Memoir should never be approached as a history. Autobiography can tell the history of a life while memoir, while having some value in the sense of historical perspective, should deal with a story or a series of stories within the context of a life. Memoir can teach, but it should primarily entertain or enthrall the reader.
The memoir is intended to be an intimate account of a special period, event, or some significant influence within a person's life. If you are writing your memoir, you should tell the story in much the same way you might present a work of fiction. You can include dialogue, character development, plot, and descriptions that bring the reader into the story. This memoir story should not only be about what you did, but also what you thought and how you felt.
After all the memoir is not normally seen as some sort of scholarly work, but it is a story that occurs within the story of the life being examined. The story is not that you were born, then you did this and that, and then you died. The memoir story is the one that delves into part of the big story and brings that story to life for the reader.
So far, what has been the most interesting part of your life? Does a memoir usually leave you wanting to know more about the person whose story has been told? What part of a memoir story do you think might be boring to readers?
I'd say the west coast years were my most interesting of my life, esp. the 10 years in California.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I'd write one myself, but I like reading other people's memoirs.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the A to Z Challenge!
A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
http://pensuasion.blogspot.com/