Having always wanted to write a memoir, I was interested to hear what Emily Winslow had to say on this subject. Read on for Winslow’s tips.
Memoirs occupy a middle ground between novels and nonfiction. While they’re definitely nonfiction in that they are true, they’re novel-like in that they tell a story. That story-ness means the principles of novel-writing apply. I’ve written both novels and a memoir, and the kind of skills I discuss in Time to Write are applicable to both.
One of the points I explore in Time to Write is that plot and structure are different things. While a memoir-writer doesn’t have the freedom to change the plot, as fiction writers do, they still have many structural choices. Where to start? Where to end? What aspects of the story to emphasize?
Other skills that are especially applicable to memoir writing include:
Point of view
Most memoirs are told in the first-person, and the narrator is typically the author themselves. Playing into the advantages and options of first person can make a story more vivid. For example, you don’t need to put on a formal voice to write your own story. You can talk like you, candidly. Readers find that inviting. Of course you want to make it neat—no ums or uhs, basically correct grammar, and trimming digressions if they seem to be wandering away from the main story—but your voice can and should be there. You’re sharing the way you see the world.
Showing versus telling
Telling is when you say “It was snowing out” and showing is when the kids come inside shivering, trampling slushy footprints on the carpet and struggling to unzip their snowsuits. Telling is saying “He was a jerk” but showing is a scene in which the man leaves a restaurant without tipping after commenting on the waitress’s breasts. Showing is more vivid, and more memorable. Sometimes telling can be just the right thing, but overall there should be more showing than telling.
Many people writing a personal story have a list of things they want to include. Sometimes they tell all these things in a rush, just to get them on paper. Consider which of the things you’ve told could be expanded by showing.
Memories and flashbacks
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the task of putting events in context. How far back do you have to go to make a reader understand why a situation affected you the way that it did? While some stories do start far back and then proceed chronologically forward, you also have the option of starting in the middle, and using memories and flashbacks to include information about events that happened before. Weaving these in so that they don’t break the flow, and the reader is always clear about what is happening, is a useful skill.
Setting and description
Whether you’re writing fiction or memoir, you need to set the scene and describe who’s there. Connecting setting description to characters, and character descriptions to the story, are both crucial skills to make the story clear and immersive.
Memoir writers face the additional challenge of how much they can say about other people, and when publishing that is indeed a delicate question. But first, the writing: in your first draft, tell your story however you want, describing others as clearly as you wish. You may decide later, if you decide to share the story more widely, to make changes to protect or disguise others. But for yourself, you get to tell your story your way.
It’s a particular honor to help people tell their personal stories. Writing about your experiences helps you understand yourself better, and is a wonderful way to share yourself with others.
Thank you, Emily Winslow, for sharing that insightful post and for writing such a wonderful book, which I reviewed last week.
Don’t forget to stop at the other blogs on this tour!
Shoe’s Seeds and Stories
@Copyright 2023 Linda Schueler
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