Q&A About SMUTCUTTER

1. What inspired you to write your memoir?
I moved from the adult world to a mainstream job. When I started telling people about my past career, everyone had tons of questions. Then I realized I had been editing adult films for over 27 years. I had all these stories, good and bad, and thought it was time to document things. 
2. How did you approach the process of organizing and structuring your memoir?
I went from start to finish. I started with how I even got into the industry then followed the path to the end. I had to keep going back to insert stories or people I forgot, events I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss. It was a lot of notebooks and ton of post-its. Not to mention me looking at my partner and asking ‘when was that again and what was his name?’ 
3. What challenges did you face while writing your memoir?
My first draft was very depressing. I was working through some personal things and the book became my place to complain! Then I re-read it and thought ‘well, this is all wrong’. The massive re-write took time. I had to remember that it was fun! I made friends, lived a very happy life during that time. Sure it had down points but everything does!
4. How did you balance the need to be honest and authentic with the need to protect the privacy of yourself and others in your memoir?
That was tough. If I wanted to include someone by name, I contacted them and asked personally. They were usually someone who had a positive influence on my career or gave me a happy memory. If they are not named, there is a reason. 
5. How did you decide what to include and leave out in your memoir?
I wanted to stay focused on the editing and my work and how I navigated the industry. A lot of my personal life and some things I went through are just that, personal, and not relevant to the over all story.                                                                                                6. What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?
The most rewarding was people who read it early amazed at what I had been through. Not to mention the technical aspects of the work, video formats, non-linear editing. Trying to portray how I was treated as a woman in the adult industry was also a challenge. 
7. How do you see your memoir fitting into the larger context of the memoir genre?
They say everyone has a story and this memoir is only one story of my life. I felt strong enough about telling this story that I felt the need to write it. If you need to get your story out, then do it. 
8. What advice do you have for aspiring memoir writers?
Write the damned book. There is no right or wrong, it is your story!                                  9. How has writing your memoir impacted or changed your life?                                  I found my voice in a way I never have before. I’m still a little frightened to stand up and say ‘hey, this is my story’. Even in my corporate job, I downplayed over 25 years of my life, discounted it because ‘it was just porn’. I still struggle to blow my own horn, so to speak. This book helped me with that. 
10. Is there anything else you'd like to share about your writing or the memoir genre we haven't covered? 
I also write romance novels but they, of course, are not as personal as this book. The thing about writing a memoir, it is your story as you lived it and only you can tell it.