Writing and teaching memoir for many years has brought into my life many wonderful writers. Here is what some of them have to say about my work. My thanks to all.
From readers of The Memoir Project, A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life
A dog-earred copy of The Memoir Project lived on the left hand corner of my desk along with Vivian Gornick’s, The Situation and The Story and Mary Karr’s, Lit while I struggled with each revision of my memoir for months and months on end. You simply had me from the Introduction: Required Reading and I still recall exhaling and hugging your book to my chest with utmost relief at your unique approach on writing and life! A few of my favorite sections: The Myth of Writer’s Block, The Vomit Draft, and We’re All Babes in the Woods. I practically know them by heart. I have recommended your book to countless fellow writers and have taken it along to my writing group where I find myself quoting you when they seem skeptical of my advise!
— Liz Raptis Picco, author of Stretch Marks, A Memoir
Marion convinced me that it’s never in the writing, but the rewriting. She also gave me the confidence I needed to rip off the tourniquet and just write, and to never falter in search for the elusive mot juste. “Marion tells you, in straightforward language and telling examples from her own writing, just how to assemble a memoir. This book promises to become an indispensable part of your writer’s library, a Strunk and White for the memoirist.
– Michael Welch, Supervising Labor Services Representative, NYS Department of Labor and writer
This book lacks nothing. Period. It is as slender and as meaty as The Elements of Style. After reading it, the writer will write. She’ll rewrite, remove, rewrite, rearrange and replace her excuses with writing that a stranger can read, believe and care about. A warning – there will be extensive blood loss, myriad murders and “Frankensteinian” autopsies along the way.
–Mary Beth Orr, security guard, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, reader
Whether is it a blog post, a note slipped into a birthday card, or a chapter within a book one is authoring, the piece by piece guidance within The Memoir Project is worth its weight in gold. The author is an accomplished writer who has taught a memoir-crafting course for quite some years, sharing her insight and solid tips chapter by chapter.
–Chris Capolino, blogger, camfiresandcleats
Entertaining and upbeat, clear and to the point, this book helps writers take that essential step away from years of writing exercises, journaling and living in the shadow of famous, published authors.
–Juliette Gutmann, Ph.D., professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Dear Marion,
I am well along in your memoir book and can’t put it down. Your book absolutely nails my dilemma: what the hell is this thing about?
–Richard McKnight, author of Victim, Survivor, or Navigator? Choosing a Response to Workplace Change
Marion’s presentation and little book helped me to become a dedicated and happy memoir writer.
–Carol Hegeman, writer and student of Memoirama
From my students
Marion’s approach is like a mathematician teaching theory. Scary and interesting. She has illustrated a formula I now understand: pull the precise out of the indistinct, and watch the stories add up. She pulls out the stops. She talks to you in language that drives you toward a story, keeps you focused on what it’s (the story) about, and shows you, through her own writing, how to make it all add up, to pull the precise out of the indistinct. Want to drive your story forward? Tell the truth. Want to finally sit down and write? Sit down. And write.
– Paul Ehmann, real estate broker, essayist, Chicken Soup for the Soul series
I wrote till dawn – gems, pearls, beautiful turns of phrases which, during the editing process, I recognized as irrelevant. Being able to ‘kill my darlings’ was a turning point that brought me to a more advanced level of writing.
– Robyn Ringler, attorney, independent bookstore owner and public radio contributor
Marion’s guidance and editing pointed the way, like a good compass, allowing me to plot my own course from “Where do I start?” to published writer.
– Dr. Katherine Uraneck, Senior Medical Coordinator, Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Program, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiphysician and contributor, This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women Physicians (Oxford University Press)
Marion teaches the essential elements of memoir: how to clearly tell one story at a time to answer the most important question, “What is this story about?’ Once you know this, you can write anything with the material from your own experience.
– Deb Smith, Ph.D., professor, Empire State College, travel and food writer, contributing writer, Atlantica magazine
Marion’s exhortations to write five pages a day – no more, no less – transformed me from a writer-wannabe into an MFA writing and literature graduate.
— Kathryn Allen, writer
You are a great mentor for memoir. I appreciate your good ideas and suggestions.
–Harriet Englander, writer and student of the Master Class
Having a story to tell is the smallest element in memoir. Writing that personal account, now that’s the difficult part – until you discover Marion Roach Smith. Her skill as a teacher who is also an accomplished writer is extraordinary. I found my creative voice in Marion’s class.
— Desiree M. Roberts, Pd.D., assistant professor, Academic Area coordinator and Mentor to Adult learners, SUNY Empire State College, essayist, Times Union op-ed contributor
It is a miraculous journey that Marion leads us on, from tentative wordsmiths to committed writers in a few short weeks. She establishes a classroom atmosphere that provides safety and competent reassurance. Suddenly the memories in my head appeared in a written, readable form that I could share with an audience of my choosing.
–Dan New, three-time class veteran
Marion is a writer’s editor and teacher. She sees to the heart of a piece, she encourages true and honest expression, and she helps writers craft what they want to say. She doesn’t critique writing; she grows writers. I trust her with all my writing and I’d recommend her to anyone, whatever their writing experience.
—Dennis Gaffney, professional writer
Marion’s classes have helped me to find my voice and to believe in my voice. I keep her book at my side when I am writing. If I get stuck, reading a few pages gives me the push I need.
—Jelane A. Kennedy, writer and blogger
From my private clients
It is neither simple nor comfortable to strip yourself naked in 200-plus pages of a memoir. Even more painful is shipping said document to a stranger for a thorough review and content edit. But in hiring Marion Roach Smith to edit my manuscript, I discovered not only a caretaker but a craftsman. Marion knows the art of story: how to pull all the right pieces together, arrange them in perfect order, so the telling is both honoring and rich. She took my raw, exposed draft and helped me turn it into a masterpiece. It will not be the last time I bare my soul to such a talent.
–Michele Cushatt, writer, speaker
Marion is a gift to writers. We who write memoirs are lucky indeed that she has chosen to work with memoirists. She’s a talented writer and an impressive writing coach. Everything she teaches is delivered with a ferocity for great writing, good humor and her love of writers.
–Annie Phenix, co-author of the Chosen Mothers, Chosen Daughters blog and a regular contributor to Dogster
The Buddhist proverb “When the student is ready, the teacher appears” has certainly proven true in my own life. After deciding to move forward with a memoir languishing on my hard drive for 5 years, I discovered that Marion, who has penned one of the best memoir writing books around, also offered one-on-one editing and manuscript critiques. Huzzah! She’s a gifted instructor whose guidance and encouragement are making me a better writer and my book, a much more viable piece for publication.
– Judith Henry, Ethical Will Facilitator, Wisdom Tree Legacies
