Guidelines for would-be memoirists

I was a little busy yesterday, what with a snow day, a comp day, and a whole weekend off in between (librarian's hours!), otherwise I would have posted this sooner.

I have lately been complaining to my book loving friends about how tired I am of memoir. Everyone has a story. I understand that. That everyone needs to share their story with the world is more confusing to me. Why not just keep a journal for yourself? I have been keeping a diary since I was about 10 {"I had FUN today!!" was a common passage} but I can't imagine sharing it with anyone or for that matter, that anyone would care to read it.

So it was with a bit of relief that I read Neil Genzlinger's piece in this past Sunday's New York Times Book Review.

All would-be memoirists, please take note. Genzlinger's maxims:
1-"That you had parents and a childhood does not of itself qualify you to write a memoir."
2-"No one wants to relive your misery."
3-"If you're jumping on a bandwagon, make sure you have better credentials than the people already on it."
4-"If you must write one, consider making yourself the least important character in it."

Or, perhaps...consider turning it into fiction? The agents we had for our January Finding a Literary Agent talk also weighed in on memoir, admitting that you better have a good story because the market is truly saturated.

What do all you member writers think?

100 Notable Books

The New York Times has posted a list of the 100 Notable Books of 2010. Congratulations to all the authors, but especially to those on the list who are associated with our Library in some way:


David Goodwillie told me he wrote part of his novel American Subversive here at the Library...Member Jonathan Franzen's on the list for Freedom and Stacy Schiff for Cleopatra.


Member Barnet Schecter's George Washington's America: A Biography Through his Maps was hailed as one of the best coffee table books of the year. Barnet will discuss his book at an event at the Library next week.