Paul Metsa

Memoirs are nonfiction stories written to share the knowledge gained from personal experience. Author Paul Metsa said, “Memoirs are constrained by the truth.” They hopefully engage and entertain the reader, but they also might be written for therapeutic and utterly selfish reasons by the author. The deep seeded conviction that their story needs to be told, telling their story will probably not change one and all. They are also written to make money for the author and the publisher. They wouldn't be on the shelf if a publisher didn't think some profit were to be made from the author's life story. When you look at the bins of clearance autobiography and biography books you wonder why some lives were chosen to sell. The appeal of some lives seems limited (that sounds so horrible and scathing, but ask yourself, is it worthy of $25.95 and three days at minimum of someone's life to read?) and clearly so, since no one bothered to buy their books. Memoirs are somewhat of a gamble in their enjoyment factor. I believe readers of memoirs are always comparing their own lives and justifying the importance of the lives in print to their own. They also want to figure out how to achieve that same level of success.
The panel assembled on October 15th to discuss their Minnesota Memoirs at the Rain Taxi Twin Cities Book Festival was varied in their memoir styles. They had works that were either: humorous, sad, touching, inspirational, reflective, or motivational. From excerpts read, some piqued my interest, but others I know I will not pick up. I might not like a writer's style or craft, but I always give kudos for getting it published. I believe the writer had to have some chutzpah and charisma to get it sold. The panel consisted of: Patricia Hampl - The Florists Daughter, Paul Metsa - Blue Guitar Highway, Martin Kihn – Bad Dog:A Love Story, Nancy Paddock - A Song at Twilight: Of Alzheimer's and Love, Theresa Weir – The Orchard, Mary Rondeau Westra – After the Murder of My Son.
The panel answered questions brought to them by moderator Patricia Hampl. The authors had different approaches to the craft of memoir and varied responses to the questions. Patricia fielded a question from the audience that asked, what do you do after your memoir is finished and published? Kihn answered that he has concocted different experiments to aid in the process of creating maybe more memoirs and retellings of certain aspects of his life. I felt that he was a crafty writer that will always know how to sell himself. Nancy Paddock said she would go back to poetry and not write another memoir. She had stated her thoughts on her life and that was enough. I felt that her memoir was poignant and her last hurrah about that relationship. Theresa Weir stated that she had one story to tell and she had told hers for now, but that could change. I felt she was realistic. She is young and life has a lot of stories to give you.
The next question was what is the role of editor? Metsa answered that an editor will take 1500 pages and bring it down to 400. He stated that his sister editing his work was like Mother Teresa of Calcutta editing Hunter S. Thompson. Mary Rondeau Westra responded that you have an obligation to leave your reader at a good place after reading your words and an editor helps you find that place.
Hampl felt that an editor centered her and reigned in her craft. I learned limitations have to be placed on the work in process or egos will surface and the author will ultimately think all is very important and nothing should be edited.
The most important idea I grasped out of the panel's knowledge was the words of wisdom from Paul Metsa's Dad and Kihn. Metsa was worried about how his words would be perceived by his Dad. His Dad responded, “Just tell the truth son.” Kihn said, “You cannot undo the truth, so let it be.” How eloquent and simple are those words? I think writers worry about having the sales and monetary rewards for their stories and that encourages them to embellish. If you write what you know and you speak the truth, no one else will tell the same story. Your story will be the unique and your own.
Paul Metsa the author came to Magers and Quinn bookstore to do a reading from Blue Guitar Highway. Metsa is a local music legend in the Twin Cities and northern Minnesota. An Iron Range boy that made it good in the land of rock and roll. When Paul walks into the reading he looks weathered and worn. He still has his hair, but it looks like it has lost it's natural blondness. His skin looks reddened, he has the crimson tone that years of drinking can do to one's complexion. He has glasses to see and a wide circumference to his torso. Hopefully, he has replaced his bottled demons with food. At least he doesn't have the sickly thinness of rockers that are on the needle or up the nose. He still sports the leather and the smugness of cool still clings to his weathered soul. You can feel the audience's apprehension of failure in the room. He is a writer of lyrics, a poet of songs. Is he a writer of substance that can carry a memoir or was it someone else? Did he have a ghost writer? The audience visibly relaxes when he says his introduction and performs a song. They realize his vocals are still intact. They haven't been damaged as much as his facade. He then begins to read and his charm begins to seethe from his pores and the audience gasps at his humorous attempts to downplay his demeanor. Paul Metsa can write!
He depreciates his life in his reading and that draws his audience in even further. He is a master of making his audience seem worthier than him. He is the boy that grew up poor and didn't realize his potential. He only realized his determination to get the hell out of the Range. His gravelly voice gives credence to his words as a rocker that has seen hard times and won. Paul Metsa is an artist that gives the people what they want. He did that as a singer and lyrical mastermind. He is no fool and knows what people want to hear as a writer. He begins with his words and the audience is entranced. That is what makes a great memoir writer, the reader wants more. His story hurts. We all might of failed in our promise, but his demise was worse, because he had a grasp on that chance of fame and abused and lost it.
His memoir will do well in Minnesota. I am not sure how well he'll do outside the Midwest, but one never knows. The book should interest musicians, rock and roll aficionados, young adults and memoir enthusiasts. His book is a reflection of the choices he made in his life. Memoirs are memories of lives transformed into stories that are personal or public. If you choose to share, make sure you are truthful in the memory and try not to hurt. Tell the truth and it will set you free.