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Photos by Wendy Tang
Cheryl Tan is a New York-based writer and author of A Tiger in the Kitchen - a memoir about discovering her Singaporean family by learning to cook with them. A Tiger In The Kitchen was published by New York City-based Hyperion in 2011. Here is a recap of her creative writing workshop, “Digging Up Skeletons: How to Mine Your Family History for Stories“ on October 7, 2012 at City University of Hong Kong. She offered tips on interviewing family members and how to structure a book. -
At the @litfest_hk to support @cheryltan88 and learn about finding stories from family history #AAJAlove [pic]: http://4sq.com/UL7CRm -
Big thanks to @wwtang for #Aaja love @ …Mon, Oct 08 2012 07:13:010
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Writing Tip from @cheryltan88: get the characters out of the comfort zone to get them speaking, to flush out their characters
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: treat your family members as characters – to be objective – when you write about them in family memoirs
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Tip: find an activity to do when you interview your characters @cheryltan88 said cooking is a way for women to express their family love
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In Tan’s case, she chose cooking as the activity which she got many stories out of it.
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Writing tip: @cheryltan88 said use old photos or old artifacts to trigger your characters to speak about memories or spend a weekend w/ them
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Tan’s main character in the book is her grandmother. However, her grandmother passed away in 1985 and she interviewed family members who knew her well to get more stories about her grandmother.
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: talk to people who knew your main character to get more stories out of it. #litfest_hk
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Tan emphasized the importance of recording the interviews on tape, just in case if there is a conflict between family members. Also recording the interview on video can trigger the writer’s senses, especially if the writer picks up the writing months after the interviews.
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: record family history on tape, took as many photos or videos to trigger your senses when you write #AAJA
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: find the universal thing in your book that will keep people turning the page in a family memoir
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Tan talked about how she utilizes her blog while writing her memoir. Besides using it to document her journey on writing the book, she also uses it as a tease to her readers and a way to let her audience to learn about her voice.
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: start a blog to find your voice if you are planning to write a memoir and may get noticed by editors
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: then look back at your blog post a week later to see what works for your memoir – finding voices
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: use a blog to build audience, write about story that can’t make it to the book. A blog = addition to the book
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: checking out the modern love column of @nytimes .com to see how others’ love story can keep people interested
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: “every family is weird” just need to find why it’s relevant to others & why ppl will read about your family
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: make people connect with the characters by including the photos and videos in the book or (ebook?)
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: think of it as writing 12 lengthy essays when structuring a book in different chapters.
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: every story in the book needs to further the narrative, journalism experience helps writing a book.
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Writing tip from @cheryltan88: ask the same Q 10 times if the answer isn’t quite right, 9 times may be fake but 10th time may be the truth
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To contact AAJA-NY member @cheryltan88: atigerinthekitchen@gmail.com
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