Author Guest Post - Jeannette Katzir

Having just finished reading her memoir "Broken Birds", I asked Jeannette if she would compose a guest blog for me, describing one aspect of the writing or publishing process for us. I felt this would be better suited for her and her memoir - and add a different level to my usual "author interview" post. Here is what Jeannette very thoughtfully wrote:

Why I wrote Broken Birds, The Story of My Momila

I wrote Broken Birds for the same reason I photograph things: to allow others to take a peek inside my soul.

When my mother died, almost 6 years ago, my world imploded. All the life lessons I had learned were thrown up into the air, and I was in pain. Writing allowed me a healthy avenue to go through the pain.

“Write everything you’d like to say,” I was told when I first began. The book was massive, but I said everything to everyone I had ever wanted to, and that felt great.

I began to write in almost a frenzy. . . anywhere and everywhere. While on trips abroad, I would take my manuscript and write and re-write in lieu of watching in-flight movies. While driving back from a photo shoot in a national park, I sat in the back seat and scribbled my thoughts.

Writing is liberating and the perfect medium to expel all the thoughts, feelings and questions one might have regarding any selected subject. In memoir writing, the biggest challenge is attempting not to have the book too jaded, but it is inevitable because the book is coming from you and out of your eyes.

Writing a memoir is a balancing act of reader interest and the personal project called Broken Birds. Objectivity is a long and difficult word. Parts of the book I feel are needed are carved down to make the information more palatable for the reader, while always making sure the flow is smooth.

Writers write because we have something to say– a story to tell–and because, tucked away between the vowels and consonants, you’ll find us.

Jeannette Katzir, Author of Broken Birds, The Story of My Momia
www.brokenbirds.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:As a child of Holocaust survivors, Jeannette Katzir's life has been a study of the lasting effects of war. Inspired by her own family experiences, Katzir has dedicated years to in-depth research of the impact of World War II on survivors and their children. (Author Blurb from "Broken Birds")