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  1. #1

    Default What makes a good AT memoir?

    I was wondering what people's opinions were on their favorite books about the AT. What made you like them? What about books you didn't like? I'm in the middle of a rewrite of my book and thought I'd ask for expert opinions!

  2. #2
    2013 Alleged Thru-Hiker Chuckie V's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Moose View Post
    I was wondering what people's opinions were on their favorite books about the AT. What made you like them? What about books you didn't like? I'm in the middle of a rewrite of my book and thought I'd ask for expert opinions!
    Expert opinions? You've come to the wrong place, I'm afraid! And as a writer, you ought to know the answers already. I mean, would you want to read your book, had it been written by someone else? Is there a story there? Does it entertain, enlighten, educate? If the reader is not of the same mind and in the same mood as the writer, if they have not a common interest, there cannot possibly be contact. Words themselves are a poor means of expression, for all true emotions are inarticulate. Communion is never established by words alone. Your readers need to want to hear your story. Posting these sorts of questions here isn't going to make anyone want to read it, I fear. The average reader doesn't want to read the average story.

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    I really enjoy the books that have a lot of dialogue. The more you can hear people interacting on the trail the better. I also like hearing about the different people you run into on the trail. Descriptive accounts of scenery are awesome if they're done well, though. I'm not a fan of history, geography, geology, etc in memoirs. If it's a little bit of interesting info - that's fine. But Bryson's book comes to mind - I was really into it for the first half and dozed off in the second half. If I wanted a geology book, I would have gotten one.

    Just make it personal. Make it real. If you think your AT hike is worth sharing then it probably is. If you're just writing the book for the sake of writing then it's probably not going to be interesting, anyway. Just my personal opinions...hope it helps! Good luck! Let us know if/when you complete it. I'll def. pick up a copy.
    If a tree falls in the woods, be there to hear it.

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    Registered User Camel2012's Avatar
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    That is a good question. I would suggest checking out some of the writer communities online. Just like WB has a wealth of info for hiking, you can find the same info for authors on other sites. I'm a fiction writer(for pleasure, not profit), and I'm having to do the same thing.
    I would also suggest having other writers review your work. There are a few places that will do critiques.
    Good luck.

  5. #5

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    This is very helpful! I'm definitely adding more dialogue...oh wait...hold on

    "I'm definitely adding more dialogue." Grey Fox said with a smoldering look in his eye.

    I've been doing a lot of reading and writing with other writers, but "expert" opinions are always great! Keep em coming!
    My Nature Writing Blog- http://tommooseblog.wordpress.com/

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    2013 Alleged Thru-Hiker Chuckie V's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Moose View Post
    This is very helpful! I'm definitely adding more dialogue...oh wait...hold on..."I'm definitely adding more dialogue." Grey Fox said with a smoldering look in his eye.
    Vastly improved!

    I think the key thing is just to write and write a lot. You'll see yourself improve over time (and this may have the effect of leaving you wishing you didn't write some of the things you previously did!) Write not for an audience but for yourself. As tds1195 so wisely said, make it real, make it personal. Or make it so absolutely frickin' entertaining that reality doesn't matter!

    And read! There's a reason that all the "best" writers are avid readers. If all a writer is interested in is telling his or her own stories, with no background in hearing or reading others, it'll show.

    Off to go read your blog...


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    Of the memoirs I've read, The Barefoot Sisters books were my favorite. They trade the narrative back and forth, and focus on the people, relationships and experiences, rather than techniques and equipment.
    "It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss

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    Quote Originally Posted by Feral Bill View Post
    Of the memoirs I've read, The Barefoot Sisters books were my favorite. They trade the narrative back and forth, and focus on the people, relationships and experiences, rather than techniques and equipment.
    I agree. I even read their southbound book as I was heading sobo in the mid-Atlantic in Oct/Nov/Dec to try to get an idea of what to expect. I found that useful details were few, other than having an idea of the terrain on days they did big miles, but reading about the ice storms, blizzards and the rest made me appreciate "only" being cold out there. When I finished my thruhike in December I reread their northbound book and enjoyed knowing most of the places they referenced. I read many other books and trail journals and enjoyed them, but the Barefoot Sisters had more interesting stories of what was going on around them. That's why I tried to make a point of at least writing down the names of the people I met along the way, because I liked reading about their interactions with others on the trail.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Moose View Post
    This is very helpful! I'm definitely adding more dialogue...oh wait...hold on
    Just so long as its not too obvious the dialogue is made up. I know there is no way anyone can remember a conversation which happend months earlier unless one takes exceptionally detailed notes at the time. So when I read dialogue in a trail memoir book, I figure that's not exactly what was said, but was probably something along those lines. I suppose thats a given.
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  10. #10

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    Take a chance, put yourself out there. I'm reminded of a movie "Good will Hunting" where Robin Williams say's too Matt Damon, "there's nothing I can't learn in a book about you, unless you want to talk about you"

    I personally like the interactions of players on the trail, so much flavor, so untapped.

