Thoughts, Opinions and Philosophical Discussions
Thoughts, editorial opinions and philosophical discussions about why we write memoirs, who should write them, their purpose(s), themes and raisons d'être.
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Whose Story Are You Writing?
A common question that crops up when writing your memoir is: “What if my sister, my mother, my weird uncle, or whoever else I mention in my story, objects to something I’ve written?” Ask yourself two questions: 1. Is it my story to tell? 2. Is it relevant to my own life’s story that I do want to tell? If episodes of the story centre around someone else’s actions, the second question becomes the deciding factor. Problems arise when you include information that reveals things about other people – things they may not want others to know about. Perhaps your younger sister did something hilariously embarrassing as a six-year-old, but…
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Emotional Charge in Memoir
In every story, both fiction and non-fiction, all the best writing teachers tell us there has to be a main goal, an overarching question, a deep desire or an obsession. This powerful thread throughout the story keeps a reader engaged and committed to reaching the story’s end in order to find out what happens. It’s an accepted rule in creative writing. What About Memoir? What if you’re writing your life story in a series of isolated events – events which may have been important to you in some way but which don’t seem to adhere to a specific overall mystery to be revealed by the end of the book? What…
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The Whole Truth
I do love teaching workshops. There’s so much give and take and I always learn something new. It’s a joy to see the lightbulb go on for people when they’ve been struggling with a problem for a long time – when something I’ve said trips a switch in their head and suddenly, they get the whole truth. This afternoon, I started a new workshop class at a local seniors’ centre. You never know whether you’ll get a good group or even if anyone will show up, but today we had a nice number – enough for lots of discussion but not so many that we couldn’t all contribute. It’s My…
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Your Personality Type – Do You Know Who You Are?
Who are you? What motivates you? What stops you in your tracks? What’s your biggest fear? Your most pressing need? Your most debilitating pain or emotional wound? What lights you up, turns you on, gives you joy? Do you know your own psychology and personality type? The answers to these questions are the ones which form the basis of your beliefs, values, moral code and your personality. In memoir, it’s your personality that carries your story. Your life happens the way it does because of the decisions and choices you make, the way you see and interpret the world around you. The Value Of Introspection I believe that one of…
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Who Cares?
Why would anyone want to read my memoirs? Who am I to think my story is worth writing down? Who cares? And if nobody cares, why should I bother? What’s the point? There are two main questions here: 1. Who do I think I am? 2. And who am I writing it for, anyway? The first question indicates a lack of confidence or a sense of insecurity, possibly about your writing ability or the value of your life story. Questioning yourself and the value of your story happens because you don’t know the answer to the second question, ”Who is my audience”? Until you figure out that answer, there is…
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To Lie or Not to Lie, That is the Question
So you’re cruising along, writing your life story and suddenly, you run head-first into an ethical dilemma. If you tell your story the way you intended, someone’s going to be hurt. Maybe you’re the victim of a crime or even a participant in a crime. Maybe a friend or family member has skeletons they’d really prefer to be left in the closet. If you tell the full story, someone may be imprisoned, revealed, or merely embarrassed. What do you do? Do you lie, prevaricate? Or do you tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? When is it acceptable to lie, and when is it not? Lie…
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The Purpose of Memoirs – Why Write Them?
Have you given any thought to why you want to write your life story? There are many reasons for writing memoirs, different for every individual. Before you start on such a large project, you should have a clear grasp of your own purpose in order to avoid a lot of re-writing later. Without clarity, your story could be confused, rambling and full of holes. With a solid “Why” or purpose, your story will be coherent with a clear narrative drive that pulls your reader along and keeps him engaged. The Purpose of Memoirs Often when an individual wants to write their life story it may be a way to leave…