Before I called Mardi, I shooed everyone else out of the room. I had bragged all week about getting to interview the author of the memoir I blazed through in two evenings, but I knew I was going to be a nervous wreck. I was determined that no one but Mardi and my cat were going to hear my gushing, stuttering mess of an interview, and that is exactly how things went because, unfortunately, I had no way to record the phone interview. Due to this oversight on my part, I scribbled my notes on the back of a packet I had in my backpack and hoped for the best. I will present the information in a narrative format because I cannot give many full-length direct quotations of the conversation.
To write a true crime novel, Mardi explains, she takes a journalistic approach. She does her research beforehand, as to have it on hand during the writing process, and documents the chronology (timeline), which has been up to 60 pages in length in the past.
To write a memoir, the author still needs to research their own life, past and present, but Mardi writes images of the scenes she remembers in narrative. By writing these scenes, she has a cohesive way of linking the images together to create a larger narrative.
Her newest novel involves both true crime and memoir, but I am not sure I’m at liberty to discuss it. Though, I will say that I am anticipating her next novel with bated breath and a racing heart. “Where do our stories start and their stories end?” Mardi states in reference to writing The Drummond Girls memoir. The Drummond Girls asked Mardi to write down their adventures, so she was luckier than most considering she had their permission ahead of time. But how does one go about writing about other people’s experiences? She says, “We don’t exist in this little capsule free from influence,” and because of that, you must only write from your own viewpoint and “be harder on yourself than you are on other people.” For those writing memoir, I find that this is the hardest part because who wants to read about my problems? Who wants to read about my mistakes? Don’t worry, Mardi has advice for that too!
“Tell your story and get it all out there in the first draft,” and leave no stone unturned, as the saying goes. During revision, narrow the focus and focus on the reader, imagining them as something other than a family member or a friend. Why would a stranger want to read this? Tie everything into a larger theme. Her first memoir, Bootstrapper, tied into the single parenthood theme, and The Drummond Girls memoir tied into the theme of friendship withstanding the elements. These are universal themes that speak to a myriad of people, and there are so many other themes out there for you to latch onto with your writing. You just need to find it.
Towards the end of the conversation, Mardi tells me about her bookshelf. I imagine her sitting in a swivel desk chair with her feet kicked up on the desk just looking at her vast collection of books for “research purposes,” but perhaps that is simply how I hope my life will be ten years from now. On the top shelf, she has memoirs, and the second shelf is full of true crime novels; these are her two areas of interest, so it only makes sense for her to have shelves of these genres. But, the third shelf is stocked with literary journals, and the fourth shelf is nothing but poetry. Why? Because looking at other types of writing is so important to grow as a writer, no matter what genre you focus on.
"Just relax,” Mardi says. Whether you’re writing articles for a newspaper in Michigan like Mardi did, research papers for a psychology class you really don’t need, or a personal essay about your baggage that is your childhood, all writing is helpful. Quantity helps craft, and sometimes, other types of writing helps one become more observant. Take some time out of your busy day of writing and just read a book. Identify the voices and storytelling aspects while you go. Having trouble with pacing? Pick up a mystery novel. Can’t figure out how to write a good opening with a hook? Look at some short stories.
The general rule of thumb for English majors, “Read more and write more,” is a pretty accurate mantra to live by. We, as writers, can learn a lot from all kinds of other writing and by trying new things. But first, we need to “just relax.” Thanks for reading. Opening "Link Reading" photo credit goes to superstarwordgirl.deviantart.com |