Self-Publishing and Hybrid Publishing: Control, Costs, and Commitment In my previous post, I explored the traditional publishing path — securing an agent, submitting to editors, and navigating the realities of the marketplace. For me, even with representation and positive editorial feedback, one question lingered: If publishers were asking how to sell my memoir because I […]
Finishing a manuscript is a milestone few people truly understand. After months—sometimes years—of drafting, revising, doubting, and beginning again, you finally hold something whole in your hands. But almost immediately, another question rises: Now what? For today’s writers, the path forward is no longer singular. Traditional publishing, small presses, self-publishing, hybrid models—each offers opportunity and […]
First Person vs. Third Person: Choosing the Right Point of View for Your Genre Point of view (POV) is one of the most powerful—and most misunderstood—choices a writer makes. It determines not only who tells the story, but how close the reader feels to the narrator’s inner life, how much information can be revealed, and […]
Discover the first three essential elements Carolyn V. Hamilton identifies for writing a powerful memoir: story, sensory description, and scene-building. Learn how incident incidents, vivid details, and well-structured scenes can transform personal memoires into compelling narrative. Part of Lorenzo Pablo Martinez’s Writing Craft series.
Memoir is one of the most intimate forms of storytelling. It invites readers not only to witness what happened, but to feel what it meant. In The 5 Important Parts of a Successful Memoir, writing coach Carolyn V. Hamilton offers a blueprint that resonates deeply with the work many of us strive to do: turning […]
Writing Character in Memoir vs. Mystery Fiction When we sit down to write, the word character means very different things depending on whether we’re telling our own story or inventing someone else’s. Understanding that difference can sharpen our prose and deepen our reader’s connection. Characters in Memoir: Living People on the Page In memoir, your […]
Premise vs. Theme: What’s the Difference—and Why It Matters Writers often use the words premise and theme interchangeably, but they serve very different purposes in storytelling. Understanding how they differ—and how they work together—can deepen your writing and give your story the focus it needs, whether you’re writing fiction or memoir. The Premise: What Happens […]
The issue of Endnotes recently came up in conversation with a memoirist, so I thought I’d address it here. To have them or not to have them? When most readers think of endnotes, they imagine heavy biographies, scholarly works, or history tomes where every statement must be documented and sourced. Endnotes reassure readers that the […]
As I mentioned when I described what constitutes a “scene,” whether it’s in a memoir or fiction work, there are other building blocks that go into telling a story. Today I’m going to talk about Setting More Than Just Background When I think about writing, whether memoir or mystery, setting is one of those elements […]
LORENZO PABLO MARTINEZ 