Author Update: The Making of a Memoir On Hold Indefinitely
Posted: June 12, 2019 Filed under: Book Covers, Books, Editing, Fiction, His Name Was Michael, Memoir, Nonfiction, Paranormal, Publishing, Self-Publishing, Speculative Fiction, Stories, Western, WordCrafter, WordCrafter Press, Writing | Tags: Anthologies, Ask the Authors Anthology, Delilah, Delilah: The Homecoming, His Name Was Michael, Losing Michael: Teen Suicide and a Mother's Grief, Whispers of the Past, WordCrafter, WordCrafter Press, Writing to be Read 4 Comments
I’m sorry to say that the obstacles and road blocks I mentioned in my April post have brought my memoir writing process to a screeching halt before it had truly begun, and thus, this bi-monthly blog series must come to a halt, as well, until I can find answers to the problems related to writing about real people and organizations which is necessary to telling my son Michael’s story, as well as my own. Losing Michael: Teen Suicide and a Mother’s Grief has been shelved, at least for a while due to legalities. This book project is based from my personal experience and is dear to my heart, and it great saddness that I make this decision, but I’m not ready to face the trials that forging ahead with it would require.
On the other hand, there are exciting things on the horizon. My efforts for the near future will turn to working on the issue of re-issuing Delilah, which Dusty Saddle Publishing has so graciously offered to do. Once this is completed, I plan to pick up where I left off on the drafting of the second book, Delilah: The Homecoming. I just got Delilah back on track in this story with considerable revisions and I’m a little sad to have to delay the completion of this book, but also confident that the story will be better for it.
I will be getting the WordCrafter website up and running and ready for launch. Get ready folks, because WordCrafter Writer & Author Services is coming soon. Services will include Editing and Copywriting services, online courses, and WordCrafter Press.
I’ll also be compiling and publishing the two great anthologies to be released by WordCrafter Press. The Ask the Authors anthology will feature the collaborative interviews from the 2018 “Ask the Authors” blog series right here on Writing to be Read. This book will be filled with writing tips and advice from authors who are out there doing it, a valuable writing reference for authors in all stages of the publishing journey.
The other anthology, Whispers in the Dark, will be a short story collection harvested from the WordCrafter Paranormal Short Story Contest held at the beginning of 2019. It will feature several of the submissions from the contest, including the winning entry, “A Peaceful Life I’ve Never Had”, by Jeff Bowles. These anthologies are still in the preliminary stages, but I plan to have them both out by the end of the year. I have cover ideas for each one, but only Whispers has a final version at this time. I plan to release it in October.
To keep up on the latest with my writing endeavors and with Wordcrafter, sign up for my monthly newsletter in the pop-up. When you do, you’ll recieve a free e-copy of my paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets.
Writing to be Read 
Even if you can’t immediately publish a work, you can still write it.
I’m not sure what legal issues you are running into with the piece, but I know when I’ve spoken at writing conferences, the usual issue is “How do I get permission from everyone to use their name?” and similar questions. “What do you do about using real names?”
The answer I give is, you can’t get permission from everyone, and if you try it means any single person you’d mention, no matter how small a role they play in he story, will have the ability to stop the story if they say no – and someone will always say no. Or the author wants to get releases and people say no to that.
So the solution is,
1. the author can use the idea that the truth is always a defense, and write whatever; or
2. they can use fictitious people and composite characters.
Ultimately, readers don’t care whose name is involved (unless the person is famous); they want a compelling story. Straight reality is rarely that, unless it’s told well – and if it’s told well, composite characters usually help.
Usually the writer wants to express the emotional journey, and it often isn’t important what all the names are.
But that’s me. Other authors have to feel comfortable with their own actions.
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Thank you, Dan. for your welcomed advice. In most cases what you say is true, however Michael’s story is a bit more complicated. There are other very real forces involved. And I’m not shelfing it forever, but I must find ways to deal with these issues before I proceed. Michael’s story deserves to be told, and it will be, just not at the present time.
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May God Bless you, Kaye! I know from first-hand experience the mix of emotions you feel following the suicide of a loved one, & how hard it must be to write Michael’s story and do it the justice he, so rightly, deserves. You never one hundred percent heal from this type of loss, so it saddens me to learn that on top of all this you are also having to work through so much red tape and cover-ups. I truly hope one, or more, of the law enforcement officers will choose to do the right thing, even if it’s upon their retirement.
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We can always hope, but it’s not likely in my county. Thank you for reading and commenting Chris. Unfortunately, this project has to be shelved until I can figure it all out.
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