.” Lanie names a universal truth for all memoir writers. Our childhoods never disappear completely. All that we are and will become was there from the beginning. The statement suggests we sometimes need to be reminded to be kind to ourselves.

Donna, you hit me with the statement, “I’d like to do it again.” Your statement has a kind of delicious ambiguity. It could be a regret for not having done what you wanted to do in the first place. It could also be the result of so much joy of living that, like the kid who has just dived off the board and resurfaced, you want to go a second time.

Sally Rogers appealed to my 60-plus years sensibility with “Nearly all is said and done.”  Again, the interpretation is bitter/sweet. Life is passing fast. This could be spoken with gratitude and anticipation, with resignation, and with bitter regret.  It could also be about novelty rather than the passage of time–another way of saying with Solomon that there is nothing new under the sun.

Adam Tice, on the other hand, offered “There’s always something more to say.” Another lovely statement redolent of multiple meaning. Could be the memoir of a talkative person. Could be a philosophical statement about the impossiblity of endings. Could be just getting in the last word.

Finally, Grandpa1 amused me with “Still looking for my pivotal event.” I’ll admit that the statement would not have attracted me as much if it had come from teenager1. From a grandpa, however, it made me chuckle. I can interpret it as a spoof on developmental theory. I can interpret it as genuine yearning for transformation even at the last stages of life. And, above all, I see it as active yearning rather than passive acceptance. Go grandpa!

I loved all the entries, of course. And I thank everyone who commented. If you disagree with my judgments, let me know–or start your own contest.

Prizes

Chin wins her choice of books from the six on my shelf that I am giving away. I have added to the Judith Jones book five others.  I know four of the winners, but Donna and Grandpa1, you are new to me.  To all six of you–if you write to shirley.showalter@gmail.com, we can discuss the books and how to get them to you.

I’ll leave you with Paul Simon’s phrase that happens also to be a six-word memoir: “Still crazy after all these years.” You can substitute any other adjective for crazy and make your own statement.

Let me know if you enjoyed the contest whether you entered or not. Shall I do this again sometime?