Al Desetta
Why is it So Hard to Write a Memoir by Yourself?
I’ve worked with many people who tried to write memoirs, hit a brick wall, and then hired me as their ghostwriter. Writing about...
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AL DESETTA
MEMOIR
GHOSTWRITER
A Personalized Approach to Telling Your Life Story
Al Desetta
2 min read
Hire a Writer, Not a Company (a memoir is an act of discovery, not a formula)
In making the decision to hire a memoir ghostwriter, some people consider hiring a ghostwriting company. It might, on paper, seem like a...
Al Desetta
2 min read
Is a Memoir a Strip Tease? (or how much candor is enough?)
Memoir is a subtle genre. It’s not a tell-all or a strip tease in public. TMI, or the wrong kind of information, can really sink a book...
Al Desetta
2 min read
Some Random Musings About Faulkner (yes, it’s related to memoir)
I’ve always adored Faulkner. Bored with the usual high school literary fare, I picked up The Sound and the Fury when I was 16 or 17....
Al Desetta
2 min read
Voice as Style in Ghostwriting (how memoirs resonate with readers)
I recently finished a memoir for a client, who told me, quite happily, “My daughter read it and loved it—she said the memoir sounds...
Al Desetta
2 min read
Great Expectations (or emotional resonance in memoir)
Someone once said that every novel could be called Great Expectations. The same could be said about every memoir. The cycles of...
Al Desetta
2 min read
Do You Need to Meet with a Ghostwriter in Person?
Is it necessary to meet with a ghostwriter in person to work on a memoir together? Not in my view. I’ve lost a few jobs because of that...
Al Desetta
1 min read
‘I’d Love to Write a Memoir but I Don’t Have the Time!’
That’s where I come in. As a seasoned memoir ghostwriter, I’ve developed a streamlined system to accommodate the busy schedules of CEOs,...
Al Desetta
2 min read
Why hire a memoir ghostwriter?
There are a number of reasons. --Lack of writing skills is usually the first. Not everyone is a skilled writer, or at least not in the...
Al Desetta
2 min read
Autobiography vs. Memoir: What’s the Difference?
I’m asked this question a lot and there are some key differences. An autobiography is a comprehensive account of a person's entire life,...
Al Desetta
2 min read
How should you begin a memoir? One strategy is with a powerful scene or turning point.
The beginning of a memoir is crucial in grabbing the reader's attention and setting the tone for the book. One strategy is to begin with...
Al Desetta
2 min read
What Makes a Good Business Memoir?
For me, what makes a good business memoir is the human story behind the struggle to succeed against the odds. Will there be helpful,...
Al Desetta
2 min read
How to Write a Memoir (or avoiding common mistakes in writing about yourself)
One of the main reasons to hire a memoir ghostwriter is to avoid common mistakes in memoir writing. --Focusing too much on the past. It’s...
Al Desetta
2 min read
Teaching Barack to Salute (or emotional resonance in memoir)
On the morning after his first inauguration, President Barack Obama asked his presidential valet, Cmdr. Samuel Sutton, USN, for advice on...
Al Desetta
3 min read
Will this be the year you finally write your memoir?
Memoirs can be written by anyone, regardless of their background or experiences. Hemingway once said, “Any man’s life, told truly, is a...
Al Desetta
1 min read
It’s Never Too Late to Write a Memoir
Such was the case with Marina DiMaggio, who contacted me at age 86. A few months before, she had walked into her living room in northern...
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