WHAT?
I write personal essays and memoir. My essays have won prizes, such as two years in a row from Detroit Working Writers, and I was nominated for a Pushcart in 2015.
My first book, Realizing River City, is an exploration of love, compassion, loss, and ultimately redemption, as it mimics the ebbs and flows of a river to navigate the impact of past relationships on the development of one’s sense of self. It’s been described by Amina Cain, author of I Go to Some Hollow, as “A deeply rich meditation on what it means to be a woman in a sometimes uncertain and complicated world, in relationship to men, but ultimately, and more importantly, to oneself.” Chelsey Clammer, author of BodyHome, described it as “Empowering. Beautiful. Brave. … This is a book that will live in your body long after you have finished it, a book that will embolden your life, always.”
My next project is a collection of essays that will be themed around the nagging uncertainty that exists for all of us when confronted with issues that never saw resolution. They examine situations and encounters that raised unanswerable questions, shoddy memories that shudder with remnants of doubt, and always a subtle sense of guilt that has surfaced from introspection and the passage of time. The points of view speak about and to people of influence, whether they be strangers, lovers, or family members. In the end, the collection is a chorus of voices that are finally getting a chance to speak without inhibitions or limitations in search of an absolute, yet illusive, truth.
WHY?
My interest in writing came from a passion for reading and a burning desire to tell my story. A good story isn’t just a well-written experience; it’s a universal truth that connects with individuals on all levels and seeks answers to unanswerable questions. I’ve had other writers suggest to me that either I’m too young to have written a memoir or that they would never write a memoir of their own because they haven’t lived very interesting lives. I’m not so naïve to think that my experiences are unique and more interesting than the next person. On the contrary, my writing aims to connect with anyone who has endured loss while seeking love or recovered from suffering and come out stronger on the other end.
HOW?
My writing methods are as varied as the work itself. I wish I could say that I have a set time of day that I write, a specific ritual that I follow, and a particular fail-safe method, but none of things are true.
I’m a voracious reader. The more I read, the more I’m inspired to write. The way it works for me is that an image, a sentence, or a memory will wash over me like an ocean wave. I have to quickly scribble it down on a Post-it note or the back of an envelope—or if I’m really prepared—in a moleskin notebook. It’s great for me because when it’s time to write I have piles of ideas to choose from. Sometimes that quick note is enough to generate an essay or a chapter, but sometimes it’s not. I have quite a few unfinished files on my computer of false start essays. Someday, when they’re ready to be written, I’ll go back and finish them.
No matter what your process, I have one piece of advice: Heavily guard your writing time. If you set a goal to write for two hours every Monday night, then you have to turn down Monday night invitations to football parties, birthday dinners, the newest television series, and your dog’s sad eyes begging for a walk. It’s hard to do at first, but equate your writing time to working time. You wouldn’t give up a morning at work for personal business each week because you might not have a job for very long! If you don’t guard your writing time, you won’t produce anything new.
BIO
Melissa Grunow is the author of Realizing River City: A Memoir (Tumbleweed Books, 2016). An award-winning writer and Pushcart Prize nominee, her work has appeared in Creative Nonfiction, River Teeth, Yemassee, New Plains Review, Blue Lyra Review, and Limestone, among many others. She is also a live storyteller who has participated in Listen to Your Mother and often competes in NPR’s Moth StorySLAM. She has an MFA in creative nonfiction from National University and an MA in English from New Mexico State University.
LINKS