was successfully added to your cart.

Cart

Category

Write Memoir

Best Way to Write a Memoir – Tell Powerful Life Stories

By | Write Memoir

Every person has a unique life story in the world. Some people share their true life stories with friends, telling them by mouth, and some people tell them in Memoir. Here I will tell you the best way to write a memoir.  Read the memoir writing tips and spread your real-life story around the globe. Before getting into a deep dive, I want to tell you that you can read my last week’s published blog post about the difficulties of the Vietnam war.

Let’s start now…

What is a memoir?

A memoir is a work of nonfiction based on the author’s real-life recollections. You may confuse it with an autobiography. It somehow relates to that. In a memoir, the author shares his story from a single aspect or event, and the entire story revolves around that particular event. You can write a memoir on your life-changing events. You may not be sharing the story in chronological sequence like that of an autobiography, but they create dramatic effects by starting from wherever it makes the best sense to the reader. Here we will discuss how to write a memoir. So, let’s learn the details.

best way to write a memoir

Decide a Theme for Your Memoir

The best way to write a memoir is to base it on a specific theme. It depends on the primary event you want to share through it. So, the entire story moves toward one event and its aftereffects. The theme of the Memoir may not necessarily be sad. It can be lighthearted, sad, thoughtful, or despairing. Once you have made up your mind about the theme you will follow throughout the Memoir, choose the narrative in which you would write your book. To understand a narrative, you may relate it to the viewpoint and how the subject matter is directed.

Learning the difference between writing styles is crucial if you are writing a book for the first time. There are initially three writing narratives that are considered while drafting a manuscript.

First-person: I, We: when you tell the story from your perspective. Here writer and the main character of the story are the same. It is mainly used in autobiography.
Second person: You, Your perspective: There are very few books written in second person narrative, and these are primarily self-help books that create empathy with the reader so that they can understand the authors’ ideas more conveniently.
Third person narrative: He, She, They (Perspective). This is primarily used in fiction books where multiple stories are simultaneously moving ahead from multiple different characters’ perspectives. The historical nonfiction genre is also written in the third person narrative.

Build The Plot

Writing a story is a whole new journey besides having a remarkable story in your mind. When you decided to write a memoir, you would have a powerful story or special event in your mind that you would feature in your memoir. A  good memoir always begins with configuring the impactful order of those events in a compelling way that intrigues the readers.

To build a good plot:

memoir writing tips

  • Decide on the number of characters you would include in your memoir.
  • Decide on the main characters and supporting characters.
  • Decide on where the story will start and when each character will enter the story.

Create Chapter Outlines

Writing a book requires you to sum up million little pieces from your journey and present them to readers in the most compelling way. The key is to know what you should tell first and what later, which is why a mind mapping of chapters is the best idea for writing an intriguing memoir. This way, you would have an outline of the entire book, and of course, you can make alterations to the story as you move forward with the chapter writing.

  • Decide each chapter’s title and outline the events you would cover in it.
  • Decide on the number of chapters the memoir would have.
  • Review the whole structure of the story and decide if that is how you exactly want it to be. Else, make adjustments until you have the right story structure with you.

Proceed with Chapter Writing

Follow the chapter outline and begin your writing with the first chapter. The length of the chapter depends on the details provided and the number of events you cover. If you want to create a strong impression on the reader, never start the first chapter with the beginning of your story. Start from a suspenseful central point and then gradually move back to reveal parts of the true story so that the reader can enjoy connecting the dots and understand the story like he solved a riddle.

The secret to crafting the ever-living memoir:

Create an Emotional Journey

memoir share personal experiences

Memoirs share your personal experiences and the lesson you’ve learned from some life-altering events. Here, your writing style must convey your emotions at each stage. Memoirs are based on the writer’s life, so when you are writing your life story, ensure to tap into your own emotionality and deeply connect with your feelings. Only then would you be able to pen down those emotions hundreds of people can connect with.

Add Fictional Content

When you are writing a book while having a real-life event in your mind, you don’t remember every little detail of that moment. You just remember the main event and how it affected you. Although a memoir is a nonfiction book, many memoir writers do add fictional details to their content.

Open With a Dramatic Event

Always begin your story with a dramatic event. Even if you don’t resolve it quickly, just leave it there to capture the reader’s attention. People only listen to stories when it’s interesting till the end. So, learning how to write a memoir is essential; for that, you can take inspiration from a fiction story, although your account is nonfictional.

Define Characters and Events

The best way to write a memoir is to make ordinary moments memorable. You can add a back story to apparently everyday actions related to the characters and events. The more you emotionally connect them to your account, the more closely readers will connect to it.

