Learning How to Write

Susan Briggs Wright

     It was September, 2008 when I persuaded my friend, Peggy, to join me in a memoir writing class at the Women’s Institute of Houston. I chose that particular class because the instructor, Susan Briggs Wright, had outstanding credentials. I began to have second thoughts as the date drew closer. I called Susan about my hesitancy. “Will I have to read my assignments to the class?” The trepidation I was feeling was evident to Susan. She assured me that there would be no pressure to read our work before the class. I braced myself for the first class. We met every Wednesday afternoon. Gradually I felt comfortable about reading my work before the class. Susan and my classmates gave me constructive feedback which really helped develop my writing skills. I soon began to see some structure in writing down memories of my life with my mother. As time passed during the next two years, I began to set aside about two hours each afternoon for writing. The thoughts that would spring up in my mind were quickly added to my “parking lot.” Susan taught us this device - making a Word file in which I parked all my thoughts that I might want to develop at a later time. Finally my work was completed on the book of letters. It was published by iUniverse, an on-line publisher in 2011 and the memoir was published in 2012.
 

Susan told us she was editing and contributing to a collection of memoirs called Coping with Transition: Men, Motherhood, Money, and Magic – Memoirs from the Lives of Professional Women, published by Texas Review Press, a prestigious academic publisher. I was flattered to be asked for my feedback on several prototypes for a cover design. Susan encouraged me to speak frankly, and I did. When the book came out I thoroughly enjoyed the variety of the 15 stories. Some were sad, some poignant, and others just very funny. I get a kick out of seeing the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites, reading the reviews there and feeling pleased at having been part of the focus group on the cover.
 

I recently received the following thank you letter from Susan:

Dear Diane,

I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for your special contribution to my qualitative focus group on cover designs for Coping With Transition: Men, Motherhood, Money, and Magic—Memoirs from the Lives of Professional Women. It’s a very long title. In our wisdom, we authors thought the letters would surely fill all the space on the cover. So we instructed our designer, to do several test versions with strong graphic treatments. Fortunately, he was wiser than we and included one concept with a picture, a wintry park scene. About a dozen women around the country reacted via e-mail. Strong likes, strong dislikes and no convergence on the graphics. “Those graphics assault me!” said a woman suffering through a painful divorce. “The cover needs to say. ’Come with me, You can trust me. This will be good.’” That kind of comment got us looking more carefully at the picture option! We liked the layout but were cool to the park scene. That’s when I showed the prototypes to you. Your comment was, “You’re coping, but where’s the companionship—the camaraderie?” Your question gave us the insight we needed to envision a totally different cover image to reflect the spirit of our stories. The book seems to be selling well online and at readings we’re doing at book clubs and bookstores. We lift our lemonade glasses to you!

Fondly, Susan

I’m glad I was candid in my comments and pleasantly surprised to see how well they were taken to heart.

Susan’s next term for her class, Legacy and Heritage, will start Tuesday, February 5, 2013.