    And the folks along the way, the ones you meet in the stores, a local fishing/swimming hole, a Friday night football/baseball game.

    And the aging seniors, I always like hearing stories from older people, it's like a gut check...even if only for a few minutes at a gas station over a coke, I like Pepsi.

    Great luck with your book, I look forward to reading it!

    Post Script I gotta say these are just a few things I might like to put in my book, just let your book be your book, if it's genuine and truthful, then you can't go wrong and you did your job.

  11. #11
    Registered User jurahd's Avatar
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    Default What makes a good AT memoir?

    I my very humble opinion (really) I've read everything I could find on the AT especially Shaffer's seminal north with spring. The barefoot sisters blew me away, both books are amazing. Why aren't they acclaimed by AT enthusiasts? Is it because they accomplished an
    The arduous trek yoyo and barefoot, vegetarian excepting proffered venison? Girls, sisters yet tough and sweet and poetic. You thru hikers out there you're in for a treat in these books.

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    I'm on a tear with reading AT books/memoirs -- I haven't started hiking for real yet, but reading about walking is my latest obsession! I started with "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed (she hiked the PCT, not the AT) and found it utterly compelling. She spends a lot of time on her own stuff (her mother's death, her divorce, etc.) and weaves that throughout the story of her hike. I was drawn in by how her personal journey was also a literal one.

    I love the humor in Bryson. Also read AWOL and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I feel closer to the writer when they reveal a lot of personal stuff, which must certainly be a part of what drives many people to thru-hike. I'm about to start "On the Beaten Path." Also excited to check out the Barefoot Sisters.

    So, from a recent avid reader of trail literature, I am drawn to the ones where I feel like I really get to know the hiker from the inside out. Descriptions of hardship float my boat, too.

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    Tell your own story, your own way in your own voice and it will be a good read. I like the older books best - Earl Shaffer's book
    and David Brill's "As Far as the Eye Can See". Those guys did the walk when there was a lot less support for a hike than now.
    And I like the more recent books too - those by AWOL, the Sisters and Nimblewill Nomad. They all tell a unique story in a unique
    way.

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    Quote Originally Posted by yankeehotelbackpack View Post
    I'm on a tear with reading AT books/memoirs -- I haven't started hiking for real yet, but reading about walking is my latest obsession! I started with "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed (she hiked the PCT, not the AT) and found it utterly compelling. She spends a lot of time on her own stuff (her mother's death, her divorce, etc.) and weaves that throughout the story of her hike. I was drawn in by how her personal journey was also a literal one.

    I love the humor in Bryson. Also read AWOL and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I feel closer to the writer when they reveal a lot of personal stuff, which must certainly be a part of what drives many people to thru-hike. I'm about to start "On the Beaten Path." Also excited to check out the Barefoot Sisters.

    So, from a recent avid reader of trail literature, I am drawn to the ones where I feel like I really get to know the hiker from the inside out. Descriptions of hardship float my boat, too.
    Great point - let he reader know you. Make yourself an interesting "character" that the reader can relate to. This helps a lot!
    If a tree falls in the woods, be there to hear it.

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    Looks as if you've gotten some great advice already. Let me tell you what can destroy a book quicker than anything, "in my book," at least:

    Non-existent editing and fact-checking. I.e., typos; bad punctuation; bad spelling; bad/non-existent use of white space; completely wrong, mis-placed names of places and structures; no table of contents; saying something on one page and contradicting it on another (inconsistency); and speaking of inconsistency, using whatever form of a name that pops into the author's head that instant; mixing tenses; mixing "number;" mis-use of words; lack of photos; skipping sections (yellow blazing) and not honestly saying so; indefinite pronouns; ... all the usual stuff your middle school English teacher taught you for good reason.

