Transitioning from a memoire to novel that's interesting

Fiferbelle05

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So I've written a memoire that I really don't want to leave it as such. I'd like to take the events and spin them into a story. I know I'm supposed to look for some common thread but since it's about something dark, I'm not sure which thread to focus on. Technically, it's a happy ending but not exciting. Do I make that ending the theme but adding exciting bits, and redo parts of the book that will tie that all together? I'm a little lost in where I start. Thanks.
 

Marian Perera

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So I've written a memoire that I really don't want to leave it as such. I'd like to take the events and spin them into a story. I know I'm supposed to look for some common thread but since it's about something dark, I'm not sure which thread to focus on. Technically, it's a happy ending but not exciting. Do I make that ending the theme but adding exciting bits, and redo parts of the book that will tie that all together? I'm a little lost in where I start. Thanks.

Are you hoping to write a romance?
 

Fiferbelle05

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Actually, that hadn't occurred to me. But do you think that's a good direction to go? It was originally going to be a redemptive sort of ending, but I don't see how to get there because it didn't really happen that way.


*Also, I read your 'location' under your name and I absolutely loved Toronto when I visited.
 

Marian Perera

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Actually, that hadn't occurred to me.

I thought that since you'd posted in the romance/women's fiction forum, you wanted to write a romance or women's fiction.

But do you think that's a good direction to go? It was originally going to be a redemptive sort of ending, but I don't see how to get there because it didn't really happen that way.

No, unless you've read a lot of romance, I don't recommend trying to write one. It might be a good idea to PM a moderator and ask to have this thread moved to another forum.

*Also, I read your 'location' under your name and I absolutely loved Toronto when I visited.

Glad to hear it! I've lived in five major cities in four countries, but my favorite is still Toronto.
 

Fiferbelle05

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I'm sorry for the confusion. I clicked on the thread title marked "memoirs/romance/(something else) and somehow ended up here. I didn't realize I navigated away from the original spot I was looking at. Thanks!


I thought that since you'd posted in the romance/women's fiction forum, you wanted to write a romance or women's fiction.



No, unless you've read a lot of romance, I don't recommend trying to write one. It might be a good idea to PM a moderator and ask to have this thread moved to another forum.



Glad to hear it! I've lived in five major cities in four countries, but my favorite is still Toronto.
 

Marian Perera

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I'm sorry for the confusion. I clicked on the thread title marked "memoirs/romance/(something else) and somehow ended up here. I didn't realize I navigated away from the original spot I was looking at. Thanks!

No worries. This forum occasionally gets visitors who are unfamiliar with the genre, so I thought I'd check.
 

MadAlice

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I have a thread around SYW somewhere, with a short story (a Chapter One? still don't know). The story was originally the midpoint in what was going to be a memoir. At a point, the reason I was writing the memoir was no longer relevant, but this part was one of the better pieces of writing I've done (in my very humble opinion) because of how real it was.
So I changed some bits, then some more. And now it's a (maybe) Chapter One to a fantasy story. And if I'm saying so myself, and I am, it's still darn good. It's still 98% a true story.

So yes you can. It's your writing, you can do what you want. Find the parts that speak to you and start saying "What if instead of left, she went right?" or etc.