Burned: A Memoir

Louise, Anne and DadOne year before the accident—Jones

Beach, N.Y.

My Story

When I was four and my sister, six, my parents Hank and Dorothy Nayer were severely burned in the basement of our rented Cape Cod summer cottage.

My sister and I lived on a farm in upstate New York with our aunt, uncle and cousins. We didn’t see our parents for nine months.

I spent over ten years writing this story until it found a home at Atlas and Co. in New York.

My mother had 37 operations, mostly on her face and hands

Louise, Anne and cousin, Jean, on a farm in Sherbourne, New York

Halloween

Writing the Story

I revised the book three times, changing point of view—ultimately creating a “bigger” book by including the stories of all four of the members of my family.

I worked hard on language—using sensory detail which came naturally to me since I had been a poet for many, many years.

Creating conflict, suspense, back story and structuring the book was a challenge—but a good challenge.

Time Shifts The book really consisted of many stories which I had to

merge: back story to give context to my parents’ lives panic attacks and fear of crossing the bridge my parents story—before and after the accident—their

hospitalizations the story of the two sisters—Anne and me—and how we

coped I decided to end the book when I was still young and then

create an epilogue with facts up to the present time.

Research

I needed to research the time period—cleaning products such as Bon Ami vs. Ajax!

What movies did my parents go to in the 50’s? What books were they reading?

I interviewed my parents, sister, friends of my parents and cousins.

I went to the UCSF medical library and learned about burn treatments in the 1950’s. I visited the St. Francis burn center.

Writing “The Truth” On the third and final revision, I tried to get everyone’s

“truth.” My sister, though devastated initially by reading about the accident and reliving that period of time—felt I had accurately portrayed her. The book ultimately helped both of us heal.

My cousins, as well, were happy with the book. My cousin, Robert, was annoyed I had said the dog was a Bassett Hound when in fact he was a Beagle—a small bit of misinformation!

My parents both died before I wrote this final version. Though I believe they would have been proud of the book—I could not write certain scenes while they were still alive.

Ethical concerns loom large when writing a memoir. I was glad, ultimately, not to seriously offend anyone.

Creating a New Family

My sister, Anne, and me during my book tour.

Ending quote

“I want hard stories, I demand them from myself. Hard stories are worth the difficulty. It seems to me the only way I have forgiven anything, understood anything, is through that process of opening up to my own terror and pain and reexamining it, re-creating it in the story, and making it something different, making it meaningful—even if the meaning is only in the act of the telling.”

Dorothy Allison

The Book’s Success

Burned: A Memoir was a finalist for the USA Book News AwardBurned…was listed as one of ten upcoming titles in Oprah Magazine along with Ian McEwan and Annie Lamott!I did readings all over the country—at bookstores and on radio shows, including NPRI was a speaker at the World Burn Congress(Phoenix Society), leading a workshop for burn survivors and their families.People have written to me from all over the country about the book and how much it moved them.

Thank you to WLA

I am honored beyond words to have had my book Burned: A Memoir chosen for the 2011 WLA Literary Association award.

Thank you Jean Anderson and Amy Lutzke and to all the committee members for choosing my book and for all the work you do.

Please stay in touch through my website and feel free to ask me any questions about my book and/or memoir writing.

www.louisenayer.com