The question of "who?" is one of the main parts of the memoir. We start with who we were and are and who were our influences, who were the ones who were our biggest obstacles, and who were the people who lent helping hands to us along our life journey. Memoir is a human story and therefore it is important to know all we can about the players in that story to understand the deeper meaning of it all.
When starting into memoir planning we should look closely at ourselves in order to decide who it is we want to portray in our life story. We might be a victim, a victor, or both. Our persona might be a mighty hero or the unassuming next door neighbor. The story we tell can include struggle, pain, and sadness alongside uplifting times of extreme joy. We have lived our experiences, but what do we understand about who exactly we are?
Your memoir is a sharing experience that to be truthful will require opening up your true self to others. If you don't do that then you are writing fiction and not an honest account of your life. Know thyself and tell the story the you yourself can truly believe in.
Do you sometimes feel like a stranger to yourself? Are you hesitant to open up to others when telling stories about your life? Have you ever read a memoir account that seemed insincere to the point where you could not trust it?
Interesting thoughts. I'm not I've ever given it much thought. I don't think I have much I could write about. I had a wonderful childhood, that would be fun to write about perhaps. Maybe some interest in where I've vacationed...but...beyond that?
ReplyDeleteSandy at Bridge and Beyond Only 3 days left of our challenge.
It's something you should think about. Take a few incidents that stand out and write about them. Who knows where you might go from there?
DeleteLee
I don't mind telling stories about my life to others if it's relevant to the topic being discussed. Some people would say I had an idyllic childhood, looking in from the outside, but I don't feel that I did at all. My husband had it really hard and grew up in a rough house with 4 siblings who were constantly beating up on each other and fighting so he tells me to be happy I was an only child, but it was very hard to have the focus constantly on me and not in a good way. Nothing i did or said was ever right. So I would probably focus my stories on that, and then how I broke free and moved away when I was 24 and had the absolute time of my life out west for 22 years.
ReplyDeleteYour comment is a perfect example of why memoirs can be interesting. We've all had different lives with different experiences. Sometimes studying those past experiences in depth and writing about them can bring a lot into greater clarification to help us understand more and maybe even change the perceptions we've always had about our lives.
DeleteLee
I have mulled over the various elements of my memoir and the biggest hurdle is exposing those deepest darkest places and surrendering to the vulnerability in sharing them. It's hard sometimes, especially for someone who has a wall around her heart, who tries to never let the world see how deeply I hurt. It's downright scary to reveal those aspects of oneself. But one thing that I keep coming back to is something I heard in a writing class: tap into the fear and break it wide open; go to that very scary place because it is there where the real gems lie. I have to realize that I'm not the only one who has ever felt the way I do and that a great many others surely will be able to relate...and that's what makes a good memoir, so I'm told...
ReplyDeleteMichele at Angels Bark
Tapping into the fear is one way, but then again maybe starting with the lighter parts and writing about those can break the ice to make everything else start to feel more comfortable to talk about. I do believe having the story to which others can relate gives you a ready made audience who will be interested in reading what you have to say.
DeleteGo for it!
Lee