Add Others’ Related Memories

When drafting notes about a particular scene, always remember to add details about family and friends and whatever their role is. Because in reality, family is something always present in our life; however, whatever role they play varies.

Editing and Proofreading

memoir book editing and proofreading

Chapter by chapter, as you complete your write-up, you move towards achieving your goal. Once all the chapters are finished, your draft turns into a manuscript. But don’t assume that your work has been done. The major part is still remaining- Proofreading and editing. Remember that book you have written in a month, taking a break at several stages. You may have rendered unnoticeable issues like the repetition of ideas, contradictory thoughts, and other grammatical problems. So, it always needs final proofreading to edit it one last time before publishing. It gives you an accurate impression of how the story would sound to the reader when he picks the book. So, wherever you think the story doesn’t make sense, you can make adjustments until the finest copy is ready.

Prepare Front Matter

Having a story isn’t sufficient to publish a book. If you want to publish your book, you must turn your manuscript into a book. For that, you need to prepare for the front matter. It includes:

  • Title page
  • Copyrights
  • Dedication
  • Acknowledgment

Book Formatting & Publishing

Once the front matter is ready, the final step is Book formatting; you can learn from google and format your book into an eBook/paperback and send it to the publishing house. You can get it done through online agencies as well.

A Closing Thought:

Donut Hole bookIn conclusion, writing a memoir is just like writing a book. You have your story with you that you want to portray. If you just follow these guidelines before writing, you can end up authoring an incredible book. If that’s not enough, you should read a memoir book, take inspiration, and understand how it has been written. The author RC LeBeau, being a marine tells his journey in the Vietnam war zone. His book Donut Hole is the best example of Memoirs. Place your order to read the whole story.

what made the Vietnam war so difficult

What Made the Vietnam War So Difficult? Secret Revealed!

By | Vietnam War Secrets | No Comments

Vietnam war has been written in history as a “Colossal strategic blunder.” It was the biggest humanitarian disaster ever caused by war, which resulted in almost 2 million causalities in Vietnam, but they never surrendered to American political and economic rule. The Vietnam war has profound roots instigated by the regional economic and political past.

Vietnam war snaps

Collage of images depicting US & ARVN military personnel in action during the Vietnam war

History identifies the only reason the United States had to be involved in Vietnam was its personal objective of preventing communism from prevailing in the region. The indigenous people in Vietnam gave it the slogan of “War Against the Americans to Save the Nation.” The tricky games of superpowers nations were unfathomable to many at first. Regardless Vietnamese were so clear in their direction. No power on earth could break the relentless effort and unfaltering passion they carried in their hearts to free their state from foreign rule. Here we discuss what made the Vietnam war so difficult for everyone involved.

Why did the Vietnam war start?

Vietnam war that instigated by a civil war where the communist government of north Vietnam and its supporting wing; aka ‘Viet Cong,’ in the south of Vietnam began an uprising against the South Vietnamese government that was supported by its foreign ally, the United States. The war was also considered a part of a more significant regional conflict; The cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two superpowers, and the countries that supported them. Vietnam, a country located on the Indochinese peninsula in Southeast Asia, moving towards becoming a communist state, had to face the influence of foreign superpowers. Which they repelled vehemently, and it proved to be a miserable defeat for American forces.

What made the Vietnam war so difficult for US Soldiers?

A marine gets his wounds treated during operations in Huế City, in 1968

There were a number of factors that made the Vietnam war so difficult for the American Forces. The conflict in Vietnam was much more different than the other wars in which the United States indulged itself. The most important aspect of that was the firm courage of Vietnam soldiers who, regardless of unsupported conditions; managed to take the hell onto their shoulders and walk towards their freedom from overruling American forces.

Multiple factors made the Vietnam war unpredictably tough for US soldiers. Most of the significant obstacles for them were physical challenges posed by the country’s climate, terrain, and wildlife, especially poisonous serpents. They could face any sort of ambush and troubles anywhere. There were no rules in war. What was more exhausting for soldiers was that war was becoming almost unending. So, they faced logistical problems and couldn’t use the country’s internal aspects to their benefit. There was a complex political situation in Vietnam: people’s unclear loyalties to any political party. Let’s learn the details of how these factors affected American forces and forced them to leave the ground in the Vietnam war.

Some of the aspects that made the Vietnam War So Difficult

Vietnam war had unprecedented attributes as troops in the north and their southern wing, “Viet Cong,” were not as handsomely equipped with armaments and other resources as US soldiers. US soldiers were well-trained in combat, and they had high-caliber weaponry. Despite that, they faced severe difficulties and ended up withdrawing their arm force from Vietnam after 500,000 US soldiers died in the war. For what exactly? They themselves didn’t know.

viet cong tunnel

A US “tunnel rat” soldier prepares to enter a Viet Cong tunnel.

