"Writing is a process, and that's why it's just as powerful as a star gone supernova." This is the motto I live by. Writing a good book does not happen overnight. It takes patience and practice, and Wait! I Wrote That? is no exception.
The idea for this memoir came in spring of 2020, when I slapped down twenty of my old stories on Wattpad, as an attempt to not lose them. It's not my fault I have short-term memory and horrific computer skills! At the time, I was on a writing rampage, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I took every opportunity I could to become more involved with Wattpad and my writing.
In the beginning, Wait! I Wrote That? was not a memoir. This aspect of the story came in spring of 2022, when I attended a reading for my school. It was for a published poetry and memoir writer, Natasha Trethewey.
OMG! I remember thinking to myself, during the whole reading. I need to try creative nonfiction myself.
Mrs. Trethewey read a chapter from her memoir, which she wrote in honor of her mother, who died just as tragically as my brother. She mentioned she wrote it as a coping method for her.
I thought that was interesting. Since I was still reeling back from my brother's death, I decided to try a different coping method myself—by revamping and re-writing Wait! I Wrote That?. My brother always told me he knew I would go far as a writer, but I had yet to prove that to him.
Aside from the reading, the memoir's idea also came from my grief counselor in the Spring 2022 semester.
Her eyes twinkling under her table light, she asked me, "What helps when you feel sad?"
"Writing," I answered. My voice quivered like I was cold.
"Then write about your brother," recommended my counselor.
I did just that. The first book I put together was a memorial piece for him, called In Loving Memory of My Brother. It was my first touch into trying creative nonfiction. Eventually, I moved my growing skills over to Wait! I Wrote That?.
During the editing process of the memoir, ideas spiraled through my brain, as I tried to find a way to get my message across to my audience. All of my stories contain a life message that I've learned during my short time on the planet.
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I added more stories to the piece, but I still had yet to feel its memoir aspect. Therefore, I returned to the stories and studied when I wrote them: the year, grade level, etc.
The first step in the process was to organize each piece via the grade level I wrote them in. Since I struggle with the "show, don't tell" rule in writing, due to my writing style, I thought to myself, Why tell my audience about my stories when I can easily show them? Showing my stories would allow them to really see the change in writing over the years. My audience is meant to cringe with the oldest stories, and then be wowed by the newer ones.
After re-organizing the stories, there was still a lack of a memoir. My next step was that I re-read the pieces and thought back to what motivated the biggest changes in my writing: when I started to hurt my characters, when I joined Wattpad, and how the pandemic affected it. From there, I put together an outline for the book. It included the stories and after each grade level, a short memoir chapter, based on an event that forever changed my writing. Each year contained one of these events, regardless of whether they were big or small.
Including the memoir chapters was my chance at not only developing my character, but also diving deeper into my history and showing just how hard my journey has been. In my opinion, they saved my hide when I had writer's block with the book. Combining the memoir genre with fictional pieces is not something seen often on Wattpad. It was my form of alternative storytelling, and I was proud of it, even though it did mean a little extra work.
All the work I've done with this piece has paid off, to the point I finally cringe, laugh, dance, and cry working my way through it. Joy, fear, and sadness were the three emotions I wanted to explore the most, since I know it's hard to be a writer.
Not only is this book a memoir; it's also a coming-of-age story, about how a young writer got to where she is today. It's an adventure worth sharing with the world—to tell writers to not be shy to share your old stories. Character development is crucial when it comes to storytelling. Sometimes the best way to achieve that is to try your hand at creative nonfiction. I am not the Victoria I remember being in 4th grade.
My journey has had its ups and downs, but the one person who never gave up on my passion was my older brother. He's not here anymore to guide me through my young adult years, but he remains a beacon in my heart and is the reason behind why I'm still writing today. He and Mrs. Trethewey inspired this gem of a book... one that I am definitely going to continue to improve in the years to come.
A memoir is a story, too, with a beginning, middle, and end, but it's a lost genre. Think about history. History is a story, but these stories are not fictional; they are true. That's how someone has to approach creative nonfiction.
Wait! I Wrote That? is my version of a History textbook. The lesson plans are different, yes, but they are prevalent in each story and memoir chapter. Like History, this book messes with people's emotions. The process has been long and grueling, but at the end of the day, it's the reason behind where I am today.
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Final Word Count: 230,000