Tuesday 30 April 2013

How To Write A Memoir

By Janelle Burnett


Anyone seeking to know how to write a memoir must first identify the intention, the content to be included and excluded and expected readership. The level of truth that goes into this kind of writing might feel uncomfortable for some friends and family members. You must be at ease with the approach you take since this will be felt on every page.

It is common knowledge that memoirs tell the story of your past and its influence to your present. You are therefore required to remember a lot and be open to disclose more than normal. You will be under constant pressure to forget some parts and emphasize on others. A good memory will be a valuable asset.

Selecting from the much information, encounters and experiences you have gone through requires some exercise. A simple point to begin could be taking ten defining years of your life and summarizing them in two pages. Make short sentences that are not less or more than three words. They present room for you to be clear without concealing or giving too much information.

Limiting your sentence to three words makes it clear that some things should be written and others left out. This is a pivotal principle in writing memoirs. You should then revisit your two page story and pick the most touching sentence. Make this your entry point.

There are many instances that can be used as the foundation for your writing. A normal occurrence that brought out the extra ordinary person in you, how you reacted or understood such a scenario are some of the tips. There could be something that changed your thinking or approach in life. These are just a few of the options.

A writer must appreciate that this genre positions the writer in space and time. It is therefore a story about your interaction with people and a certain place and era. Social, geographical and historical perspectives give context to your writing. This is an opportunity to be truthful making this category of writing nonfictional. There are no half-truths or cosmetic representation of facts.

Facts make writing of memoirs different form fictional work. You are therefore required to have a calm approach when writing. There must be a logical sequence of events that can be traced in real life. Presentation of facts attracts readers to flip pages because they will discover another level of truth. You must have come to terms with this truth for it to be believable.

Several other exercises have been proposed to aid in writing. You may pick an undeniable scenario and explain it in two pages. A hereditary trait and outrageous acts will give you an opportunity to exercise. Past failures that you have accepted responsibility and need to apologize can be a good starting point. There are favors you received and did not deserve, humiliations or something that happened and changed the direction of your life can be used to practice.

The secret on how to write a memoir lies in identifying the entry point, what to include and what to leave out. The book is always about you and will definitely not escape without some pinch of salt. The style of writing will greatly be influenced by your intentions and target audience.




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