North Vietnamese Strategy

The Nort Vietnam army and Viet Cong had previously been fighting Indochinese wars against the French empire for a decade, giving them valuable insights into western war techniques. One advantage the Vietnam army had over the United States was that they knew them so well; the capabilities and tactics of their enemies. So, they changed the game by never orchestrating a complete battle. Instead, they applied guerilla warfare tactics, secret ambushes, hit and run, traps and sabotage, and landmines in the enemy’s vicinity.

Unclear Military Objectives

Where Vietnam soldiers were fighting with their whole hearts and soul to get the motherland back from foreigners, American soldiers, on the other hand, were fighting yet another war just because their higher-ups ordered so. They had no clear purpose for motivating the soldiers. Having been involved in multiple baseless wars, which they directly had no link to or reason to get involved in, US soldiers were gradually losing Interest in fighting from hearts and minds. They were tired of their leaders’ self-interested decisions.

As one US soldier in Vietnam asked: “What am I doing here? We don’t take any land. We don’t give it back. We just mutilate bodies. What the f–k are we doing here?”.
-Sources: Vietnam War Soldiers

Vietnam’s Subtropical Climate

vietnam adverse weather

US paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, hold their automatic weapons above water as they cross a river in the rain during a search for Vietcong positions in the jungle area of Ben Cat on 25 September 1965. The paratroopers had been combing the area for 12 days with no enemy contact

What made the Vietnam war so difficult for American forces was also Vietnam’s alienating climate. American soldiers who were trained in very opposite environments from South Asian countries weren’t capable of bearing the subtropical climate of Vietnam. Besides NVA’s bizarre war tactics, one of the challenges they faced was the intense weather, which was making it like hell. On the contrary, the Vietnam army and Viet Cong weren’t just used to that but also had significant advantages of sound knowledge of the local people, language, and terrain. They used to ambush and disappear into the woods like an invisible force.

Vietnam’s Wildlife

In the war against the superpower, the United States, Vietnam War soldiers endured uncountable hardships and faced horrible situations of Vietnam’s extraordinary wildlife. However, they were somehow physically and emotionally empowered to tackle those challenges exposed to them as they were inhabitants of this land. On the other hand, American soldiers who belonged to a different region could not cope with the challenges wildlife in Vietnam’s jungle exposed to them. American Soldiers

During the war, hundreds of US soldiers died from snake Bites and other diseases caused by unforeseen wildlife insects. In 1968, on their return to the United States, the “Hong Kong Flue” epidemic broke out on the west coast.

Evasion and Concealment

Communist forces fought very maliciously and well-planned. Countering their previous strategy, “Elephants and Tigers,” in the Indochina wars, they adopted an entirely different strategy, ensuring the enemy isn’t prepared for whatever situation they would bring upon them. Evasion and concealment were regular throughout the terrain. They had deep tunnels underground where they ran and hid and emerged from them unexpectedly and ambushed the enemy. Historical authors also write that every family in Vietnam was obliged to dig a 7-feet deeper tunnel from their house with a hidden opening in very everyday things like a kitchen, veranda, or storeroom.

An Unconventional Warfare (Traps and guerrilla warfare tactics)

Protracted Duration

Ho Chi Minh from the Việt Minh independence movement and Việt Cộng with East German sailors

Ho Chi Minh from the Việt Minh independence movement and Việt Cộng with East German sailors in Stralsund harbour, 1957

The war faced fierce resistance from communist forces in Vietnam. The country was already undergoing a revolution initiated by Ho Chi Minh and a civil war against capitalism, a new economic philosophy gradually spreading in eastern countries. One of the uncommon tactics communist forces adopted was deliberately prolonging the war, which deeply disturbed the US military supply chain as the west was too far. Soldiers grew exhausted, and back in the united, the American public started to question their military leadership, whether Vietnam was truly their concern, and why did they step into it.

High Adaptability

On the other hand, soldiers stuck in Vietnam woods faced difficulties when the supply chain of armaments and food was affected. Spotting the enemy’s weakness, Viet Cong resumed the ambushes and combat attacks. They were really smart and trained to use whatever resource available to them and turn them into handmade armament that can be fatal. The most common weapons they used were Chinese-made machine guns and other confiscated armaments from the Indochinese and Japanese wars. Having the complete support of the Soviet Union, they had the special soviet-made artillery and various types of grenades that supported their guerilla war tactics. What made the Vietnam war difficult for the US was their inability to respond smartly in a foreign environment while the Vietnamese were prepared to fight even in uncertain situations.

