British author, publisher and writer's mentor Jo Parfitt has lived the expat rollercoaster since she first married and moved abroad with her husband Ian in 1987. Jo lived in Dubai, Oman, Norway, England and now the Netherlands – each time determined to work as a writer and mentor whilst abroad.
Jo wrote thirteen computer handbooks in plain English for Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Pitman and Paradigm. She has worked as a features journalist, taught creative writing and memoir writing classes and was once the editor of Woman Abroad magazine.
Jo authored French Tarts and co-authored her second cookbook, Dates.She wrote Expat Entrepreneur, Find Your Passion, Release The Book Within, A Moving Landscape and the definitive A Career in Your Suitcase, which has sold over 5,000 copies and is now in its third edition.
Since she has been in The Netherlands, Jo has been actively involved in the Expatriate Archive Centre and runs their writing program, teaching people to write their life stories. It is this work that has led Jo to become passionate about the role that life story writing has to play in every type of writing, including memoir, blogs, journals, non-fiction, poetry and fiction, and which ultimately inspired Jo to create her new DVD/workbook/audio home-study program, Write Your Life Stories.
Expat Women's Interview With Jo
Expat Women: Jo, you have been mentoring writers for years. How can someone know if they are ready to write their life stories?
Jo: Expats especially, have so many life stories to share. If some of your life experiences keep coming back to you as they resonate through the years, or if there are some defining moments that stay in your mind like snapshots, then these are the memories that you should give a voice to now. They define you and your life and are worth keeping.
I believe that if you have a collection of about 25 stories and can find what Natalie Goldberg calls 'a red thread' with which to bind them together, then you have enough material for a publishable book. Not everyone wants to be published, but many people want to leave a record or a legacy for their children and grandchildren. If you would like to do this, then do so. Do not let your memories go to waste.
Expat Women:Your new Write Your Life Stories home-study program includes a rich collection of anecdotes and samples from your students' life stories in addition to extracts from published life story authors such as Robin Pascoe, Mike Harling and Ruth van Reken. Can you please share with our audience a few moving stories or experiences from your students?
Jo: Many stories spring to mind, but I think the ones that stay with me and that I find myself retelling are those that deserve a mention here. Firstly, there is Fanny, whose parents survived concentration camps. She is Dutch but has lived in many countries and her global nomad identity is striking. Her piece about what happened when her sister, after the war, came downstairs in a striped shirt, and how her parents reacted, hits hard.
And then there's Cecilia, who is Swedish, and now lives in Holland with her Dutch husband. Cecilia had a difficult childhood and was banished from the family home aged sixteen. Her profile of her mother, that begins with the words: "I don't even know the colour of your eyes. I know that dark look; the wrinkle between your eyebrows creasing so hard it turns in to one large crevasse. I know the anger coming out of your eyes, while your back is hunching. I know the blow that will come next. Never to my face – I always manage to get my head out of the way first." Cecilia's writing throughout the course was exceptional, but this piece is fabulous.
Finally, my third choice has to be Maggie, a Norwegian/American, who never dared to write in class, but then went home to produce some memorable work about her childhood. She also produced a wonderful piece inspired by the fact that one of the other students in the class was pregnant, and it made her think of her own relationship with her granddaughter. I am delighted that Maggie is now working with me to write her full length memoir as a legacy for her children and grandchildren.
All of my students write something of merit during my classes. It was hard to choose who to include in my program.
Expat Women: Jo, what do you believe are the key elements of a high-quality, written life story?
Jo: The five ingredients that I believe are vital in any piece of life story writing can be summed up as SPICE: Specifics; Place; Incident; Character; and Emotion. Add all five to any of your stories and it will leap off the page and live again for the reader. In my experience, it is Emotion that most people are reticent about adding. And dialogue, that most vital of ingredients, tends to scare people, but once they start they realise it is much easier than they thought.
Expat Women:Do you have a checklist for new writers who want to go the whole way and write a publishable book?
Jo:Sure. Though, I hasten to explain that not everyone wants to write a book. Many will be delighted to write their stories and keep them in a simple binder. But, there are many readers of Expat Women who have the experience and expertise to write a really great, marketable book, so if this is you, here is my sample checklist for a budding new author:
1.
Are you clear about your motivation for writing a book? Money, fame, reputation, legacy, sharing what you know?
2.
Do you know who your competition is? Have you read those books, decided what works and what does not and checked out their Amazon rating?
3.
Does your book idea have a wow factor? What is its Unique Selling Proposition (USP)?
4.
Do you already have some fans, a tribe, Twitter followers, a blog, a website and lots of articles and other material out there on the Internet?
5.
Do you have a support group, a mentor, a coach, writing buddies and/or trusted readers who can give you feedback every step of the way?
6.
Are you prepared to write in your natural voice, simply, easily, accessibly and aim for a incomplete first draft before going back to edit it?
7.
Have you decided the format of your book and which of the following you are going to have in your book? Personal anecdotes; case studies; illustrations; tips; tasks; summaries; expert opinions; quotations; resources; bulleted lists; sub-headings and so on…
8.
Have you mind-mapped your book?
9.
Have you mind-mapped one chapter?
10.
Have you written a contents list, complete with foreword, acknowledgements, title page, resource section and so on and received feedback on it?
11.
Have you written a sample chapter and received feedback on it?
12.
Have you explored the options available for publication: agent; publisher; print on demand; setting up your own publishing company; or using an online publisher or other author solutions service?
When you have completed this chart above you are well on your way to making your dream of writing a book a reality.
Expat Women: As an editor, what are some of the most common mistakes that you see new writers make?
Jo:There are many common mistakes that people make over and over again. I have a list of 20 of them in my program, but here I would like to share the mistakes that tend to stop people writing and that lead them to abandon their writing dreams.
1.
They do not write in their natural voice. They try too hard. It is not necessary to be someone you are not. Be yourself, write as you speak.
2.
They write a stream of consciousness, diary style, string of thoughts, instead of in stories: stories with a plot, people and a sense of place.
3.
They forget to add people to their stories. People talk and move. You interact with them and that reveals both your character and theirs. Dialogue moves a story on. Always add people.
4.
They do not get support or feedback. The only way you will believe in yourself and stay motivated is to have other people read your work and comment. Join a writers' circle. Get a mentor. Do not write alone.
5.
They make too many excuses. I recently blogged about excuses here. They are not reasons for not writing, they are excuses. Even if you only have ten minutes a day, you have time to write. If you are not sure if you are good enough – get feedback. If you are afraid of failure – start small with maybe one story or one blog entry and feel what success is like. Shift your thinking.
6.
If you are still not sure if you are good enough – take a course (online, a local workshop, a summer school). Meet other writers, indulge in writing for fun and welcome the critique you receive. This will boost your confidence and make you friends who will become your supporters.
Expat Women: Jo, thank you very much for sharing with us your hard-earned wisdom about the writing process. Your career is an ongoing, great inspiration to globally-mobile writers and we wish you all the best with your new Write Your Life Stories home-study program.
