September 2022 is “Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month” — a special month of honoring hardworking writers and editors, including those busy with memoir writing!
I mention memoir writing because, on the very last day of August, many memoirists, ghostwriters, and editors celebrated “We Love Memoirs Day” by tackling new projects. So, September is a busy time of creativity, memories, and nuance as memoirs are being brainstormed and written around the world.
About the Month-Long Observance
In 1984, Lone Star Publishing in San Antonio, Texas (a small publishing venture that is apparently now an imprint of Event Horizon Publishing Group) established this tradition to honor all of the talented writers and editors of the world. Even today, few outside of our industry have heard of Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month. Yet it has a steadfast insider following going on 18 years, shown below.
Associations as diverse as the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), the Aspiring Writers Association of America, the Friends of Johnson County Library – KS, the Bedford Hills Free Library in New York, the Cook County Library in Georgia, the York County Libraries in Pennsylvania, both the Brighton District Library and the Southfield Public Library in Michigan, the Johnson County Public Library in Tennessee, Wolfpack Publishing in Nevada, the Saskatchewan Writers Guild, the American Medical Writers Association, and Toastmasters District 22 across Kansas and Western Missouri have shouted out the “Be Kind to Editors and Writers Month” on Facebook.
Memoir Writing in September 2022
Some memoirs are written as the author approaches the “golden years.” Others are written in mid-life. The point is to capture memories before they are lost to time, ensuring that these “slices of life” never fade or become obscure and are preserved for posterity. My job in memoir writing (usually ghostwriting) and memoir editing is to collaborate with authors, be respectful of their distinct voices, include all the high points in individual story arcs, attend to the chronology, fact check when needed, tackle ancestry and genealogy details when needed, and polish the manuscript.
Let’s Connect
I would love to collaborate with you on your memoir. Email melaniesaxton@icloud.com and let’s get started!