What This Memoir Author Wants You to Know: Part 2

My client, Chris Chandler, is about to become a published author!

Her memoir Stay Sweet: Tales of Quirky Southern Love, will be published on May 12th, 2023 by Red Thread Publishing.

I asked Chris to share her words of wisdom for memoir writers at the beginning of their journey now that she's on the other side.

Here's the first part of her advice that I shared last week.

Want the cliff notes version?

Just do it.

You don't have to know everything to get started.

Here are two more pieces of advice from Chris:

#1: My writing community has been invaluable to me, so I would definitely encourage people to develop a writing community in whatever way they can. Through the years I've taken a lot of writing classes and and I do that both for learning, but it's also community building for me.

Community. If you've been following me for a while, you know this is a biggie for me. It's one of the pillars of WRITE YOURSELF OUT, my mentorship and community exclusively for LGBTQ+ writers.

Because no one writes a book in isolation.

Because writers are better together.

And because queer writers need a queer-centered community where they can feel safe and supported.

#2: Finally, trust your process. You can learn a lot from other people but ultimately you have to trust your own process.

Trust your process, aka trust yourself. I love this advice because at the end of the day, a writer needs to do what's right for them.

As a book coach, I can share processes and systems that have worked for me and my clients, but they need to work for you. Just like with feedback you receive on your writing, take what's useful and let go of the rest.

For example, if you're someone who hates to outline, I won't force you to outline. I'll tell you why I think it's a good idea, and I'll work with you to find ways to adapt my processes to the way you work so you can be successful.

My goal as a book coach is to equip you to become a stronger writer and learn how to trust yourself as you write forward—not to stay dependent on me forever!

• Just do it.
• You don't have to know everything to get started.
• Find writing community.
• Learn from others but trust your process.

What do you think of Chris's advice?

What, if anything, would you add to this list?