 

Donut Hole book

Donut Hole” A Marine’s real-life battle in Vietnam during the 68 Tet Offensive. It was like Fort Apache, but in Vietnam.” Feb. 7, 8, 9, and 10 in a CAP unit called “Echo 4” or what I called the “Donut Hole.

If you want to hear the true story from a former marine commander, the memoir “Donut Hole” written by R.C Labeau shares everything that he experienced in the Vietnam war. It is the true story of a former US marine who survived the Vietnam war and managed to come back to his country. Order your copies to learn the authentic facts about the Vietnam war: a heartwarming story that can move you to tears. Learn what made the Vietnam war so difficult from the self-explained story of a US soldier.

War is war. It’s a dilemma whether war brings peace or destroys it. The landmines diffused in the ground are still found in Vietnam long after the war has ended, and the traumatic period they survived made the Vietnam war so difficult to endure for everyone involved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A closing thought:

But not limited to these; there are multiple factors those created hurdles for American solder in the Vietnam war.

The Vietnam War was challenging for the US Army, for several reasons:

  1. Guerrilla Warfare Tactics: The Vietnamese communist forces, the Viet Cong, used guerrilla tactics which made it difficult for the US to win decisive battles and achieve its objectives.
  2. Lack of Support: The war was widely unpopular among the American public, leading to protests and a lack of support for the military effort.
  3. Diplomatic Challenges: The US faced diplomatic challenges in the international community, with many countries opposing its involvement in the conflict.
  4. Limited Resources: The US military was stretched thin by its involvement in the war, which put a strain on its resources and limited its ability to achieve its goals.
  5. Geographical Challenges: The dense jungle terrain in Vietnam was difficult for the US military to navigate, making it challenging to fight against the Viet Cong.

Overall, the Vietnam War proved to be a complex and challenging conflict for the United States, with a range of factors contributing to its difficulties.

Secrets-to-Writing-Inspirational-Books

Secrets to Writing Inspirational Books

By | Write Memoir

Secrets to Writing Inspirational Books

The pandemic has given people so many negative impacts on the people’s lives. Finding hope and motivation in times of uncertainty can be hard. Worries will overpower your strengths. However, this should not be an excuse for everyone not to give it their best. Sure, the way of living is a little bit out of the ordinary, but you should continue living the best life you could ever live. That is why you should help yourself find something that will help you cope up during these times. In fact, it should be the number one priority for everyone. Not having something that will promote encouragement can be tough.

Having the courage and optimism will help you in a long-term aspect of life. It can help you be the best version of yourself. You will no longer feel like you are too weak or the situation is too much for you. You will feel like you can and will try to do whatever you want in life. Having courage in life does not literally mean that you don’t possess fear in you. It only means that you know how to manage and overcome all the weaknesses right away. People who have braveness can take the most appropriate action in times of hardship, which people need right now and in the coming months or even years.

If you have the privilege to give people the right inspiration during these times, you should do it. One way is to write a book. A book can do so much to the readers. It can touch lives. You will never know how your words can do. Sharing your experiences with readers might save them in so many ways. If You are worried that about the writing process, worry not! This blog will give you the ultimate tips and tricks on how you can write this effectively.

Have Passion

Write a book that is not only going to fill your pocket but is also going to satisfy your mind and heart. In essence, to write an amazing book, you must be an amazing, passionate author. Do not write a book merely because you want to earn some cash. Instead, find a significant reason for producing literature. Write because you want to express yourself or you have some ideas you want to share with the world

Read Books

RC Le Beau’s Life and War stories are a great example. It will not only help you give you writing techniques but will also inspire you. reading a lot of books allows you to learn many things from other authors, from different styles in writing to best-chosen themes. In essence, reading a lot of books provides you with the opportunity to expand your literary horizon. In addition, it gives you the inspiration that you might need in starting and finishing your own book.

Put Valid Information

You also want to research some technical information and make sure that it is valid. Even though you’ll say that it is your story, you still don’t want your readers to assume faulty information. After all, your memoir is not your autobiography. An autobiography tells your whole life. A memoir should only focus on a certain moment or an era of your life. You also want to have well-organized content in your book. Being concise and organized with your thoughts is the secret sauce to good writing. You may feel like this is just an extra tip, but the writing process will not be complete without this one.

Overall, writing an inspirational book can take up your efforts and time. But know that there is no need for you to feel forced to write. You just write when you can and what you can. Pushing yourself to write just for the sake of completing it will only make a bad outcome.