I recently participated in a group reading where the topic was abandoned writing, works that had “lived fast, died young, and left a beautiful corpse,” in the words of the organizer. My first thought when I learned of the topic was that I would have preferred another event, one that allowed me to read painlessly from my upcoming novel. But then it came to me, just what writing to choose: my abandoned memoir project. Some part of me must have known at the time that it was not an entirely sound idea, as it was actually titled (unironically, by the way) “Good in Theory.”
Here’s the set-up: In January 2006, two weeks before I sold my first novel, the man I loved dumped me. I decided that the best revenge would be to sell a memoir chronicling my grief and my recovery, the road to publishing success and hopefully new love. And I wanted to sell this memoir before the manuscript had been completed, before some events had actually been lived, and so I wrote up a proposal, which is basically a marketing document to explain why in heaven’s name anyone would want to read such a book.
What you’re thinking is, No one in heaven’s name would want to read such a book. You are correct. At the time, however, I was delusional. I mean, my proposal actually had lines like, “I’ll experience the high of foreign sales, and the low of an author photo.” THIS WAS MY ATTEMPT TO SELL A BOOK! This was me explaining why, in the sea of lives worth documenting, the vast world of memoir-worthy people and events, mine should be chosen. The good news is, nearly three years later, it made for a funny reading.
My life has changed a lot in that time. It hasn’t necessarily become more memoir-worthy, but my second book is due out in a just a few months and I’ve indeed found love again with marriage and family coming up on its heels. It was actually pretty cool, getting the chance to revisit the past. Still, the lesson for me is to never try to market your catharsis. That was one project that lived up to its name.