A great deal of memoir includes elements of friendships, family, or both. Then there is the memoir where some aspect of one of these is the focus. The memoir story might focus on your relationship with a grandparent, a sibling, a favorite aunt or uncle, or even life with your parents. There are so many great stories to be found within the family. They can include a wide range of emotions and complications. The stories can be how a family member helped or hurt you or some event or experience that you shared with them.
Any of these things can also apply to relationships with friends. Our bonds in friendships can be some of the deepest, most emotional, and longest lasting that we can ever have. There is wonderful story material to be found in our friendships with others.
When writing about real people and events be sure to seek permission where you feel it is needed and discuss what you are doing with anyone who is still living so that you don't create any bad feeling or even run into any legal difficulties.
If the stories are positive and truthful, your story characters will probably be more than willing to consent to being a part of your story and even help with the research you need to do in helping you to remember the details of the story.
Do you think your family and friends would be willing to be a part of your memoir? Has anyone included you in the telling of a memoir? Would you want to be a character of a published real life story?
Ah, family dynamics: chock full of great stories! And most people are quite invested in their families so writing about them can be quite authentic.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I'd feel about being a subject of someone's memoir: depends on what aspect of me and my life they were writing about, I suppose. I don't think I'm interesting enough to be included in a memoir so I probably won't have to worry about that. :)
Michele at Angels Bark
But still you've played parts in various peoples' lives. You have more significance than you think.
DeleteLee
I consider The Ruralhood a memoir of sorts. Some of my family know about it and visit to read and see photos.
ReplyDeleteThe Ruralhood is definitely memoir. Seems like your family should be interested, but then I know how little interest my family has in most of the posts that I put on line.
DeleteLee
I like how you have elements of memoir and elements of blogging on your two blogs--both fascinating topics for the Challenge!
ReplyDeleteI'm also using the "Elements" theme on my other two blogs. Fewer people know about those blogs however.
DeleteLee
Wow - these are excellent pointers - my blog is far more rambling gripes than memoir, but you've definitely given me something to think about here. I'll certainly be checking back here often for more memoir ideas. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteRambling gripes can make for some fine entertainment. The diversity is good. Please do stop back by now and then.
DeleteLee
I think some of what I write is memoir but I lack confidence. I think to myself, "Who would want to read about xyz - isn't it too commonplace or trivial?" How do you get past that feeling when writing a memoir? Or, perhaps come to the conclusion that I am correct and not to pursue that type of writing? Found you Blogging A to Z. www.dianeweidenbenner.com
ReplyDeleteKeep writing it! What you end up with should not be so much about the experience as it is how well you have depicted that experience to make it interesting to readers. Writing the memoir topics is a good writing exercise.
DeleteLee
I think it would be like waling on eggshells to write about the real people in my life. Family relationships are delicate enough without putting my take on them into print!
ReplyDeleteThat is often true so that's why you need to get their approval. But you can always fictionalize as well.
DeleteLee
I wrote a family book a couple of years ago about all of our adventures growing up as kids on a cotton farm in the south in the 50's. My sisters and my mom all contributed to it and we all reminisced to gather all the facts we needed, so no one in my family minded being written about at all. We even included old family recipes and B/W photos. The book ended up at just under 400 pages.
ReplyDeleteSunni
http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/
That sounds like a lot of fun. I don't know how well that would work in my family, but my sister and I had talked about doing some kind of collaboration.
DeleteLee
I use a lot of family experiences for my picture books, but I think I'd prefer to be part of a composite character, rather than an actual part of a memoir.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog today! JEN Garrett
The composite character can certainly work and it takes the focus off of any real issues.
DeleteLee
Oops....post disappeared...maybe you'll get a ghost post :) Will try again....
ReplyDeleteIt's a good idea to get permission before telling someone's story. Oral interviews have worked well for me. With ancestors in the 1800s, anything goes!
Yeah, folks that far in the past don't have much to say about things. Permission is probably the best idea with living people or those who might be affected by what you say in a memoir.
DeleteLee
I think most of my family wouldn't mind, but I believe it would be more fun to write a fiction novel surrounding some of my family members. Who knows, maybe one day I will find my voice to do just that, so for now I'll continue to get encouragement from folks like you, Lee!
ReplyDelete