I am blogging my way through 100 suggested topics provided by mixtusmedia
Suggestions #2: Talk about how the story you’re currently writing stands out from others in your genre.
My genre is memoir. I write about my experiences working for luxury hotels in the Canadian Rockies, in Alberta, Lake Louise, and Jasper to be more specific. My debut self-published memoir, Behind The Kitchen Doors ~ The Summers, is about my first three summers working at Chateau Lake Louise before it was a Fairmont. It was a Canadian Pacific Hotel when I started. Fairmont became a part of the hotel chain before 2000. I remember the weeks before the new brand was in place. I was working at Jasper Park Lodge and was sorting through hundreds of spoons, trying to pick out the old CP logo because someone dumped the new Fairmont logo spoons into the main cutlery bins. The back of the house was in chaos most of the time to ensure guests only saw the perfection they paid for in the front of the house.
The question was, how does my story that I am currently writing stand out from other memoirs?
Great question.
My self-doubt says it doesn’t stand out compared to Frank McCourt’s, Angela Ashes, or Matthew McConaughey’s, Greenlights, but it stands on its own for being a hotel memoir and second, how I worked through my personal self-doubt. From the experiences of being thrown into my unofficial first day of work, where I stood in the middle of the main ballroom that could seat 600 comfortably, to being cheated on by a guy who knew was too good to be true. Everyone else knew he was cheating and didn’t tell me. I was fortunate enough to find out myself when I caught him in the act.
Say’s my sassy alter-ego, Sis.
Sis: hi there!
This is another way my current story stands out. Sis, she is me, but I use her voice to share what I can’t seem to say upfront.
I don’t hold back about how I feel about guests who ask for everything on the side, to the personal debate over trying cocaine for the first time one random Saturday morning before the breakfast shift. A supervisor offered it a few of the servers, and this was my first week at Lake Louise.
My story may stand out to only one person or to those who have worked in the hospitality industry, focusing on food and beverage life, then the front desk/operations life. My story is mine but everyone who has travelled will understand, and anyone that has worked for a resort hotel will shake their head in agreement over the nights where we worked until 2am cleaning up after a wedding, conference, insert event here. I wouldn’t change anything, even the personal drama. Everything happens for a reason and being able to share the experiences with you is one of those reasons. Thank you, universe.
To learn more or read my debut memoir, click here.
Thank you for being here with me today.
Until Next Time, Keep on Typing…
