Comments on: Memoir writing lessons from the heart http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/ 140 Essays to Help You Read and Write Memoirs by Jerry Waxler Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:28:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Chuck (f/k/a Rhonda) http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-1074 Chuck (f/k/a Rhonda) Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:46:56 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-1074 Hello Jerry. I'm back to tell you I plugged you again on my blog. If you recognize the link, it's still me. I've just changed my name and my look -- new year; new focus for my book, Foster Me Up. Thx, as always, for the inspiration. Take care, Rhonda <a href="http://rnning2wn2.blogspot.com/2008/02/its-all-good-trust-me.html" rel="nofollow"> It's All Good. Trust me. </a> Hello Jerry. I’m back to tell you I plugged you again on my blog. If you recognize the link, it’s still me. I’ve just changed my name and my look — new year; new focus for my book, Foster Me Up. Thx, as always, for the inspiration. Take care, Rhonda
It’s All Good. Trust me.

]]> By: jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-975 jerrywaxler Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:07:41 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-975 Thanks so much for your compliment, Asha. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Jerry Thanks so much for your compliment, Asha. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Jerry

]]> By: Asha Stephen http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-971 Asha Stephen Sun, 20 Jan 2008 19:15:15 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-971 "The memoir I end up actually reading is not the person’s life, but rather a creative representation of it. " Add to this the fact that a reader always seems to project onto the written words in any memoir their own subjective perception of what the writer's world might have been like. I think that is what makes memoir-reading so much more poignant and moving than reading something more dry and structure. That's what I think anyway. :-) I loved your post. “The memoir I end up actually reading is not the person’s life, but rather a creative representation of it. ” Add to this the fact that a reader always seems to project onto the written words in any memoir their own subjective perception of what the writer’s world might have been like. I think that is what makes memoir-reading so much more poignant and moving than reading something more dry and structure. That’s what I think anyway. :-)

I loved your post.

]]> By: jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-964 jerrywaxler Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:12:07 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-964 Hi Karen, Certainly your first scene is crucial for setting expectations. It sounds like your technique is the "time wrapper" in which you start near the end and then tell the whole story as a flashback. This method has an illustrious history. Moby Dick and Heart of Darkness come to mind. Jerry Hi Karen, Certainly your first scene is crucial for setting expectations. It sounds like your technique is the “time wrapper” in which you start near the end and then tell the whole story as a flashback. This method has an illustrious history. Moby Dick and Heart of Darkness come to mind. Jerry

]]> By: jerrywaxler http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-963 jerrywaxler Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:08:16 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-963 Hi Caryn, Thanks for your comment. Perry says there are zipper clubs for survivors of open heart surgery. You're not alone. Jerry Hi Caryn, Thanks for your comment. Perry says there are zipper clubs for survivors of open heart surgery. You’re not alone. Jerry

]]> By: Caryn http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-962 Caryn Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:01:19 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-962 This was a great article, fascinating, but I still can't get beyond the first main paragraph. I had open-heart surgery when I was eighteen months old. My parents, too, referred to my scar as a "zipper" and talked about me being a member of the "zipper club". I thought it was just something my parents made up. How fun to know that others have used that term too! This was a great article, fascinating, but I still can’t get beyond the first main paragraph. I had open-heart surgery when I was eighteen months old. My parents, too, referred to my scar as a “zipper” and talked about me being a member of the “zipper club”. I thought it was just something my parents made up. How fun to know that others have used that term too!

]]> By: Karen L. Alaniz http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-959 Karen L. Alaniz Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:38:29 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-959 Interesting. It makes me wonder about my own memoir. I recently changed the beginning to the end. Now in the beginning you see an old man on the end of a pier tossing flowers onto the ocean below. You don't find out until the last chapter how my father got there and why. I don't know how that fits into the gun theory you mentioned, but it was a move that sure made my book read differently (I hope). My hope is that the reader reads on in order to find out how and why the man is there. Thanks for a thought-provoking post. ~Karen Interesting. It makes me wonder about my own memoir. I recently changed the beginning to the end. Now in the beginning you see an old man on the end of a pier tossing flowers onto the ocean below. You don’t find out until the last chapter how my father got there and why. I don’t know how that fits into the gun theory you mentioned, but it was a move that sure made my book read differently (I hope). My hope is that the reader reads on in order to find out how and why the man is there. Thanks for a thought-provoking post. ~Karen

]]> By: Ritergal http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-957 Ritergal Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:59:53 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-957 "I want to pick up the phone and ask him about his health." What a stellar example of "showing" your own response. Your observation that a memoir is a creative representation of life is poignant, and I hope you'll expand on this in future posts. You imply that Perry might have delved a fathom deeper to find sufficient insight to produce a conclusion you would find more satisfying. Since I have not yet read the book (I have it on order), I can't comment on that, but it's a tantalizing idea that to make a book truly compelling to readers, we must persevere to ... what? Your insight may focus an essential question for evaluating the odds of finding a publisher for memoir: Does the work introduce gut-level conflict early on, and build to a satisfactory resolution? “I want to pick up the phone and ask him about his health.” What a stellar example of “showing” your own response.

Your observation that a memoir is a creative representation of life is poignant, and I hope you’ll expand on this in future posts. You imply that Perry might have delved a fathom deeper to find sufficient insight to produce a conclusion you would find more satisfying. Since I have not yet read the book (I have it on order), I can’t comment on that, but it’s a tantalizing idea that to make a book truly compelling to readers, we must persevere to … what?

Your insight may focus an essential question for evaluating the odds of finding a publisher for memoir: Does the work introduce gut-level conflict early on, and build to a satisfactory resolution?

]]> By: Rhonda http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-956 Rhonda Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:32:33 +0000 http://memorywritersnetwork.com/blog/memoir-writing-lessons-from-the-heart/#comment-956 Woah! Gr8 post :) You really knocked me on my feet on this one. It made me really think about my approach. Thx so much -- I can't believe I haven't visited you in so long *ugh* Woah! Gr8 post :) You really knocked me on my feet on this one. It made me really think about my approach. Thx so much — I can’t believe I haven’t visited you in so long *ugh*

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