“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”
– Maya Angelou
Which is why I’m inviting you along as I write a memoir: it might be helpful to have some friends along the way, cheering me on when the going gets tough.
Topical appearances may lead you to believe that I had a standard, perhaps even well-off upbringing given where I live, to whom I’m married, and what I do for a living. I’ve been told I give those impressions. People assume I had loving parents, some siblings, a dog or a cat in a functional home. That I finished high school when I was supposed to, followed by college, then marriage, then kids. That my father walked me down the aisle and my mother gave me parenting advice. A typical American trajectory, especially if you’re a tall White girl like me.
Well, nothing could be further from the truth. My truth. Which is why I want to tell it. I once had a woman – 15-20 years older than me at the time – exclaim after I’d given her the summary of my life story: “But Callie! You’re so normal!”
Normal is relative.
To be clear, this newsletter won’t be the story itself. It will be the story of writing the story. The Hero’s Journey of me, the writer, wandering around three-act structures developing characters, exorcising superfluous adjectives, and generally trying to figure out what the hell I’m doing. Because I’ve never written a book before.
So buckle up, Buttercup! Let’s go for a ride.
Callie
Cannot wait to read your memoir! Having known you since you were a wee lass of 27, your story has always been riveting to me.
Seat belt fastened...let's go!