As a sophomore Professional Writing major, I frequently find myself wondering about life after college. I know I haven't exactly chosen the most stable career path, and some say being a writer isn't "practical", but doing what I love is more important to me than financial security and social acceptance.

That being said, I recently read an article by Neil Genslinger, a staff editor for the New York Times. Titled "The Problem With Memoirs," the article addresses the ridiculous amount of "nobodies" who believe their lives are worth writing an entire book.

As a writer, it concerns me that people, who are far from qualified, are capable of getting a book published. Why am I going to school to learn about writing, when any random person off the street can write a book, get published, and actually sell their stories?

Luckily, most readers know good writing when they see it. Those "nobodies" may be able to sell books based on fancy cover art, but the text is what really matters. I agree with Genslinger when he points out that "Memoirs have been disgorged by virtually everyone who has ever had cancer, been anorexic, battled depression, lost weight. By anyone who has ever taught an underprivileged child, adopted an underprivileged child or been an underprivileged child. By anyone who was raised in the '60s, '70s or '80s, not to mention the '50s, '40s or '30s. Owned a dog. Run a marathon. Found religion. Held a job." It's ridiculous the amount of people who live quite ordinary lives yet feel the need to write a book. No one wants to be bored to death.

Genslinger goes on to offer four pieces of advice for those thinking about writing a memoir. First, make sure your life is interesting. Again, no one wants to read about an average person with an average life. If there's nothing special about you, then don't write a book.

Second, don't write a memoir for the sole purpose of gaining pity or compassion. Most readers don't want to drown in your misery. Wanting attention and sympathy is not a good reason to write.

Third, don't be a follower. It's easy to make a cheap imitation, but it's more challenging and rewarding to be original. Readers appreciate creativity.

Finally, Genslinger suggests "making yourself the least important character" in your memoir. It's important to learn about your self and others through the writing process. Your story shouldn't be all about you.

People should really think about their motives before writing a memoir. The first question that you should ask yourself is: "If you were someone else, would you want to read about your life?". If the answer is "no", then it's pretty obvious that you shouldn't expect others to want to either.

I believe that writing involves skill and passion. It's not about becoming a best-seller or wanting people to know your name. Not everyone is cut out to be a write, and that's okay, but those that are truely committed to the art of writing should have a chance to showcase their talent.