NEWSLETTER
The Memoirist News: Boosting, Prompts, and Stories — Oh, My!
September 2024
Memoirists —
Well, summer is ending and publishing is starting to ramp up. I’ve been enjoying all the stories pouring in! We do our best to get through the queue of stories as quickly as we can, but please do not be alarmed if a day has gone by before an editor grabs your story. As I said, we do try to get to them as fast as we can, but sometimes we have a ton to get through!
As most of you know, we have a few editors on our team and we all have varying styles. Some of our editors really like to dig in and give suggestions, while others stick to thorough proofreading. Either way, we are here to help you fine-tune your piece and make your life easier on Medium. (And hopefully, get you a boost here and there!) If you have a particular editor you enjoy working with, feel free to leave us a private note on your piece requesting them when you submit your draft. That said, I think we’re all kinda wonderful. :-P
If you are not a Memoirist writer and would like to be, please refer to our guidelines for information on what we’re looking for and how to apply.
September Memoir Prompt
Our new writing prompt is “First Love.” Check out the details and guidelines here.
On Writing
We have two recent posts on our sister publication QuickTalk by resident Age of Empathy editor kasey sparks and friend of the family Carlos Garbiras. Great pieces on writing…check them out!
Medium Day
Medium Day was a huge success — thank you to all those who made it to my session The Art of Writing Memoir & Personal Essays. There were so many questions, I couldn’t possibly get to them all, but if there’s anything you ever want to ask, please feel free to reach out to me!
If you missed my presentation, a video should be coming out soon. In the meantime, I wrote this recap of what I presented.
Also — a big shout-out to Isabella who wrote this amazing recap summing up not only my presentation but Debra G. Harman, MEd.’s from The Narrative Arc (Parasol Publications) as well. It’s a great piece — check it out!
Boosting
It’s no secret there have been behind-the-scenes changes in the boost nomination program and there are more to come. I wish I had better answers for those who have been inquiring. When I know more about the future of — and upcoming enhancements to — the program, I will let you know. In the meantime, I encourage you to read the updated guidelines from Terrie Schweitzer, Medium head of Curation.
What I can tell you for sure is that to increase your chances of receiving a boost for your memoir, you should have the following:
- A concrete narrative arc. Make sure you’re telling a complete story.
- Don’t just tell us your story — make us feel your story.
- Start off with a bang, and end with a flourish.
- Personal photos add a lot to your story!
- Edit, edit, and edit again.
Grandparent Stories
Our writing prompt for August was Grandparents. Boy howdy, was it a popular one and — I’ll tell ya — there were some great stories. I don’t know what it is about our grandparents, but what amazing memories we have. Some extremely heartfelt, some bittersweet, but profound all the same. Check out some of the stories here, some by many of our brand-new Memoirist writers!
We Weren’t Blood-Related, but I Loved Her as if She Was My Own Grandmother by AJ
Grandma Says the Photo Isn’t of Her by *Missy*
The Embrace Of My Grandfather’s Shirt by Alexandra Christensen
My Grandfather Cried and I Napped Through It by Greyson Ferguson
The Grandparents I Never Knew by Barbara Carter
Learning Him As I Lost Him by Ruby Noir 😈
From My Grandfather, I Learned About Honor by Katharine Valentino
Grandma’s Favorite Poem by A. Gee
The Fair-Weather Grandfather by Tara Nicole Szkutnik
Grandparents — The Lost and the Legacy by Arpad Nagy
What’s In Our Blood by Araci Almeida
Classic American Grandma by Stephanie Wilsey
The Elderly Need to be Able to Opt Out of Living by Meaghan Ward
My Deathbed Question by Lsjaffee (Writer, Educator, Over-Thinker)
For Mi Abuelo by Patrick O’Connor
The Magic of Grandpa’s Farm by Kelly Benson
My Dead Grandfather and His Broken Leg by Viraj Mahajan
How to Tell Your Family to F*ck Off When You’re Dead by JR Roessl
Wishing all of you a wonderful September — thank you for being part of our family!
xo — Ki
PS — Did you hear the news? The Unfocused Writer is back with new episodes! Find us on Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
