"Writing is a process, and that's why it's just as powerful as a star gone supernova." That is the motto I live by. Writing a good book does not happen overnight. It takes patience and practice, and Wait! I Wrote That? is no exception.
The idea for this memoir came in the spring of 2020 when I slapped twenty of my old stories on Wattpad to keep them from being lost. It's not my fault I have short-term memory and horrific computer skills! At the time, I was on a writing rampage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I took every opportunity to become more involved with Wattpad and my writing.
In the beginning, Wait! I Wrote That? was not a memoir. That aspect came in the spring of 2022 when I attended a reading for my school. It was for a published poetry and memoir writer, Natasha Trethewey.
OMG! I remember thinking during the reading. I need to try creative nonfiction myself.
Mrs. Trethewey read a chapter from her memoir, which she wrote in honor of her mother, who died as tragically as my brother. She mentioned she wrote it as a coping method for her.
I thought that was interesting. Since I was still reeling from my brother's death, I decided to try a different coping method myself—revamping and re-writing Wait! I Wrote That?. My brother always told me he knew I would go far as a writer, but I had yet to prove that to him.
In addition to the reading, my grief counselor suggested the memoir in the Spring 2022 semester.
With her eyes twinkling under the table light, she asked me, "What helps when you feel sad?"
"Writing," I answered. My voice quivered like I was cold.
"Then write about your brother," recommended my counselor.
I did just that. The first book I wrote was a memorial piece called In Loving Memory of My Brother. It was my first attempt at creative nonfiction. Eventually, I moved my growing skills over to Wait! I Wrote That?.
During the memoir's editing process, ideas spiraled through my brain as I tried to find a way to get my message across to my audience. All my stories contain a life message I've learned during my short time on the planet.
I added more stories to the piece but still needed to feel its memoir aspect. Therefore, I returned to the stories and studied when I wrote them: the year, grade level, etc.
The first step in the process was to organize each piece via the grade level I wrote them in. Since I struggle with the "show, don't tell" rule because of my writing style, I thought, Why tell my audience about my stories when I can easily show them? Showing my stories would allow them to see the change in writing over the years. My audience is meant to cringe at the oldest stories and then be wowed by the newer ones.
After re-organizing the stories, there was still a lack of a memoir. My next step was to re-read the pieces and think back to what motivated the largest changes in my writing, such as when I began hurting my characters, when I joined Wattpad, and how the pandemic affected it. From there, I put together an outline for the book. It included the stories and a short memoir chapter after each grade level, based on an event that forever changed my writing. Each year contained one of those events, regardless of whether they were big or small.
Including the memoir chapters allowed me to develop my character, dive deeper into my history, and show my difficult journey. They also saved my hide when I had writer's block with the book. Combining the memoir genre with fictional pieces is rarely seen on Wattpad. It was my form of alternative storytelling, and I was proud of it, even though it did mean a little extra work.
All the work on this piece has paid off, to the point that I finally cringe, laugh, dance, and cry reading it. Joy, fear, and sadness were the three emotions I wanted to explore the most since I know it's hard to be a writer.
Not only is this book a memoir, but it's also a coming-of-age story about how a young writer got to where she is today. It's an adventure worth sharing with the world—to tell writers not to be shy about sharing their old stories. Character development is crucial when it comes to storytelling. Sometimes, the best way to achieve that is to try creative nonfiction. I am not the Victoria I remember being in 4th grade.
My journey has had its ups and downs, but the one person who never gave up on my passion was my older brother. He's not here anymore to guide me through my young adult years, but he remains a beacon in my heart and is why I'm still writing today. He and Mrs. Trethewey inspired this gem of a book that I will continue to improve.
A memoir is a story, too, with a beginning, middle, and end, but it's a lost genre. Think about history. History is a story, but these stories are not fictional; they are true. That's how someone has to approach creative nonfiction.
Wait! I Wrote That? is my version of a History textbook. The lesson plans are different but are prevalent in each story and memoir chapter. Like History, this book messes with people's emotions. The process has been long and grueling, but at the end of the day, it's the reason behind where I am today.
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Final Word Count: 230,000
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