Writing Memoir

Thomas Hugh Patterson,

After my sister's passing, I received a huge bundle of pictures that she and my mother had in Coronado, I want to use many of them in my second book, Roxie and Alfred: A story of Courage, Resilience, and Survival. I thought I was finished with this book, I'd even started a third one, and my publisher was about to begin the publication process with this one, but with new images and information, I am forced to rewrite the first few chapters. That's the thing with memoir, you can't just make up something when your story isn't working. You have to expend new energy on research and such to make sure the dates, locations, and scenes are as accurate as possible.

Alfred Patterson (son of Thomas)

This is going to be quite a challenge. Starting with chapter one, I will be researching my great grandfather's settlement in western North Carolina near the Smokies. I think it was in Little River, N.C. I'm not sure yet. I am trying to get to when and where his son, my grandfather, was born. And how he, Alfred, migrated to eastern North Carolina where he met my grandmother, Roxie, Then, I plan to go on and find out how and when, before marrying her, he took off from there on a merchant ship as a member of the UK Merchant Marines bound for merry old England at age 18.