NEWSLETTER
The Memoirist News: What Is the Role of a Publication?
April 2024
Is the primary goal of a Medium publication to give writers a place to express themselves or provide readers with meaningful essays they’ll love?
Some of our editors engaged in this interesting conversation on our Slack channel this morning.
Is it Medium’s responsibility to provide a platform where writers can showcase their writing? Or is it the role of a publisher? Some felt that it is Medium’s place to provide the platform and the publisher’s place to provide readers with high-quality writing.
Why can’t it be both? Is it because they’re two different goals?
I created The Memoirist with a very clear vision.
When I did, I was brand new to the platform. I began The Memoirist the week after I signed up. I was not at all familiar with Medium. I was exploring and learning as I began to create.
I’ll be honest. Writing was more important to me than reading. I read. I still read. But writing, refining my creativity, and having a home for my stories meant more to me than seeking out stories to read. Maybe that’s a dick thing to admit, but it’s the truth.
But I love memoirs and essays.
When I first signed up as a writer on the Medium platform, I searched high and low through publication lists. There were plenty that published essays, but none that I could find that were specifically dedicated to memoir writing. Even the publications I could find that published essays either had ridiculous submission guidelines, weren’t accepting new writers, or seemed to be impenetrable.
I positioned The Memoirist for others in the same manner that I had hoped to find a home for my writing. I envisioned a safe place to submit one’s personal stories. A publication built on respect for other writers — rather than to stand in judgment of them. A publication that honors creativity. A publication that helps newer writers find their way. Easy submission guidelines with high standards but helpful and guiding.
I’ve said it a million times, and I’ll say it once more. I envisioned a community.
I thought — if I built that community and remained true to my vision, The Memoirist would become a compendium of amazing, high-quality stories born out of that.
If you build it, they will come.
Memoirs are devastatingly personal.
That’s why respect for writers is so important to me. We are all, after all, writers here. Who is to say that I am any better than anyone else? I’m not. Not by a long shot.
Memoirs are based on the author’s perception.
It can be easy for an outsider to question the honesty of someone’s memory. I’ve been questioned before, and it is hurtful as a memoirist. My memories belong to me and to have the validity of them questioned is heart sickening. Be careful when you comment or critique.
Memories can be precious. Or they can be traumatic. Therefore, we must be careful with other writers.
When I’m editing, I look for mistakes — edit typos and grammatical and punctuation errors. I sometimes make suggestions to help make the story flow and read better. And if a story is incomplete, has too many errors, or doesn’t quite hit the mark, I let the author know it isn’t the right fit and encourage them to submit again. Writing is a learning process. And we should always be learning. Those who can help should help. Not hinder.
We don’t accept every story at The Memoirist. And that can be hard. The more we grow, the more discerning we must be. When these stories are not accepted, it is my hope that we do so in a way that is respectful and considerate. Again, these are personal memories we are dealing with. If you have had a piece returned to you, please try not to take it personally. There could be any number of reasons, even something as simple as it doesn’t fit the definition of a memoir.
Can The Memoirist be a publication that offers both quality writing for our readers and a safe, welcoming, creative community for our writers?
Yes. Yes it can.
Medium Pub Crawl — Thank You
I’d like to extend a huge thank you to those of you who participated in Medium’s Pub Crawl Day. It was so nice to virtually meet many of you; we are lucky to have several new amazing writers join us as a result!
The single most question I received that day was what is the difference between a memoir and a personal essay?
It feels like no matter how many times we try to explain, it’s never clear enough. Following the pub crawl, I thought about how I could best answer the question and came up with a visual chart. I hope it helps!
Lastly, I’d like to thank Sally Prag, who represented our Age of Empathy booth — and did an amazing job — and Suzanne Pisano, who helped both of us out throughout the day.
April Memoir Prompt
We have a new prompt up: The Bully.
Were you bullied growing up? Were you the bully in your younger years? Do you have a story about bullying? Then this month’s theme is for you!
Method to Memoir With Cindy Heath
As many of you know, our resident memoir-writing expert Cindy has a column on The Memoirist called Method to Memoir. If you haven’t checked out some of her articles yet, be sure to! Her newest one was published last week. It’s a must-read!
Thank you to all of you for making The Memoirist the home I envisioned it to be. You are all wonderful. The daily talent we see every day is breathtaking. And thank you to our team of editors who carry the foundation we’re built on every day. You are the best and I adore you all.
— Ki
