Cubans in Obama’s Inauguration Cubans have left and continue to leave an indelible mark in this country with their extraordinary talent. In show biz, the first name that comes to mind is Desi Arnaz, who won the hearts of the American public with his portrayal of Ricky Ricardo in the weekly TV comedy show I […]
To Diary or To Journal? What is the Question? Ever since the publication of Richard Burton’s diary last year, I’ve been thinking about diaries and journals, trying to differentiate between the two in an effort to determine which one is best for writers to keep. After much reflection, I came up with a definition of […]
Info dump is the worst sin a writer can make. But what is info dump? And how do you avoid it? Info dump comes in various guises. As backstory, it is an explanation of what has happened to the characters before the story begins. It shows up, most of the time, in the first few […]
Finding the dog. Since my last blog, I’ve had a moratorium on my postings. I’ve considered and re-considered whether to explain the why. Because the thrust of my blog is in writing a memoir, which is about peeling off the layers of our emotions and revealing the raw truth, I’ve decided to expose the reason […]
Authors write under pseudonyms for different reasons. During the 19th century, it was common for women writers to use masculine pen names for fear the public would not take them seriously otherwise. Chopin’s live-in girlfriend, Amandine Lucile Aurore Dupin, for example, wrote under the name George Sands. Following that rationale was Joanne Rowling’s decision a […]
What are you writing? Before exploring other tips I used, some of which might help you in writing your own memoir, I’d like to take a moment to discuss the difference between biography and autobiography, and between autobiography and memoir. Let’s take the first two. A biography is an account of a person’s life written […]
In his book On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King said “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” Although we learn from every book we read, since my blog is about memoirs, I would like to recommend another […]
For writers, the choice of what type of book to write varies from fiction, which includes, among others, mystery, romance, or historical novels, to non-fiction, with memoirs sitting close to but seldom at the top of the list. To write a successful book in a fiction genre, an author must be able to speak through […]
There are many how-to books about writing memoirs, and often writers who embark on the journey of writing a memoir feel compelled to follow the suggestions these books offer. If they veer from their recommendations, writers panic, believing they will not have a good memoir in the end. My blog will be about why I chose to write […]
LORENZO PABLO MARTINEZ 