When we sit down the first time with either pen and paper or in front of a computer, we’re not fully aware of what the beckoning calls of the writing life hold for us. And if we haven’t availed ourselves of the vast published books on writing, we need to do so.
The ideas were fermenting in my heart and mind long before I ever set one word down. I knew I had a story to tell, and I wanted to tell it. I made several assumptions about writing a memoir:
- I knew the story inside and out. How hard could it be to write it down?
- The characters were real, living and breathing human beings, my family. How difficult could they be about my writing this story?
- Little or no research would be needed making it a faster process. HA!
- I loved writing, but everything I had written had been a short essay or some project at the office. I knew nothing about writing a book.
- And I could give you a longer list, but I don’t want to bore you.
Here I am nearing completion of a manuscript. I’m thinking about titles, beta readers, editors, marketing, publishing. I have many questions tossing and turning in my head:
- Is my platform strong enough?
- Traditional vs. self-publishing?
- Digital only or digital and print?
- Have I made any egregious errors in my story?
- Will I be sued by an irate relative?
And yes, there are more. [tweetthis]Bottom line is the writing life is a sacrificial existence requiring hard work.[/tweetthis] Without the support of an online writing community and my encouraging and Head Cheerleader, Husband Bob, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
Last week I asked you to take part in a short survey about title options. You responded, and soon I will share the results with you in a larger and more detailed fashion.
As a result of the survey results, I face one of those up and down rides of the writing life. You see I thought I had the title I wanted, and then many of you responded with such great comments about another of the three possibilities, I am now confronted with a decision about my memoir’s title.
The strongest showing turned out to be a title I had not anticipated at all. As I think about this twist, I now perceive another way to present my story but it means some rewriting. It means a rearranging of some timing issues and placement of sections of the story.
Do I take the time to do this to make sure I have an engaging title which will attract more readers?
Do I go with the title I’ve had in mind for years now and have written around and chance losing some marketplace splash?
Do I assume that those of you who wrote such clever responses to my questions are experts on title choice?
More questions to add to those in my first list above. What’s a girl–er, writer to do?
Faced with a potential change from your original working title, what would you do if you thought it changed the structure of your story and how it reads from beginning to end? Inquiring minds, or at least this one, want to know.
