From Helen -

“In March of 2019 I met my editor. The amazing Kelley Sewell asked me some questions. Does your introduction tell a tragedy to triumph story? Does your first chapter explain the purpose of the book with clarity and excitement? I was silent. Who knew book chapters had jobs? I was humbled and encouraged. Thank goodness I had a true expert on board from that day forward. The book was published in January 2020 and updated in March 2021.

Elevate Your Career: Live a Life You’re Truly Proud Of has won two awards. Honorable Mention from the Kops-Fetherling International book awards program and Bronze from the Independent Publishers book awards, both in the Business and Career category.

I share this with you in case you’ve ever wondered what it takes to write a book. It takes a crew of talented, dedicated people. Thank you to my editor Kelly Sewell, my publisher dynamic duo, Krista Clive Smith and Ashley Bunting, who made sure I had top-notch design, marketing and a book cover from an industry expert. And, to my 40 + book ambassadors who committed to reading the book and posting reviews on Amazon.”

Many nonfiction writers are unfamiliar with narrative arc (also known as story arc)—a life-sustaining element of effective fiction. Without it, a story lacks shape. If you are writing a memoir or any work of nonfiction, don’t make the mistake of thinking the narrative arc doesn’t apply to you.

Exactly what is narrative arc? Simply put, it is the structure of a story. In Aristotle’s work, Poetics, he describes a “whole” story as having a three-act structure with a “beginning and middle and end.” Without a story arc, a memoir is reduced to a string of chronologically organized vignettes that risk losing the reader’s interest. Avoid this at all cost.

The German novelist, Gustav Freytag, expounded upon story structure in his famous pyramid originally designed for tragedies that has since been applied to just about every literary genre. It starts with exposition (setting the scene), followed by an inciting incident causing rising action, which then builds to a climax that subsides into falling action and ultimately a resolution (ending).

In order to write a captivating memoir, the scenes must be organized in a coherent fashion with a narrative structure that rises to a climax. How do you go about doing that? First, define your story from the multitude of life stories and scenes you have to draw upon. Not sure if your nonfiction story falls into the memoir or autobiography category? Click here for more information.

Your story should begin by setting the scene (era, location, political or other climate), introducing yourself (memoir subject), and establishing your goals with ensuing action scenes. Then, present the inciting incident (what I call the initial hook) that creates a conflict and instigates further action. Each scene/action should lead to another. From the beginning of the book to the ending, the reader should experience the character’s triumphs and failures (think rising action ascending to the climax) as they come to understand the challenges the character faces.

Find the climax scene to your story and from there build a transition to the falling action scenes, ultimately leading to the resolution and story ending. Readers will lose interest in a book that doesn’t promise and then deliver on a payoff for reading to the very end. So be sure to give them a “take-away”—the nugget they gain or learn from reading your book.

By applying the pointers in this post, your memoir is sure to hook your readers and keep them turning the pages.

Many people are inspired to write a book about one or more events in their lifetime but are unsure whether their story would fit better into the autobiography or memoir genre. In this post, we will explore the similarities and differences between the two.

It can be easy to confuse an autobiography with a memoir because they have some key elements in common:

• Written by the subject individual

• Written in first person (although some autobiographies are written in third person)

• Non-fictional

However, there are some distinct features separating the two. Autobiographies recount an individual’s entire life in chronological order whereas a memoir focuses on one or more specific time periods or themes. Memoirs are not bound by a time-order sequence, so it is not uncommon for the author to fast-forward or rewind to pivotal events shaping their life.

Keeping the similarities and differences in mind, following are two key questions to consider when deciding whether an autobiography or memoir is best for your story:

1. Do you want to write about your entire life or just about a certain time period or experience?

If your objective is to chronicle your whole life’s journey to date, an autobiography would probably be best suited to your story. Many people desire to memorialize their lives so that future generations will have the opportunity to know them and their contribution to the world.

If you are interested in telling the story of how you triumphed over adversity, achieved great success in a specific field or survived a life-threatening event, a memoir encompassing your experience and reflections would likely be the right fit.

