Case study: Siblings’ soul-stirring story 52 years in the making
Katherine Linn Caire’s new memoir is a wild and heartwarming story.
Accidental Sisters: The story of my 52 year wait to meet my biological sibling, by Books Fluent, starts with Caire’s desire to know her medical history.
However, this unexpected journey leads her to family she never knew were missing.
Forever Young Autobiographies caught up with Caire to discover more about her first life-story book, how she created it plus tips for first-time creators …
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Katherine Linn Caire’s memoir Accidental Sisters
Uncovering a ‘wild story’
I was born in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, and adopted at birth.
Growing up, I never thought much about being adopted.
Except for when I was in a doctor’s office being asked questions about my family medical history or when people would ask my parents or me about my adoption story.
However a little over five decades into my life, I suddenly felt the need to contact the adoption agency I came from.
In short I wanted to obtain whatever was available of the 50 per cent of the medical history our three daughters were missing.
So asking for that information was the catalyst for the wild story that ensued and the book I felt compelled to write.
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Why write Accidental Sisters?
For a few years after the story unfolded, I didn’t think about it in terms of documenting it in a book.
But I realised how unusual the story was after people kept asking me numerous times how I had met my sister for the first time at age 52.
Certainly this is not a story about DNA testing leading to long-lost biological family members.
Indeed it had nothing to do with that; just an incredible amount of divine intervention stirred up with some really good luck!
Also my friends and family have all been very supportive and asking when Accidental Sisters is coming out.
So I might not have taken the first step to start writing about it had it not been for their encouragement.
Writing Accidental Sisters
Starting a journey of discovery
The manuscript for Accidental Sisters took three years to write before handing it over for the first content edit.
Also, when I think back about the planning process, I’m surprised by the amount of time I spent planning elements of the story, simply in my head.
Finally I had to move all those chapters out of my mind and form a rough outline.
Certainly that outline changed a lot over time as I made many revisions and interviewed those who were involved.
But the fun part was making new discoveries about specific details of my sister’s and my story, literally two to three years into writing.
For instance, one big discovery occurred well into the editing process!
Related article – Story outline: What is an outline and having life-story topics to write about
Related article – Story detail: Identifying key details in a story to make your autobiography shine
Overcoming challenges
Hands down, the hardest part of Accidental Sisters was actually thinking about and coming to terms with the details.
For example, what my birth mother went through to get through her pregnancy with me and to deliver me.
This included the stress, the pain, the secrets and the heartbreak of losing her beloved boyfriend.
Certainly I had spent most of my life previous to writing this chapter seeing my birth parents as ‘blobs’ out in the middle of nowhere.
So it was the first time I really searched to understand the sacrifices my birth mother made.
But I found the best way to deal with it was to face it head on.
On the other hand, the most rewarding part was handing the manuscript over to my publisher, Books Fluent, after three years of writing!
Reflecting on Accidental Sisters
Highlights from the book
I don’t have a particular favourite part of Accidental Sisters.
But rather all of the little ‘God winks’ that make our story so unique.
Indeed one bit of divine intervention is gift enough.
However, when several led me to my sister, I knew we weren’t the only ones involved in this story.
Advice for fellow writers
It can seem like an enormous undertaking when you first set out to write a book.
Whether it’s a 100-page novella or War and Peace, the writing of any book is a major venture.
So my advice is simple… there are good writing days and there are difficult ones.
Firstly don’t get frustrated when you are really struggling to put your thoughts together on a given day.
Because with a good night’s rest and a positive outlook, the good writing days will happen much more frequently, and eventually become your norm.
Related article – Writing time: How to schedule time for writing
Get into a comfortable habit
Second, find a writing routine and stick with it.
Also find the place in your house or office that is your writing ‘altar’, and stay there.
For example, I started working on Accidental Sisters on my laptop in our rec room.
However, it took me about one day to realize I needed to sit facing a window and look at the beautiful nature outside.
After that I moved and have written in that same spot now for over four years.
Final say
Accidental Sisters: The story of my 52 year wait to meet my biological sibling by Katherine Linn Caire is a crazy and unexpected read.
One mistake on an adoption agency form turned her life upside down and made her question everything.
So find out more by buying a paperback or Kindle version of the memoir at Caire’s website.
Also connect with her on Facebook or Instagram.
Happy writing!
Free gift!
Want to write a life story like Caire? Start out like she did by creating a story outline. Let me show you how in my free Structure Success video training. Sign up here!
Your say
Have you ever had unexpected news like Caire? I always love hearing from different people. Drop me an email or leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article.
Get in touch
Got a question about the creative process or an idea for a future article? Let me know!
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