Memoir Authors discussion

Did anyone keep a journal or diary in high school? I don't know if there is a difference between a journal and a diary. If there is, well just let me know. :-) I kept journals in messy hand-written notebooks all through high school. I wish I had them now. But near the end of high school, and in what I can only describe as a stupid drama-queen (or king in my case) moment I burnt them all, along with letters and photos from old girlfriends. And I really did light a fire. Very dramatic and teenage! I know a gal who is posting her high school journals on her blog, things from forty years ago. Not in a million years would I do that. No, I wouldn't let my teenage self go public.

Ha! Indeed. I trashed the diary when I suspected my mother of snooping and threw away the love letters from girlfriends after I was married.

Great question Wayne. I know I'm late to this party but thought I'd share. Although I was terrified someone would read my journals/diaries (silly now) I kept them. From the beginning of 7th grade through high school I kept journals. They're mostly rants about my unhappiness but they were very helpful when I wrote my memoir. I always knew it was important to keep them. Go figure.

Wayne wrote: "I don't know if there is a difference between a journal and a diary. If there is, well just let me know. :-)"

This quote by Lani Diane Rich should answer your question, Wayne ;-)

"Diaries are for the down and dirty, the stuff you don’t want people to ever find out about you. Journals are the things you leave open around the house, hoping a literary agent will wander in, read it and declare you the next genius of your age."

Wayne wrote: "Did anyone keep a journal or diary in high school?"

YES. I've been writing diaries since my teens. I've published my first book from diaries I kept when I was 19/20: Lesbian Crushes and Bulimia: A Diary on How I Acquired My Eating Disorder.

I'm currently working on the diaries I kept in high school when I was madly in love with my (female) teacher.

Tossed mine, the few letters I kept are enough to make me blush from their childishness. Nope, would not inflict that on the world :)

Didn't know the difference between Diary and Journal. Thanks. I thought diaries were for little girls. And all these years I thought I was writing a journal. Turns out...

Russ wrote: "And all these years I thought I was writing a journal ..."

I'm definitely writing *diaries,* not *journals,* and yet hoping to attract a literary agent through the sheer "down and dirty" horror of them. I'm on torturing my teacher mercilessly with unrequited love, currently. A real challenge to rake up.

Natasha
Love your author profile. I was raised in a conservative Catholic house ("dysfunctional" seems unnecessary to to add [but I guess I'm adding it]). I squeezed through that labyrinth a heterosexual flaming liberal. Perhaps it's how society finds balance?
Russ

Russ wrote: "I was raised in a conservative Catholic house ("dysfunctional" seems unnecessary to to add [but I guess I'm adding it]). I squeezed through that labyrinth a heterosexual flaming liberal. Perhaps it's how society finds balance?"

I wonder what makes some kids copy and some kids question?

Love the title of your book, 'Effed Up!' :-)

Natasha
Yeah, I've thought about that so much. Maybe it's past lives? Dunno. Seriously. Both my kids (I believe) have similar political beliefs/values... but I think they got there on their own. I tried not to push it. Though some of their values come from (what I think is) common sense and a reaction to a significant part of this country that seems to have lost all sense of compassion and humanity (boy, opening up a can of worms there). But it is interesting.
And thank you about the title of the book... I kind of had to fight to get it. But it pretty much sums it up.
Russ

Russ wrote: "And thank you about the title of the book... I kind of had to fight to get it."

It was already taken?? Tell us more, Russ!

Natasha
No, no, it wasn't taken. But my agent had strongly suggested this media person (expert) who read it and suggested "Crazy At The Core." Which was the title for a while, before it was published. I pitched the title, Effed Up - Story of a Family... and she said: "You've got to be kidding me." So it went away. But then my agent and this "expert" fell out of favor with each other, and I said Effed Up is a lot more accurate... and it's a relatively new expression. Hopefully to catch the attention of millennials (?). And he (maybe because he disliked the "expert" so much at this point) agreed.

Russ wrote: "I pitched the title, Effed Up"

So, that all worked out, then :-) I think your title's excellent. Powerful and memorable. Rare.

Not in high school - though that's when I started writing my memoir so I guess that's sort of like a diary. But I did have one in college. Have tried since then, but it never lasts.