2. Are the facts and events the most important elements of your story or your personal reflections and insights on them?

While autobiographies certainly include the author’s thoughts and feelings about their life experiences, since they are covering the span of the subject’s lifetime, they usually do not delve into the author’s feelings about every experience. Can you imagine how lengthy that would make the book? Memoirs often go into deeper exploration of the author’s thoughts and feelings, which is feasible when the subject is limited to specific aspects of the subject’s life.

Hopefully, this information will help you decide which literary genre best fits your life’s story.

Need further help writing or structuring your book? I would love to help you. Contact me here.

To celebrate the release of The Blind Switch, we will be throwing a launch party on May 5th at Tierra Oaks Golf Club in Redding, CA from 1-4pm. This event is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for you to pick up your own personal copy of The Blind Switch and have it autographed!

I am super excited about the launch party for a variety of reasons. In addition to the release of The Blind Switch, we will also be celebrating two organizations in our community that do tremendously important work: Harmony Haven, Therapeutic Riding & Horse Rescue and Foothill High School’s Instrumental Music Department.

Harmony Haven, Therapeutic Riding & Horse Rescue

Harmony Haven Therapeutic Riding & Horse Rescue’s mission is to  “Rescue & rehabilitate horses so they can rescue & rehabilitate the people who need them most.” Harmony Haven “teaches people through horses how to challenge their bodies and minds to help them make their dreams of a happy and healthy life possible for themselves.” This is a cause I believe in. There are many benefits to equine therapy, including the improvement of motor skills, coordination and balance, core strengthening, development and improvement of social skills, as well as positive sensory stimulation. Therapeutic horses are trained to be gentle and patient with people. We can learn so much from them!

Be sure to introduce yourself to our special guest, Miracle, at the The Blind Switch launch party. This former harness racer was rescued by Harmony Haven and has already captured my heart!

For more information on Harmony Haven: https://harmonyhaven.wordpress.com

Foothill High School Instrumental Music Department

With so many schools cutting arts and music programs across the nation, we are fortunate to have so many award-winning band programs in northern California, Foothill High being no exception! The Foothill High School Instrumental Music Department has built a strong reputation in the North State, with two award-winning concert bands, two jazz ensembles, a jazz combo, an amazing marching band, an unforgettable drum line, and an accomplished string orchestra.

The FHS Jazz Program has distinguished itself as one of the region’s finest. Both of the jazz ensembles have received Superior Ratings at well-known jazz festivals. The Jazz A Band also performs as the house band in the very popular Club Cougar to sold-out shows year after year.

Oh, and there’s one tiny detail I failed to mention…the band director, Mr. Mitch Bahr, is a California Teacher of the Year. That’s right. Mr. Bahr was chosen by the California Department of Education and State Superintendent, Tom Torlakson, as a 2016 California Teacher of the Year. This is an honor awarded to only five public school teachers every year regardless of grade level or subject area taught! We are truly blessed to have an instructor of this caliber in our school district!

We are pleased to announce that the FHS Jazz Band Combo A will be performing at The Blind Switch launch party! If you have heard this band before, you know they really get the crowd going!

To book the FHS Jazz Combo band at your next event, contact: Mitch Bahr, Band Director at mbahr@suhsd.net

For more information on FHS’ music program: https://www.fhscougarband.com

Wearing my “mom” hat, I am now in a place where my children are off pursuing their own dreams, affording me the time and space to focus on filling my own cup, so to speak. My oldest son is in the thick of college life and all that entails, while my youngest maintains an active high school schedule rounded out by extra curricular musical performances at local and distant venues. Our family life has not slowed down by any means; it has just taken a different focus.

The other driving force behind the timing is that I recently passed the half-century mark, and well, mortality has started looking down its nose at me; or so it seems. Within the last year, I have asked myself on several occasions, “If I were to leave this world tomorrow, what would I regret?” Every time the question has tumbled around my brain like the geometric die in the Magic 8 Ball, the answer rising to the surface has always been the same. Always. Not finishing the book I started twenty-seven years ago.

From the age of six, I always identified as a writer, and while I have written a number of works throughout my lifetime, in my heart of hearts I didn’t see myself as a real writer until I had a book under my belt. Of course, not all authors write books. There are many writers of poetry, short stories, screenplays, and a multitude of other valuable works; but for me, it was all about writing at least one book.

Now that The Blind Switch has left the starting gate, I look forward to writing many more books. I hope you look forward to reading them just as much.