Category: How-to
-
A Memoir About Not Falling Apart
To increase our resiliency, we practice self-help strategies such as using encouraging self-talk. We center ourselves through relaxed breathing and other meditative strategies of “being here now.” We reach out for support from others. We pray. And we read inspiring memoirs like Julie Freed’s Naked.
Written by
-
Thoughts are the Soundtrack of a Memoir
Occasionally one of Berner’s two sons says or does something that triggers a round of musing. Within each of these reveries, time moves more fluidly, leaping from one generation to another, like the point-counterpoint of jazz riffs, in which motifs intertwine, never going too far into one before the other intervenes, giving endless opportunities for…
Written by
-
These Memoirs Are Similar to Biographies
These creative decisions are determined both by the specific events of your life and by your goals in writing your memoir. By reviewing the wide range of possible structures offered by memoirs you read, you can open your imagination to the story that best expresses who you are and what story you want to share…
Written by
-
Memoir Structure: Beginning Doesn’t Always Point to the End
If you are not quite sure of the ending of your memoir, perhaps the structure will become clearer if you take into account the evolution of your goals. How did your goals change from the beginning to the end of the story?
Written by
-
A Ticking Clock Lesson for Memoir Writers
Rachel Pruchno’s memoir about her daughter’s coming of age builds suspense with clocks ticking on every page. In the shorter time-frame, each crisis causes tension as the parents try to get to the bottom of the daughter’s latest mishap, hoping she didn’t sabotage herself, hoping there is an innocent explanation, hoping the next psychologist will…
Written by
-
Memoirs Connect Us by Sharing Our Hidden Worlds
I looked around the room. Everyone was relaxed. I realized that reading my story had not upset them or turned me into a pariah. Paradoxically instead of increasing my shame, sharing the story dispelled it.
Written by
-
A Book of Short Stories Expands My Memoir Collection
By juxtaposing this variety of perspectives, the editors have created a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. This anthology is a compelling, satisfying reading experience that sets a high bar for the emerging genre of life story collections.
Written by
-
Show versus Tell in a Memoir’s Internal Voice
By sharing her thoughts, Sonia Marsh allows us to see into her soul. She also provides an intriguing example for writers who are trying to figure out how much of their thought process they ought to include. When I started to write my own memoir, I assumed I knew the answer to this question.
Written by
-
Hero’s Journey as a Model for a Memoir, Part 2
In the previous post, I explained how the mythological structure of the Hero’s Journey helps me understand Sonia Marsh’s memoir. In this post, I’ll explain how you can learn more about that structure, where you can find more examples, and how you can apply it to your own memoir.
Written by