I received a sweet note yesterday from a woman in her 70s who writes short stories for the local magazine I write for. Her daughter is my editor. I’d written this kind-hearted woman to tell her how much I enjoy reading her stories, which are about her early mothering years and what she learned. I told her she’s one of my mentors through her writing. I think I can learn a thing or two from someone who is a great-grandmother and lived to tell about it!

Now her daughter (my editor) wants to know if I have any information on how her mom can publish these stories in other places. Oh, if I had the time, I’d love to teach a workshop on the topic of “Turning Your Memories into Memoirs.” When my kids are grown, this is my dream! I would hold my “writing retreat” at a resort in the mountains, where everyone could go off to little cabins to write, or sit by a lake or a mountain and write. Then we’d all take nature hikes together … well, you get the picture. *sigh*

I think everyone, especially people over age 50, should be writing a memoir. EVERYONE! After reading as many as I’ve read lately, I know there are certain formulas and techniques that can turn an average person’s life story into something worthy of being on a library or bookstore shelf. You don’t have to be famous to have a life story that can impact the next generation.

Just think — if you grew up in the 1940s or 1950s, kids today are studying these eras in school. When they need a book for research on what people ate, wore, listened to, watched on TV, and thought about — you’re the expert. And if you’re a Christian, your worldview can be tied into everything you write. Don’t you think that’s pretty important? Especially if you’ve managed to raise a family who hasn’t gone bonkers — and you’ve been married 30 years or more. You have a mission to get your stories out there!

OK, can you tell I’m passionate about this topic?

Well, how do you start writing a memoir? You definitely don’t want to start with “My name is Helen, and I was born in 1934, and my parents’ names are ….blah blah blah.” YAWN. You want to make your memoir a collection of short stories that center around a focal theme — such as coming of age in the 40s, or how your faith developed as a girl raised in a non-Christian home, or how certain people influenced the course of your life, etc.

One way to motivate yourself to write short stories is to first look for markets that are seeking short stories. There are several ways to do that! First, get a copy of Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market — your story could be published in any number of inspirational magazines or devotional materials. Yet you won’t even know about these markets without a market guide.

Another place is the Novel & Short Story Writers’ Market. There are plenty of anthology editors and other places that are actively seeking TRUE non-fiction short stories. Or you may want to turn your life story into a novel or some fictional short stories. A lot of people do this, but it’s MUCH harder to sell fiction than non-fiction because people think writing fiction is easier. But it’s definitely NOT, and there are fewer markets buying fiction.

One good place to start is to submit some stories to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. The editors are always seeking short stories — there are tons of deadlines coming up in the next few months, as well as the next several years. The great thing about these books is that they only buy non-exclusive rights, which means you still own the rights to your stuff, and it can be published elsewhere. So if you’ve written a great story on your blog, Chicken Soup may buy it from you, even though it’s technically already been published online.

And you get paid! The going rate for most Chicken Soup stories is $200 right now. Not bad for a blog post, huh? And if you happen to have a super-fantastic story, or you happen to be a SOMEbody, you can be paid even more. A well-known writer recently told me she received “in the five figures” for one of her short stories to be included in a Chicken Soup book. Five figures. That means over $10 grand. For one story. (I think that could possibly get one of our kids through one year of college!)

In the future, if anyone emails me to ask, “How can I get my short stories published?” I’m going to send you a link to this post! Chicken Soup wants you! The editors and publishers in the Writers’ Market want you! But how hard are you willing to work? How badly do you want it? If you really want to see your stories in print, you can’t just send out your unedited diary entries or blog posts. You may want to take a writing class or join a critique group and get feedback from people.

I have a master’s degree in English education, but I don’t teach a class right now outside of helping my own kids with their homework! And I don’t critique people’s work either. So please don’t send me a file of your short story or novel chapter to look at. I just can’t do it right now. But I hope to someday! It’s a dream I’ll hold onto as my kids grow up.

Here are the upcoming Chicken Soup for the Soul topics — you can submit directly from the website, which contains descriptions of all these books, as well as writing guidelines.

One tip: you don’t have to write your own story — you can “ghostwrite” for someone else. And you don’t have to use your own name; you can write under a pen name. But the story must be true!

African American Teen’s Soul
Alzheimer’s Soul
Beach Lover’s Soul
Cat Lover’s Soul II
Catholic Soul
Children with Special Needs
Chocolate Lover’s Soul
Christmas Treasury Collection
Co-Dependent’s Soul
Coach’s Soul
Coffee Lover’s Soul
College Graduate’s Soul

Cooking with Kids
Cowboy’s Soul
Crafter’s, Knitter’s and Quilter’s Soul
Dating Soul
Democrat’s Soul
Dog Lover’s Soul II
Empty Nester’s Soul
Entrepreneur’s Soul 2
Entrepreneur’s Soul for Women
Extraordinary Teen’s Soul
Football Lover’s Soul
Girl’s Soul II
Healthy Living – Anxiety
Healthy Living – Depression
Healthy Living – Pain Management
Healthy Living – Sleeplessness
Healthy Living – Smoking
Healthy Living Recipes
High School Graduate’s Soul
Kid’s Soul Illustrated Series
Life Lessons for Raising Great Kids!
Life Lessons on Relationships/Couples
Menopausal Soul
Motorcyclist’s Soul
No Specific Title
Nurse’s Soul II
Red Hat Society
Republican’s Soul
Runner’s Soul
Sisters’ and Brothers’ Soul
Soul in Love
Soulful Guide to Alaska/Hawaii
Soulful Guide to California
Soulful Guide to Florida
Soulful Guide to New England
Soulful Guide to New York
Soulful Guide to Texas
Soulful Guide to the Great Lakes
Soulful Guide to the Great Plains
Soulful Guide to the Mid-Atlantic
Soulful Guide to the Northwest
Soulful Guide to the South
Soulful Guide to the Southwest
Stay At Home Mom’s Soul
Stepfamily’s Soul
Tea Lover’s Soul
Teenage Soul – The Real Deal on Self Esteem
Teenage Soul Daily Inspirations
Twenty-Something Soul
Weight Loss/Diet
Wine Lover’s Soul
Working Mom’s Soul

Click here, then click on “Story Guidelines” to read more details about what they’re looking for and how to submit. Happy Writing!!!

P.S. Congratulations to the person who wrote to tell me her mother/daughter story was accepted to be published in a book! I’m humbled that God used me to send that tip your way — because now thousands of people will read your awesome story!!