Category: memoir

The Crucial Element of Memoir

Published on by Noreen LaceLeave a comment

The fundamental element of any memoir is authenticity.

This doesn’t necessarily mean every word needs to be absolutely correct. We all know our memory plays tricks on us, so we’re not going to remember every word that might have been said years ago under stress or in a moment of excitement.

This authenticity includes a relationship between the author’s character and an honest portrayal of an original truth through the reproduction of the essential elements of the event or topic. This truth must also extend beyond the author into a universal theme that speaks to reader’s hearts.

Let’s break down this breathy statement:

Author’s Character: their moral compass, not the protagonist or antagonist of the story.

Honest Portrayal/reproduction of the essential elements: Not a word by word or play by play re-enactment of the time, but gist of what was happening, the emotions, the actions, the staging of the scene for a reader’s understanding.

Original Truth: The tipping point, the learning moment, the meaning and or purpose of this piece.

Universal Theme: How the reader is going to connect and/or relate to the story, author, or event.

Authenticity in memoir is crucial to a successful connection to the reader. It is the element that makes memoir worth writing and worthy of reading.

About Getting Sued…

Published on by Noreen Lace3 Comments

Someone asked me today if I ever ask people if I can write about them. I told the person, it never occurred to me to ask.

I rarely write about a person as a whole person. I take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and I create a whole new character.

But even if I used the majority of the personality traits and quirks and characteristics, there’s little danger of them recognizing themselves.

The truth is people rarely see themselves as others see them.

So – when I have written about that rare person – name changed – they never even suspected.

And, if I’m not slandering, endangering their job, family, or life, or using their real name, and they can barely recognize themselves as I or others see them, there is little to no chance of getting sued.

The sad fact is that I’ve created characters who some people identified with and had the mistaken impression that it was a reflection of them. It wasn’t.

Creating characters and writing about people is art.

Understanding who you are and how others see you as opposed how you see yourself takes a lifetime of understanding misunderstandings.

Memoir vs Autobiography

Published on by Noreen Lace2 Comments

Many people confuse autobiography and memoir. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably; however, there are differences between them.

Although it is written from the author’s perspective, as in memoir, an autobiography usually spans a person’s whole life. Examples of autobiography include Ghandi’s The Story of My Experiments with Truth and I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai.

Memoirs, written usually in first person and from the author’s perspective, focus on an event or pivotal period in their lives. It contains in some instances, more narrative, more storytelling features including thoughts and emotions. Most importantly, the author writes it using their memory of the event, usually toward a certain end or point.

The Glass Castle is a memoir; while it does not cover Jeanette Walls whole life, it focuses on a significant period of her youth and upbringing.

Memoir is more intimate. Consider Memoirs of a Geisha compared to Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela: Whereas an autobiography contains more facts, dates, and times, memoir paints a picture, drawing the reader into an emotional narrative.

Memoir was thought to have been invented in 397 A.D. with St. Augustine. Although his book spanned his whole life, the portions therein where written in a memoir fashion with pivotal events filled with emotional detail and his own point of view.

Memoir has evolved over time.

As a child, I remember reading autobiographies. I would sit enraptured in the corner of the library, reading chapters from presidents, actresses, and others. The librarians would point me over to the easy readers, but I wanted to read something real, something intimate and beautiful. I found a lot of dry stories that included people’s names and dates and facts, but I still found it interesting. I tried to go for the more intimate portraits of life that the librarians definitely guided me away from.

Later, I would steal my mother’s True Story magazines. Far too mature for my young eyes but, apart from the sex scenes, the secrets and innermost thoughts and feelings of the author and the actions of his or her friends or partners captured my consideration.

Ron Terranova’s The Red Wing Chronicles deserve a shoutout for mixing the two genre’s. It’s an impassioned look at scenes from his life, spanning most of his life.