"Grandma, you talk like a teacher!"
Yes, I do! When I started writing my memoir, Jasmine, far right in this picture, my grandchild, was just a pre-teen. I shared a couple of entries with her and her reaction saved me lots of re-write. I was not trying to sound like a teacher, but that's how I tended to talk in and out of the classroom.
I was writing these pieces for my family, and that comment of Jasmine helped me refocus.
Use your own voice, the person you are with your family. You are writing for them.
Unless, of course, you are a famous....and your publisher has assured you that your memoir will be sold by the millions of copies to all your adoring fans. What do they expect? Your famous persona.
For most of us, that expectation is not there. We are who we are and we only have to please those people for whom these memoir pieces are written.
Write like you speak.
Write so your family can recognize you.
Write so you see your soul in the words you choose.
