Jul 4, 2024
Sue William Silverman is an award-winning author of eight works of nonfiction and poetry. Her most recent book is Acetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the Soul. Her previous book, How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences, won the gold star in Foreword Reviews Indie Book of the Year Award and the Clara Johnson Award for Women’s Literature. Other works include Love Sick: One Woman’s Journey through Sexual Addiction, made into a Lifetime TV movie; Because I Remember Terror, Father, I Remember You, which won the AWP Award; and The Pat Boone Fan Club: My Life as a White Anglo-Saxon Jew. She is faculty co-chair in the MFA in Writing Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
How Sue came up with the title ‘Acetylene Torch Songs' [2:54]
Writing down situation, emotions and dialogue that grip the reader [4:24]
Addressing the gap in memory [7:03]
Crafting the “Aware” and “Unaware” voice in memoir [11:06]
The untruth about only writing about headline heavy events [16:53]
The power of small moments, sensory language and metaphors [20:54]
Employing texture for the ending of your essay [24:41]
The key distinction between writing an essay collection vs. memoir [29:24]
Connect with Sue:
Website: https://www.suewilliamsilverman.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SueWilliamSilverman
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suewilliamsilverman/
Recent Episodes with Other Writing Teachers
Episode #87 Writing Memoir That Reads Like a Novel and Captivates on Every Page Featuring Joanna Rakoff
Episode #85 Jumping Genres in Writing Featuring Melissa Hart
Episode #83 Writing Your Way Into an Engaging and Enthralling Story Featuring Abigail Thomas
Episode #81 The Art of Writing A Compelling Story Featuring Maggie Smith
https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/
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Estelle’s Latest Articles
I’m Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)
https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/
What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer’s Digest)
https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed
How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing (Wired)
https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/