Pages of the Past: The Story Behind my Story
Margie Goldsmith, author of “Becoming a Badass: From Fearful to Fierce.”
Covid hit. Most of my magazine assignments were experiential travel stories, but with all travel cancelled, now would be the perfect time to write a memoir. Yet, every famous actor, film star and rock star was writing their life story. Who was I? And who would read it? Worse, I’d not only have to write an entire book but write a time consuming proposal as well which often took longer to write than the book. Plus, I’d have to find an agent. For my first novel, Screw-Up, 18 agents rejected me before I found one who sold my book to Berkley Press. Did I want to be rejected all over again?
I knew I had a unique story to tell full of celebrities I’d interviewed. perseverance, adventure, and stories of constantly challenging myself to do scary things. Basically, I’d gone from being a milquetoast as a child to becoming a badass as an adult. Why not just write it and worry about publishing it later?
I sat down at my computer and let the words pour out. It wasn’t hard to get started — if you come from a dysfunctional family as I did, including emotional and physical abuse, schizophrenia, alcohol and my father’s suicide, you don’t forget your past. Our pasts inform who we become. I began with my early years when I was a terrified child, always feeling less than and told constantly that I wasn’t good enough. Those messages are seared into my brain, so, no matter how much older I am now, I can still see my father’s huge hand whacking me on the side of my face when I was eight, and I can still feel the sting and humiliation.
No grown-up sits and cries at their computer — but I often did when writing about my childhood. I never had writer’s block because I was telling my own story. While I have kept journals since I was a teenager, there was very little usable material for the memoir. What helped most were all the photographs I’d saved.
Writing is trying to climb a mountain. You don’t just charge up and arrive at the top. You have to build step by step, brick by brick, chapter by chapter. Still, as I wrote, the little committee inside my head would constantly tell me I was wasting my time writing my life story. I had to fight those doubts, reminding myself that there had to be thousands of others who felt exactly the same way as me: people who weren’t given any encouragement by their parents or teachers.
I continued writing because I wanted people to know they could change their lives and find a purpose; they could attempt things that scared them to death and even if they didn’t succeed, they hadn’t failed because they’d tried. I was hoping to persuade the readers who said, “someday I will do this” to change their thinking to, “Yes, I will dare myself to try something new.”
I stopped comparing myself with all the celebrity memoirs and decided I had a unique message. A few good friends read the first draft and encouraged me to publish. But this time, I wouldn’t look for an agent or spend endless hours crafting a proposal. I would self-publish with a professional publisher. Becoming a Badass: From Fearful to Fierce publishes September 30, 2025. My dedication reads: “This book is for anyone who has ever felt not good enough. You ARE good enough!” And my last page ends with, “I don’t give in. I’ve become a badass. Now, you go be one, too.”
Margie Goldsmith’s story is one of adventure and resilience. It’s about living life on your terms and living it fearlessly. She speaks to anyone looking to overcome a sense of powerlessness in any given situation, whether it’s a dysfunctional family, a marriage/relationship or a career, and to anyone who has ever felt “less than.” She has faced formidable odds over the years, but has managed to endure, thrive, and remain optimistic while also visiting 150 countries on seven continents. Her colorful tale offers an entertaining read and important lessons for anyone who has faced challenges in life.
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Margie Goldsmith, author of a novel and three non-fiction books, began her career as an apprentice for Joe Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Upon college graduation, she left for Paris and remained there for the next four years, developing her film skills and writing a novel, Screw-Up. Upon return to New York City, she worked as the writer/director/ producer of a film production company before opening MG Productions LLC. Ten years later, she sold her company to travel the world as a freelance writer. Since then, she has visited 150 countries on seven continents and written over 1,000 magazine and newspaper articles. She has won 101 creative writing awards, including an Emmy for a TV documentary, “The Holy Shroud of Turin.” Physical activity is her passion, and Goldsmith has completed marathons, Olympic distance triathlons, summited Mount Rainier, and climbed to Advanced Base Camp on the north face of Mount Everest. Goldsmith plays blues harmonica and has recorded two albums as a singer/songwriter/harmonica player: Margie Goldsmith & Friends Part I and Part 2. She continues to travel the world and always brings harmonicas to both play and give away.
Category: On Writing
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