What if My Story Doesn’t Matter?

March 13, 2019 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

Last week, we covered some of the scary questions that arise when we’re writing memoir. Today’s question–What if My Story Doesn’t Matter?!–is one we all grapple with at some point. Some folks get stuck here, only writing a few words. Others feel the cold fear of this dagger as they’re getting ready to share their story with the world. First and foremost: if you’re grappling with this doubt, it’s a sure sign that your inner critic is in charge. How do I know? Because I’ve battled this personally as well as helped countless other writers navigate this soul-sucking question. And I’m here to tell you that this question is your inner critic’s attempt to keep you from putting yourself out there. It’s an artillery attack disguised as a checkpoint to keep you in line. Your inner critic’s job, after all, is to keep […]

Will I Get Sued? And Other Scary Questions When Writing Memoir

March 6, 2019 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

Today, let’s talk about some of the scary questions that pop up when we’re writing (or even considering writing) memoir. Will I get sued? Nope. It’s rare for an author to get sued over a memoir. Really. For that to happen, someone would have to convince a lawyer to hire them, which is a stretch, since most lawyers won’t take on a libel case unless they know they’re going to earn a lot of money. So you’d have to be a) pretty famous and/or b) be writing a huge book, like Michelle Obama. I don’t think that applies to most of us. Plus, for a lawyer to win a libel case, they’d have to prove that whatever you wrote was false. Here are some pretty easy ways to protect yourself: • Tell the truth. • Change names and identifying details. • Put a […]