Post #34 – Memoir and Fiction, Writing Alchemy – Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
As Matilda and I wrap up loose ends on our book Writing Alchemy…and vanquish a few dangling participles…we’ve been focused on writing technique and what it means to the memoir writer. Throughout our writing, we’ve both been reading (and rereading) many of the great writing craft books, in large part to understand in our own minds what new insight Writing Alchemy might contribute to the literature on the craft of writing.
I have five or six essential reads for writers that always make my list:
- Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
- Stephen King, On Writing
- Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
- Brenda Ueland, If You Want to Write: a Book about Art
- William Zinsser, On Writing Well
I’ve read each more than once–I call these rereads my writing refresher course–and from time to time I add new books to my list of all-time classics. My latest addition is William Zinsser’s Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir. Although first published in 1987, I had never read this book before.
Inventing the Truth is a collection of excellent essays that opens, in the paperback edition, with an updated (1998) introduction by Zinsser. He talks about some of the excellent memoirs written in the 1990s–Angela’s Ashes, The Liars’ Club and A Drinking Life. And then he writes:
“If these books by McCourt, Hamill, Karr, and Wolff represent the new memoir at its best, it’s because they were written with love. They elevate the pain of the past with forgiveness, arriving at a larger truth about families in various stages of brokenness. There’s no self-pity, no whining, no hunger for revenge…We are not victims, they want us to know.” (page 5)
I bring this up because so many of people write about the challenges in their lives. Their stories range from difficult (to near impossible) childhoods, devastating divorces, abuse, loss and illness. As we can all imagine, it’s easy to get bogged down in the hell that each of these situations unleashes. But to go there is to lose sight of all that memoir can do for both the writer and the reader.
- Writing and working through issues can be a healing process, as many of our Sunday guest bloggers can attest. Just look to the “Writing & Healing” tab on the right side of this page for examples.
- Writing for revenge–the anthesis of writing and healing–is a poisoning process. It will fill the writer with vitriol and acid-churning, corrosive bile that won’t resolve anything and may lead the writer into a libel suit.
- And then there are the readers who look to memoir for inspiration, guidance, reassurance, ideas, encouragement. When writers play the victim card, they in effect deny the strength that enabled them to rise above and their ability to infuse readers with the steel they may need to face their own challenges and demons.
Getting Beyond Victimization
We’re all human, and that can mean that deep down inside–even if it’s only fleeting–it can feel comforting to cry, give in to our sorrows, blame others and basically wallow in self-pity. The fact that it doesn’t move us forward or make us stronger is beside the point. It feels sort of good. But beware because it can be the first step on the road to victimhood.
If you’re writing a memoir and feel the need to wallow, then do it. Wallow, cry, complain, blame, bitch and moan. Do it with all the intensity you can bring to the project. Throw the biggest darn pity party you can. Just do it quickly so you can get on with writing the book you should be writing. In fact, if you really need closure on this phase, write everything down that you’re feeling and make a ritual of burning the pages.
In writing with honesty and ownership…in focusing on how you came through adversity that was beyond your control…in looking for the lessons you can share with readers…you will have a memoir worthy of your time and effort.
Appreciating William Zinsser
I get so much from the teaching and writing style of Zinsser that recently I’ve taken to reading his On Friday posts at The American Scholar. Yesterday, I received an email announcing that Zinsser was a finalist in the category of Digital Commentary for the National Magazine Award for his On Friday essays.
If you aren’t aware of it, Zinsser will be 90 years old this October. I find it very inspiring that a man of his years can be so vital, so current with media that he is an award finalist not merely for the power of his thought but in the category representing our most cutting edge medium for distribution and the sharing of ideas. Congratulations William Zinsser. You are an inspiration.
In case you’d like to read the On Friday essays, here’s a list with links to all of his past posts in The American Scholar…for your convenience.
