Read between the lines

There is no right way to write your memoir. Everyone approaches writing differently. My suggestion is to begin mining your memories in a positive manner. Call to mind a single pleasant experience and write everything you remember about it. I emphasize exploring a happy occasion initially. There's plenty of room in your complete story for the dreadful. Fatherless covers heart wrenching experiences. The reader knows from the first sentence that there's a murderer in my family. Eventually all the shameful details emerge. Nevertheless, I chose to begin with the best in our human nature. This plan kept my spirits up in order to tackle the challenges writing requires. It also alerted my reader that, despite our failings, losses, and tragedies, my father's memoir and mine is filled with joy.

Read Between the Lines