    I've got over six dozen AT books on my bookcase. The good ones are all over the board in style, even so are hard to rank among themselves, but share one thing,-- good, tight editing. Likewise, the bad books are all over the board in style, but share one thing,-- those above errors that scream "I, the author, don't respect you, the reader, one iota."

    Rain Man

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  16. #16
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Lack of photos and no table of contents?

    Eliminates a lot of good books out there using that criteria. AT or otherwise.

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  17. #17
    Author, Awol on the Appalachian Trail
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    Hi Tom. I know nothing about your writing, so this post is not intended to be critical of you. This is my general advice and opinions on writing.

    Knowing solid technical fundamentals is the first requisite of writing. You are not a mechanic because you like cars or have driven lots of them. Mechanics know how to work on cars. Likewise, you’re not a writer until you have some mastery of writing tools. These resources are excellent; “The Elements of Style,” “The Art of Fiction,” “On Writing Well,” “Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words.”

    Don’t be afraid to write simple sentences and to use simple words. It’s tempting to think that your readers will to be transported by beautiful, poetic streams of elegant words. It’s more likely that they’ll be frustrated by attempting to parse run-on sentences. Readers appreciate clarity. “Big” words have their place. They should be used only when they are the most precise way to convey a specific meaning. Some writers are compelled to do the opposite; they litter their text with pretentious words even when those words do not fit the meaning that they intend. If you use an uncommon word, look it up to be certain that it means what you think it does.

    Be stingy with punctuation and emphasized words. If I’m looking for a book to read, the first thing I’ll do is scan for exclamation points, italicized words, and words set with bold font. If there are a few of these on multiple pages, I’ll pass. The exclamation point is a lazy way to generate emotion (that sentence was meant to be funny, you should laugh now). Emphasized words are controlling and distracting. I you feel compelled to add an exclamation point or to make a word bold, it’s an indication that the sentence needs to be restructured so that it’s inherently funny, or that better words should be chosen in order provide the proper emphasis.

    Rewriting is most of the work. Jerry Maquire may have experienced exceptional enlightenment, but whatever he put on paper in a single night had to have been garbage. Good writing doesn’t happen that way. Assume that anything that you write in the first pass is full of errors and redundancy and could be rewritten better in about one-third as many words.

    Have a thick skin. Find critical readers to review your work and have them review it early and often. Don’t fret about having others see your work “before it is ready.” You’ll be less receptive to change if you have a lot committed to paper. If a reviewer sees a number of pages and says that they are great as-is, then all that you’ve learned is that he’s not the right person to review your writing.

    For AT stories in particular, a common pitfall to avoid is the long build-up. I’ve read dozens of these books, and I’m least patient with those that devote a quarter of the book to describing every turn of fate that fueled their desire to hike, every trip to REI to get their gear, every bit of advice from the sage veteran. Readers want to read about hiking the AT. Get on with it. Revisit your motivations, in measured doses, after we know more about you.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Awol2003 View Post
    For AT stories in particular, a common pitfall to avoid is the long build-up. I’ve read dozens of these books, and I’m least patient with those that devote a quarter of the book to describing every turn of fate that fueled their desire to hike, every trip to REI to get their gear, every bit of advice from the sage veteran. Readers want to read about hiking the AT. Get on with it. Revisit your motivations, in measured doses, after we know more about you.
    Yup. Great point, AWOL. I can think of a few books with too much build up. People reading these books usually want info on hiking the AT - so give them info on hiking the AT!
    If a tree falls in the woods, be there to hear it.

  19. #19

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    This is a lot of really good advice. I think I'm actually going to print this post out and stuff it in my writing folder. AWOL-thanks especially for your help. I've read your book and thoroughly enjoyed it. (And we've met on a handful of occasions, Liteshoe and I are used to live near each other and I'd always track her down at Trail Daze.)

    What, in everyone's opinion, is too much build up? I am currently in the rewriting/editing the book for the seventh (eighth?) time, and was thinking I may have to many chapters before I get down to business. Currently it's three chapters, about 4700 words.

    Wow-that sounds like a lot now that I've typed it out.

    I'm gonna have to check out the Barefoot Sisters-never read their stuff. And who is this Bryson guy everyone keeps mentioning, did he write an AT book or something?
    My Nature Writing Blog- http://tommooseblog.wordpress.com/

  20. #20

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    I promise my lack of spelling and grammar in these posts is not found in my writing!
    My Nature Writing Blog- http://tommooseblog.wordpress.com/

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