Reflection on Writing Memoirs
Some problems I think writers face when trying to write a memoir is trying to piece back together past events. Some, or more like most, writers seem to use extreme detail in describing things which I find highly difficult to even remember. Those details include not only things like what you ate for breakfast but what you ate for breakfast when you were 10! Another problem that writers might have is not to exaggerate wha happened, I mean you can do that a little bit so you can get a certain point across, but it's way too easy to put yourself in a better light or to paint someone in a worse one. It can also be difficult to, in some cases, keep the story interesting without fabricating whole sections of a memoir. I wonder how writers choose which memories deserve to go into a memoir. I know that milestones would go in, like your first best friend, when you had your first crush (and then got to date said crush), when you went to college, first job, and the list goes on. What about those memories that aren't necessarily "important" but are just random memories that for no reason stick out to you? Also, how DO authors remember so much? I know small details are most likely made-up, but they do remember a lot of different events that happened to them that are important but not character defining, like when they add something about a picnic but nothing out of the ordinary happened to them at that picnic -it was just a fun little picnic. Some of the things I'm wondering about when I have to write my own memoir are which memories will I put in it and which event will be most interesting to write about. WILL my memoir be interesting at all or will it be just a pile of word vomit that I'll spew out? Will I be able to convey what I want to say like the way other memoir writers are able to do? My biggest fear is that I won't have anything interesting to write about, which I think is almost everyone's biggest worry. So at least, we are in the same boat. As the saying goes, there IS comfort in numbers.
That was the most amazing opinionated blog I have ever read. I love how you point out the real fears of writers. Speaking for myself, you hit the hammer right on the nail. I agree that the writer's biggest fear is to make sure that their memoir is interesting and grasp the reader's attention. Job well done!!
ReplyDeleteI agree I don't remember all those details that aren't "important". There's got to be some sort of way that that don't lie per say but you know not all that stuff is legit I know that there is some "expanded truths" in these books. I feel like its hidden very well though because you aren't going to call them out on it because it could be a lie but it might not be ant its not nearly that important.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you explain the book to people about the details ofryout book and I really think its interesting the way you think about the writing in your memoir. I really like this blog post and think its very Insightful.
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