{"id":1297,"date":"2020-01-28T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-28T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=1297"},"modified":"2021-10-18T13:16:36","modified_gmt":"2021-10-18T17:16:36","slug":"publishing-your-memoir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/publishing-your-memoir\/","title":{"rendered":"#14 – Publishing Your Memoir"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Writing Your Own Memoir, Part 3<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Trivia Questions\n(Answers @ end)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear the line, \u201cYou can\u2019t handle the truth.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  2. Who said, \u201cIf you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  3. What song (and who sang it) gave us the following lyrics?
    When you’re weary, feeling small
    When tears are in your eyes, I’ll dry them all <\/em>
    I’m on your side, oh, when times get rough<\/em>
    And friends just can’t be found<\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #14 (Audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>

    Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the \u201cAudio<\/strong><\/em>\u201d button below.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Published: <\/span>October 18, 2021<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>0<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/a>
    My “Memoir”
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Over the past two weeks, I blogged about the (1) reasons you may want to write your own memoir<\/a> as well as how I (2) asked the Navy to help me with my personal \u201cresearch.\u201d<\/a> I also provided some simple tips and outlines to help you get started, as well as several \u201cwriting prompts.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    BTW, I\u2019ve already received several \u201cthank you, this is perfect timing<\/em>\u201d responses to these posts. I know many of you have thought about writing your own memoir, so hopefully, these posts will also help you <\/em>get started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In this week\u2019s blog post\u2014the final in this 3-part series\u2014I\u2019ll provide several ideas on how to self-publish your memoir<\/em>, should you choose to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step 1: Write<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    First<\/em>, you have to write something\u2026 anything <\/em>(that\u2019s a given). I cannot stress the importance of passing along your legacy, your memories, and your stories to family and friends. Even if it\u2019s just a short story or two. And, as I mentioned in the past, you don\u2019t have to be a veteran to write a memoir. Think about your parents or your grandparents. They all have wonderful stories, too, both growing up as well as experiences in their own lives. And if you have kids that want to help out, it’s also a great way for them to bond with their grandparents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Second<\/em>, realize that once you start writing, you may want to end it after the first story\/chapter\/section. That\u2019s okay. You can always pick it up later. No one is forcing you to write this, so you’re your own boss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Lord knows how many times I said to myself, \u201cSelf<\/em>\u2026 Screw it! (or some other choice<\/em> Navy term) I can\u2019t do this right now.\u201d But, I\u2019d pick it up a little while later and continue writing. Mine started out as a simple memoir, but morphed into a whole book, taking about a year, from start to finish. I didn\u2019t know that at the time when I started. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Third<\/em>, once you\u2019ve written something, what\u2019s your next step? That<\/em> is the real question that only you <\/em>can answer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples of memoirs<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Let me share with you some things I\u2019ve learned over the past 20 years of working closely with veterans and their personal histories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My dad (80th Infantry Division) kept a diary during the war\u2014a day-to-day journal of his experiences during World War II. He started writing while he was laid up in a hospital for two months in England recovering from a wound. I wrote about this and my own WWII “journey” earlier<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After my dad passed away in 1989, I started working on his diary and eventually turned it into a book: You Can\u2019t Get Much Closer Than This\u2014Combat with Company H, 317th Infantry Regiment, 80th Division<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. It was published in October 2005 by Casemate Publishers<\/a><\/strong> and the following month, November 2005, it was selected as the Book of the Month<\/em> for the Military Book Club<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s now in its second printing. I never <\/em>thought\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    Oral History TOC of
    Dr. Rufus K. Broadaway
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    My father-in-law, Dr. Rufus K. Broadaway<\/strong>, was an officer in the 82nd Airborne Division<\/strong> and dropped into Normandy early in the morning on June 6, 1944. He was involved in the bloody battle for the La Fiere Causeway, just a short distance from Ste. Mere-Eglise. And, for a while, he was the aide-de-camp<\/em> to General James Gavin, commander of the 82nd Airborne. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Rufus wrote several stories, not only about his airborne days, but also about his days as a surgeon in Miami. I also had an opportunity to conduct an extensive oral history of his time before and during the war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In my work with the 80th Infantry Division<\/strong>, I have read dozens of personal accounts by WWII veterans, many of which are available on the 80th Division website.<\/a> Several memoirs eventually turned into books (www.80thdivision.com\/books.html<\/a>), most of which were written by the individual veterans’ kids (like me). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Journaling to help heal<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Memoirs do not need to be published works. Most of the time, they are memories that are personal and kept within the family. I also know many Post WWII, Vietnam, & GWOT veterans who write primarily to \u201cget it out of their minds,\u201d to \u201cput pen to paper,\u201d or to \u201clet go of the past.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Whatever the reason, writing things down (often called \u201cjournaling\u201d) can help you clear your mind. That\u2019s what many psychologists recommend for their patients, too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It helps. It works. Journaling is not <\/em>for everyone, but it is <\/em>for anyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My point it this: if you have several pages, you can simply use your computer to print out copies, or you can take it to a copy\/print shop (e.g., Kinko\u2019s or Office Max). You may only want to share with family and friends. You may want to just send an email. Whatever works for you, it will be the right thing to do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    On the other hand, if you have a hundred pages or more (or less), maybe you might<\/em> want to self-publish it using one of the many online \u201cprint-on-demand\u201d services. That\u2019s what I did. And that\u2019s what I want to share with you now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Self-publishing\nServices<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    There are literally dozens of self-publishing platforms and services online; more than when I self-published a few years ago in 2014. Just Google “self publishing” to find a list. While there are many, the following are what I would consider the top five. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    My disclaimers are: a) I Googled these myself, but I was already aware of these and b) I used CreateSpace to publish my Navy book and the six 80th Infantry Division books (written by Robert Murrell, past historian of the 80th Division).  I recently ported them over to Kindle Direct Publishing.<\/em><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n