Morning all!

I’m just wondering if anybody would be able to advise me on this one, please?

I’ve written the first draft of a memoir and I’m trying to get my head around the changes that I need to make before I begin editing.

The memoir is about what it was like being a student with a drink problem and how I rebuilt my life after getting sober at the age of 21. And amongst numerous other decisions I need to make about structure etc, the major question I always have with this is: should I fictionalise this?

I’m aware that there are many more coming of age life stories that are way more exciting than mine, but I’ve always felt that I wanted to write a story about that time of my life. But I’m wondering if it is marketable – particularly in the current climate.

My main issue about fictionalising my story is that I wouldn’t be able to say it was truly all mine anymore. Although, I can also see that I might be able to pull the story together a bit better if I am able to manipulate it.

And if I do decide to fictionalise this, I am clueless as to how to go about it. Because I’d quite like to keep the major parts of the story in tact. But if all I change are people’s names and a few basic details about them and just add a few fictionalised subplots, then I haven’t really fictionalised it properly, have I? And I worry about all sorts of legal aspects if I don’t do it properly.

Of course, it could just be that I am putting off making any changes at all, and this is just a case of getting cold feet about the editing process and I should just get on and do it without changing anything at this stage and worry about that all later.

Does anybody have any suggestions as I feel I am at a bit of a standstill at the moment.

Cheers,

Jenny

P.S. Apologies – I’ve always been a bit of a lurker in these forums (or is it ‘fora’?) and it’s probably time I was a bit more active.

<Added>

Doh! meant to type 24, not 21.

Oh that's such a tricky and interesting question, and I've got so much to do today.

Will have a think and come back when I've got more time

No worries. I'll probably be mulling it over for ages before making a decision anyway.

Don't take me as someone who knows what they're talking about, Jennifer, but my two pennorth is that you need to consider your market.

Who are you expecting to read this? If you want the average novel-lover to read it for pleasure (mostly... and a bit of insight), then fictionalising it might work better because you can make it into a satisfying story with a good story shape, which will be satisfying to read. Real life is often not that satisfying in shape, so can be a less gripping read.

Another possibility, I would have thought, is for you to present this as a tale of fighting back from addiction, in which case you should keep it authentic but focus mostly on that aspect, so it's an uplifting real-life story of how you kicked addiction rather than a meandering tale of what happened to you in general (sorry if that sounds rude - I haven't read any of it so I'm not saying yours is like that... but memoirs often can be).

So, whatever you're doing, you need to give it shape and focus - either story shape if fictionalised, or the shape of a tale of addiction and redemption if memoir.

Have you read similar memoirs of people's fall and redemption, such as that guy who founded The Big Issue, or that story about the homeless (drug addicted?) guy who was saved by his ginger cat? Both true stories. Perhaps if you read some memoirs in that vein, if you haven't read them already, or read more in that vein, it would give you more idea of how to present it as a memoir that would sell. The ginger cat one seems to have been a big success and he was completely unknown afaik.

As I say, I don't know much but this is how it strikes me. Research the market you're aiming at, and give it what it needs to succeed.

Oh, and look for a USP. Perhaps yours is that you came from a good background, were at uni, and yet succumbed to the demon of alcohol addiction despite all the chances you had at your fingertips? How alcohol addiction is not just for the men in the park with their bottles of cider, but something that can hit anyone, at any age (more or less), from any background, for a variety of reasons?

Perhaps, if you make it a memoir, you can include some wisdom in there too, so it's got a factual element as well as a true story?

Good luck!

Deb

Thanks for your reply. I am kind of torn between aiming at the average novel reader or really focussing on the addiction side and sticking completely to what happened. I can’t deny that by fictionalising the story, I could make it a lot neater – and there is something quite appealing about that option. But, it’s the legal side of things I’m unsure about – how to fictionalise real people. I can’t help but feel I should have written something completely fictional instead, then I wouldn’t have to worry about it.

I’ve always tended to read both fiction and memoirs and am trying to read a lot more memoirs lately so that I can get to know the market better. I haven’t read either of the ones you’ve mentioned though, so will hunt them out.

My other half thinks that me pontificating about this is just a way of avoiding starting work on the second draft. He could be right. If nothing else, it would be a chance for me to practice all the new tips that I’ve been reading about. Maybe as I edit, the solution will become clear. Hmmm, lots to think about.

Thanks,

Jenny

I don't think you should worry overly about fictionalising real people, from a legal perspective. It's probably more problematic writing a memoir when they are definitely real people. If you fictionalise it you can change names and identifying details - so Jon with red hair can become Pete with brown hair, perhaps? So even if people who know your life think they know who Pete refers to, they can't prove it or object.

However, whether you fictionalise or not, do the people you want to include do anything they would be offended for you to record? If not, there may be less of a problem.

Writing a memoir with real people and not changing names or details, though, could be a problem legally, I imagine.

I would not worry about that at this stage. Work out how you think the story would work best (fiction or memoir), consider the audience you're aiming at, focus the book on that and ensure it works for that audience, and get it written. If you don't have an agent already, then when you finish the book and find one you can ask about things like the legal aspects of using real names, or thinly veiled real people in fiction. I'm sure an agent would know and be able to tell you what you need to change, or whether you should check with the people in question.

IIWY I would make this big decision about fiction or memoir, then crack on with it. I would not recommend continuing work on it before you make this decision.

Deb

I'd agree absolutely with Debac that the first thing you need to decide is whether this is memoir, or fiction. That decision affects everything else you might do with it.

