Day 23 - ugly memories

During a day of quality writing, I have made a breakthrough on the overall direction of 'How To Survive Your 20's In One Piece'.

The book is constructed around an A-Z glossary of things we are likely to encounter in our 20's.

But to what extent should these things be dealt with? How do I want the reader to feel after they have read my views on topics as big as stress, debt, marriage, mortagages and love?

Do I want to be a self help guru? Or do I want to do tell my story how it is and let people draw their own conclusions on life from 20-29?

I read a couple of books over the weekend by young guys writing about their lives. The first was by the alcoholic nightlife journalist Tom Sykes, called 'What did I do last night?', about his escapades as a journalist who is plied with free alcohol from the minute he starts his working life.

The second was 'A Million Little Pieces' by James Frey, about a true degenerate's recovery from chronic addicition to everything under the sun.

Sykes's book is an enjoyable read. It starts with his expulsion from Eton and continues on an amiable romp through his 20's, during which time he happily consumes most substances that are put in front of him and goes completely off the rails, while just about managing to hold some sort of career together reviewing clubs, pubs, bars, parties and social circutis in New York and London. He is fired from the Evening Standard and GQ, and eventually from the New York Post. His account is believable and not unlike my own experiences is many ways. But I got the feeling throughout that Sykes held back - that he couldn't quite admit some of the really bad and embarrasing things he had done. Maybe he simply can't remember much of the details... And it suffers because of that.

Frey's book, 'A Million Little Pieces' is an alarming read about a crackhead, which begins with his parents driving him to rehab as he drinks wine from the bottle in the back of their car. He has a hole in his cheek and needs major dental reconstruction. The book is a highly unpleasant experience from start to finish. It is genuinely shocking, and enlightening on the subject of addiction, without ever being truly inspiring. Furthermore, the book starts by admitting that not everything is true within - that some facts are embellished (but Frey only admitted this after people in New York had outed his story as innacurate). For this reason you don't know where you stand with Frey. And thus his own story as the writer lacks credibility.

So, Sykes wins. Even if his story is a bit like Roald Dahl's 'Boy', but dipped in a vodka martini.

SO...

Where do I go with 'How To Survive Your 20's'?

How do I avoid the everydayness of Sykes, while remaining far more credible than Frey?

After all, I want to market myself properly through this book. I want to be on Oprah as the authority on 20somethings. I must stand up as witness of integrity.

The answer I think, is simple: it needs to be brutally honest.

And it needs to be utterly infused with my own experience. Every detail of every fuck up, every video nasty, every embarrassing failure and excessive success needs to be in those pages. Because that's what has been interesting about my life - the heady highs and the unbearable lows.

But that is tough - I am ashamed of many of the twists and turns. And as I write, the voices in my my head cry 'you can't write that!'. These voices, of course, are not my own. They are the voices of my sainted parents, who have afforded me every opportunity in life and will be finding much of the content out for the first time.

It will be tough reading for many who are close to me, but out of the comfort zone I must climb.

I think that, combined with my newfound pragmatism as a mature 29 year old, is where the answer lies.

That is what will ensure I eclipse both Sykes and Frey as the creator of a classic.

Writing time: 6 hours

Manifestation: 100%