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This week, you'll hear from Laila Rall, a writer working on a memoir about her chaotic, bicultural childhood with an unstable mother. We will explore two of the biggest challenges writers of coming-of-age memories grapple with: when does my story really begin and how do I gracefully insert my wisdom into scenes that involve very young narrators?

Episode Highlights

2:25 Exploring the Scope of Your Book
3:15 Feedback on the Childhood Voice
5:43 Are You Starting in the Right Place
7:15 The Importance of Beat Sheets
18:15 Maintaining the Mystery

Resources Mentioned During This Episode

Suzette Mullen Interview
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr

Laila’s Bio: Laila found her most meaningful work as a teacher after pursuing a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Education from UC Berkeley. She’s currently writing a memoir about her chaotic, bicultural childhood that included a murder trial, misattributed paternity, an outing to exhume a dead relative, transatlantic smuggling, and a life-changing promise to a pig. She lives in Santa Cruz, California, and loves cave diving, close encounters with sharks, and dark espresso.

Connect with Laila

Substack: https://lailacoryrall.substack.com

Connect with your host, Lisa:
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Free Your Writing Voice, Fuel Your Motivation is a 12-week course designed to help you reconnect with the creative spark that brought you to the page in the first place. https://lisacooperellison.com/free-your-writing-voice-find-your-motivation/

Produced by Espresso Podcast Production

The Challenges of Writing Coming-of-Age Memoirs