Memoir:

You're upfront that this is about you. If you want to say something explicit about your actual life, with the facts and details exactly what they were in the original events, then that's the only way to do it.

It sounds - maybe I'm wrong - as if it's in some way important to you that this story gets told - and only you can decide if "this story" has to be in autobiographical form to feel that you're telling it.

As against that:

There is always an issue with other people -

personally: might it cause trouble you're not expecting? People can be very odd about finding themselves in print.

legally: In principle, if what you say of someone is proveably true, that's an absolute defence if they accuse you of libel. In practice, of course, it's nowhere near as simple as that, and since lawyers are extremely expensive creatures, most publishers will steer clear of anything which might possibly lead to trouble. It's possible to have books "read for libel" by a specialist lawyer, but that's expensive too, so they'll only do it for books where the sales are going to be worth it.

I hear, anecdotally but from people who have reason to know, that it's extremely difficult to sell memoir by ordinary bods these days. When it comes to persuading readers to read life-writing, the big question the potential reader is asking mentally, and which the blurb/cover/publicity has to answer, is always, "Why would I be interested in this story?"

If the answer isn't "Because you've heard of this person already", then essentially it needs to be "Because what happened is SO spectacular that you'll be interested in it even though it was only Joe Bloggs it happened to". That's a high bar for most of us and most of our lives. Unfairly, perhaps, what ought to be a compelling reason: "Because everyone can relate to this compelling story of ordinary people's ordinary gone-wrong lives", doesn't seem to work when it's memoir.

As fiction:

Real life is often inconveniently shapeless, and rarely conforms to what we need for a satisfying story. You might find that to make a memoir into a compelling story you have to mess with the strict truth anyway.

So it might be in a funny way more honest, as well as genuinely easier, to shape the story as something really compelling if you have the latitude of fiction.

Fiction is easier to sell. Not easy - but easier. And it does no harm at all if the selling includes saying, "based on a true story". A publicist would *looks over shoulder at Flora Post* have a much easier time (again - not easy, but easier) catching media interest for a book if the writer is happy to talk about at least some of the "real story" behind the book.

Again, you'd need to think quite carefully about what you were and weren't prepared to say, and stick to it.

Against fiction:

there is still a potential libel issue (and slander, if you say it on air rather than in print). If someone in the story is clearly identifiable as your evil brown-eyed accountant cousin Peter, it's not enough to say, "But in the book Jenna1964's cousin is called John, he's a solicitor and his eyes are blue".

And, yes, back to the idea that this ceases to be "your" story in quite the same authentic way...

I think the Society of Authors has leaflets about libel, which might help. There are also lots of books out there about Life Writing, which might do the same - I'm just reading the Arvon Book of Life Writing, which is interesting though as much a meditation on what it's about/for, as a How-To guide.

Emma

Thank you Emma and Deb for taking the time to respond to my query - I appreciate it very much.

I think I have a lot to think about and as I wasn't quite ready to start on the second draft quite yet anyway, I will make sure to take plenty of time to come to the right decision about which way to go. In the meantime, you've both given me some valuable advice to be thinking about whilst I carry on reading my self-edititing books.

Once again, thanks a lot!

Best of luck, Jennifer!

One of the memoirs I mentioned is A Street Cat Named Bob:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Cat-Named-Bob-Streets/dp/1444737112/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1367058932&sr=8-1

From one of the reviews:

"James, a street musician, rescued Bob, a sick, street-battered cat, when he found him sheltering in his block of flats five years ago. This is the tale of two people, a man and a cat, who found each other and gave each other hope and a future. James writes honestly about the life he led when he was a recovering heroin addict, about the battles he's had to fight, about the loneliness of life on the streets and about how meeting Bob helped him turn his life around."

So this is a memoir about an ordinary person nobody had heard of, but his story was extraordinary and (presumably) well-written enough that it captured people's interest.

If you go the memoir route, make yours similarly compelling. It may help to read this.

The other one is Some Luck by John Bird, and tells the story of his life on the streets and how he came to found The Big Issue. This is different in that he may not be a household name but The Big Issue is a household name, so there was a fame connection there (can't think of the right words). However, reading it may still give you some tips on making a memoir of difficult times gripping.

Good luck!

Deb

You're welcome, Jennifer.

Just to add - I've finished the Arvon Life Writing book now, and realise that I've done it an injustice: the third section is a really useful anatomy of everything you need to think about, in deciding between memoir/autobiography/fiction etc.

Just caught Emma's look from across the room!

Yes, absolutely, the "story behind the story" is always a good PR hook. It's much easier saying "this is a really, really good book and the author has an interesting personal tale to tell in interview too," rather than just saying "this is a really, really good book".

Agree with everything everyone else has said, particularly Debac's point about a novel not being just a memoir with the names changed throughout but a fundamentally different beast, and also Emma's point about fiction not being a defence against libel - and the UK's rather claimant-friendly libel laws make publishers here rather more cautious than in many other jurisdictions.

Cheers Flora. Looks like I shall have plenty of thinking and reading to do, so I shall be nice and busy.

Hoping for a productive week, after a rough couple of days with a poorly toddler, who finally appears to be getting some much needed sleep.

I am struggling with a similar problem and have found this thread extremely useful. I just ordered the Arvon Life Writing book from Amazon, which I am sure will help me a lot as I haven't managed to finish a first draft yet. So thanks to you all for the useful opinions and tips.

Eleanor

Good luck to all Life Writers - may the toddlers be sleepful and the first drafts easy to finish!

Emma