Post #23 – Memoir and Fiction, Writing Alchemy – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
11 Memoir Writing Tips to Remember in 2011
Memoir Writing Tip #1: Write and write and write. You will eventually find the place to start your story. Every author, even well-known authors, have had a difficult time finding the right place to open the narrative.
For our tip from Elmore Leonard on where to start your story:
Memoir Writing Tip #2: Put your best foot forward and this means craft an opening sentence and paragraph that will draw readers into the story.
For our tip on writing opening sentences:
Memoir Writing Tip #3: Do your background work on people, times, and places before you begin writing, or as David McCullough says, “Marinate your head.”
For our tip on immersing yourself in the details of the story:
Memoir Writing Tip #4: Early one evening in New York City, a woman was asked, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” She responded, “Practice, practice, practice.” And so it is with writing. If you want to be read, you need hours and hours and hours of writing. Learn about the magic number 10,000 hours.
For our tip from Ray Bradbury on how quantity helps with quality:
Memoir Writing Tip #5: Create a string of words and let that line pull you along.
For our tip from Annie Dillard on following the line of your words:
Memoir Writing Tip #6: A memoirist needs to do more reflecting and less recounting. Remember a memoir is your take on life, not a recitation of a string of events.
For our tip on reflection from Natalie Goldberg:
Memoir Writing Tip #7: “The devil is in the details” applies to writing as well as to life. Remembering and describing the small details takes more time but creates the rich story bed for the plot of your life.
For our tip on using details from Anne Lamott:
Memoir Writing Tip #8: Weak verbs make weak sentences that mushroom into weak paragraphs, chapters, and books. Make your verbs lift their share of the workload.
For our tip about verbs from Rita Mae Brown:
Memoir Writing Tip #9: Go easy on adverbs. If you want more drama, find power words.
For our tip on the problem with adverbs from Stephen King:
Memoir Writing Tip #10: Have a point. It is easy to get lost in the process of writing your story. Make sure that your readers don’t also get lost. Have a message, a point, that will be the reader’s take away.
For our tip on making your point from Elizabeth Berg:
Memoir Writing Tip #11: The writer may have more than one persona. A story from when you were six may need a different voice than a story of you today. Check the persona you are using and make sure it is true to your story.
For our tip on persona from Alyce Miller:
Hope this list for writers of 11 tips to remember in 2011 will be helpful to you throughout the year.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for the next in our series of 11 lists for 2011.
