Liisa Jorgensen on Writing A Real Life Love Story

Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Liisa Jorgensen, the author of Far Side of the Moon: Apollo 8 Commander Frank Borman and the Woman Who Gave Him Wings, the decades-long love story of a NASA commander and the leader of the Astronaut Wives Club.

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

I have worked as a story editor and production manager for an Emmy award winning film company for the last 20 years. We are always looking for unbelievable non-fiction stories, and I felt on a gut level that I found that when I came across Frank and Susan’s beautiful story. There have been many books written about the Apollo space program, but not through the eyes of the women and children that were experiencing it in a different way. I wanted to be the one to do that. 

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

Because the book is non-fiction, the plot is essentially there. The challenge for me was to write it in a way that was accessible and engaging without getting up on a soapbox.

One of the reasons I was so passionate about writing Frank and Susan Borman’s story from Susan’s perspective is because I felt that she, along with all the other astronaut wives hadn’t been represented in the way I felt they should be. I related the most to Susan and couldn’t imagine how internally strong she had to be to hide her mental illness from everyone, because she truly had no choice. There was no one to talk to, and the shame that came with admitting something like that in the intense environment at NASA she lived with daily would eventually lead to her breakdown.

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper?

I had to get Frank and Susan’s support to begin with, and when I got the green light on that I dived into the research. Because of that relationship and the doors that it opened, I was able to interview and speak candidly with the astronaut wives that are still with us. It was a privilege to talk to these amazing women. The idea never changed. I knew the story I wanted to tell.

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

Good writing is good storytelling conveyed in a way that is relevant to a variety of readers. I feel that one of the most difficult parts of starting the process to write a book is finding a story that will both inspire and help us become better humans. I tend to look for stories about strong women who have overcome immense challenges and have been over-shadowed by the men or circumstances in their lives.  I also believe that a personal connection to what you are writing will keep you moving through the blocks, and those moments you want to quit.  

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

It must check all the boxes: an active human quest, emotional stakes that are very high along with trials and obstacles to overcome. The challenge for me as a non-fiction writer is that I can’t manufacture that, so it is a treasure hunt to find a story that meets each one of those metrics.

I have 6 cats and a Dalmatian (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

I absolutely do! She is sitting beside me right now as I am writing this. She is an adorable bichon/poodle and was born the day my book came out – December 7, 2021.

I named her SuSu, which is what Susan’s grandchildren called her, and Frank named every plane he owned SuSu as well. I have always loved animals and could not imagine my life without them.

Liisa Jorgensen has worked as a writer and story editor on a diverse variety of film and television productions for Myth Merchant Films for over 20 years. She believes in the power of story and its ability to help audiences transform and become better humans. She is especially interested in ending the stigmas associated with mental illness and disorders, as well as highlighting those who serve a greater good and live for something other than themselves. She lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Janet Sternburg on Hindsight & Tackling Hard Family Truths In Writing

Today's guest is Janet Sternburg, a writer of memoir, essays, poetry and plays, as well as a fine-art photographer. Her books include two memoirs, White Matter: A Memoir of Family & Medicine and Phantom Limb: A Meditation on Memory, as well as the classic two volumes of The Writer on Her Work. Janet joined me today to talk about writing hard truths concerning your own family, how to do it, how to approach it, and how to tackle responses.

Listen to the Episode Now

My Wonderful, Interesting, Not So Special Life

by Bo Bonnet, PhD, Author of A Mostly Magnificent Memoir: True Stories Dramatized and Somewhat Fictionalized 

In the 1990's, Jerry Seinfeld had a smash hit TV show about "nothin'." This was the pitch... it was a show about nothing. Actually, the show was about four of the most entertaining characters of all time, navigating their mundane lives in a hilarious way. None of the characters were saving the world. None of them suffered through any horrific life event and came out stronger. None of the characters did anything remarkable. It is not about what they did or did not do, but how they did it. It was this idea that inspired me to write my story. I would write it to be factually accurate, but in a way that made it entertaining to read. In a sense, this is the art of storytelling.

Now that I convinced myself that even the story of a "regular guy" could be told in an interesting and entertaining way, I realized that many of my stories were far from mundane, normal, or about "nothing." It was just a matter of taking a trip down memory lane and jotting down notes on all these stories, then deciding which could be told in a way that would be interesting and entertaining to someone who doesn't know me. I chose the stories, then started writing... and writing... and writing.

Being only 45 years old, my life story is far from complete. I realize this, so I chose to write about the first 25 years of my life only—at least in this book. I think many people might hold off on writing their life story because there is much more to be told. Even if we don't get hit by a bus tomorrow, we never know when the last chapter will be metaphorically written, so it's best to literally write as many chapters as we can now. That's exactly what I did.

Writing Your Story

Your story is worth telling. If you go back through your life, I am sure you can recall many interesting events. Now, share those events in an interesting and entertaining way. The elements of good storytelling are beyond the scope of this post, but there are many online resources that can help you with this. But here are some tips:

• What are the stories you tell to others who seemed to be entertained by them?

• How can you add humor to them?

• How can you add an emotional component?

• How can you add suspense?

• What visual elements can you include?

• How can you end the book so the readers feel a sense of closure?

Thanks to modern publishing, you can always update your book and add chapters on a regular basis. I plan on adding a few chapters every year to mine.

The bottom line is, write your story. Your friends and family want to read it, and if you write well, strangers will want to read it too. No, your life's not over yet, but if everyone waited until they were dead to write their life story, there would be no autobiographies.