Jenny Pentland: “Write a Memoir, or Get a Therapist, or Both”

Jokes aside, have someone help you through the process emotionally

Wake Up and Write is an advice column from Moms Don’t Have Time to Write. Today, we have Jenny Pentland— screenwriter and author of the debut memoir, This Will Be Funny Later— who shared writing advice on the podcast Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, hosted by Zibby Owens.

Jenny: Don’t do it. Just get a therapist instead. Just work through that. Keep the world out of it. Or write one and give it to your grandkids after everybody you write about is dead. I think those are my two pieces of advice. Don’t do it or do it when everyone’s dead.

Zibby: But you don’t really mean that.

Jenny: No, of course, I don’t. I think anybody who’s writing a memoir is probably doing it because there’s some pain and suffering that they’re trying to process. I don’t recall reading a memoir that was like, “then I went to coffee with my best friend.”

I would say if you’re going to write a memoir, it’s probably because you’re trying to process some stuff. Just make sure that you set yourself up for being able to process that. Have somebody help you emotionally through it. Just do it. Also, don’t do it. Also, just do it. Also, don’t do it.

Listen to the episode:

https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/jenny-pentland-this-will-be-funny-later

Buy the book:

https://bookshop.org/books/this-will-be-funny-later-a-memoir-9798200851928/9780062962928