Magic of Memoir Slides

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WELCOME TO

MAGIC OF MEMOIR

#magicofmemoir

Getting Started with (or Possibly Rethinking)

Your Memoir

What’s Your Category?

• Where does your book belong on the shelf?• Why does it matter?• How is it different from theme?• Positioning—and why it helps your memoir.

Theme 101• What your story is about—loss, healing or recovery,

search for adoptive family, abandonment. • Selecting your theme(s) helps you focus on the threads of

your story and the scenes you choose.• Examples:

• Angela’s Ashes—the miserable Irish childhood

• Wild—an inner and an outer journey • The Glass Castle—growing up neglected

in her parents’ fantasy world

Your Theme-Colored Glasses

• Your theme is the air your book breathes. • Exercise: Explore or name your themes. • Practice: Seeing the world you live in through your theme(s).

StructureBraided, Associative, Experimental

• What structure means and how it functions• Braided—alternate chapters in a different voice, time frame, or POV• Associative—The theme, tone and philosophy/psychology of the author

create threads that weave throughout• Experimental—draws upon various forms, styles, and themes, such as the

use of poetry, POV shifts, progression of time and theme

StructureLinear, Framed, Outlier

• Linear—Writing about a contained period of time, from Point A to Point B, with fewer flashback and memory scenes than the framed memoir.

• Framed—The backstory happens within the frame—Point A to Point B—through the use of flashback and memory.

• Outlier—Anything you can’t quite categorize. Overlaps with experimental, but is typically more traditional in its approach, like a memoir in essays.

#magicofmemoir

Your Memoir as a Movie

What Makes a Scene?

• Specific place and time• Sensual details • Characters and setting• Situation and problem• Connecting to theme• Shape—beginning, middle, end

Sensual Details• Taste—sweet, sour, bitter;

Specific foods—coffee, oranges, watermelon, chocolate cake

• Smell—specific foods, earth, plants, disgusting vs. pleasant smells

• Textures—smooth, nubby, gritty, sleek, slippery

• Sounds—delicate, loud, grating; specific music: Bach, rock n’ roll, folk

Showing vs. Telling

• What’s the difference? • How can you move toward more “showing”?• What’s the balance of show vs tell?

Flashback and Memory

• Flashback and memory defined

• Reasons to include flashbacks

• How to write flashback vs. memory

Takeaway • Where does this term come from?• What are we talking about and how can you implement it? • How to turn your inner world outward to connect with your reader.• How and when to implement it. • Drawing upon themes to mine for takeaways.

#magicofmemoir

The “Muddy Middle” of Your Memoir

What Is the Muddy Middle? • The moment the excitement about your idea begins to fade into the reality of writing a whole book.• Sometimes as early as Chapter 1.• How long will this last? • Why to embrace the Muddy Middle—it’s about the journey, AND the destination.

Writing the Truth

• The truth you know.

• The truth you discover.

• The family agreement on truth.

• The truth you must tell.

Your Inner & Outer Critics

• Who are the inner critics?• Strategies for dealing with them.

• Who are the outer critics?• Strategies for dealing with them.

Writing Exercise 1(10 minutes)

Write down four things the inner critic says that stops you from writing.

Answer back.

Writing Exercise 2(10 minutes)

Write down the truths you know you must write

AND/OR

Write down some truths you know your family will not want you to write

Healing &Testimony

• Dr. James Pennebaker’s research on healing

• How to write the healing version

• Visualization; meditation; photos; journaling

• Permission; support; community

• Power of testimony and witnessing

#magicofmemoir

The Power of Narration

What Is Narration?

• Synonym for “narrative” is “story.” • Connected events—that things are linked causally. • Tracking the story for plot, theme, character development, and through-threads.

What’s Your Narrative Voice?

• Theme and frame set up narrative voice

• How many narrators do you have—now, then, guiding, and reflective

– Now narrator

– Then narrator

– Guiding narrator

– Reflective narrator

Choosing the Lens Through Which You Write

• Voice of experience vs. voice of innocence—there are two “I’s”• Karr calls this the “looking back” voice and the “being in it” voiceIntegrative power of close in and distance lens

Layering Scenes and Narration

• Weaving narration, “now” moments (including dialogue), reflection, and takeaway.

• Using memory, imagination, what happened, what we feel about what happened, and how what happened led to the next thing to inform our scenes.

Writing Exercise(20 minutes)

Write about a house you loved using the elements of scene we’vebeen teaching this weekend:

• Sensual details• Dialogue• Reflection • Anything else

#magicofmemoir

Writing That Brings Your Memoir Alive

Turning Points & Outlining

• Turning Points overview• Tracking your scenes• Scaffolding (outlining)• How to scaffold what you already have, and use it as a tool moving forward

What Is Arc? • It’s what happens in your memoir• The emotional framework of your memoir• A collection of meaningful moments (your turning points) that take into account your theme and takeaway in every scene

Note to self to review what would be included and to add/revise if necessary.

Arc Continued

Characterization

• You’re the protagonist—must change throughout story

• Character tags, description

• Character portraits

• Body language and dialogue

Through-threads• What are through-threads?• Connecting your through-threads to your themes, to character development, to arc. • Identifying through-threads while you write as a practice in “rewarding” your reader.

Dialogue

• A significant scene that shows character and action

• It’s your memory of the feeling in the scene

• Instant characterization=speaking

• No talking heads

• Body language and thoughts woven in

#magicofmemoir

All About Publishing!

Revision

• Print out whole manuscript.

• Read with pen and markers in hand.

• Color code each character—track throughout the manuscript (includes pets).

• Color code your themes.

Checklist:

• Themes—take you beyond the "what happened" stage.

• Scenes—grounded; sensual details.

• Note: Character development and tags.

• Dialogue—no talking heads or exposition.

Revision continued

Checklist continued:

• Flashback transitions—memoir is a time traveling event and your reader needs to follow you.

• Takeaway—universal elements that touch your reader and help them identify with you.

• Weaving narration with scenes.

• Rewriting—rinse and repeat.

• Peer readers and editors.

Revision continued

Levels of Editing

• Developmental editing (structural, big picture, pacing, sequencing, flow) • Copyediting/line editing (grammar, punctuation, syntax, watching out for minor repetitions)• Proofreading (Punctuation and grammatical errors, formatting errors, spelling.

Submitting to Agents & Editors

• Professional presentation, with boundaries and positive attitude

• You are one of many to agents & editors—they want something they can sell.

• Manuscript double spaced; proper formatting of paragraphs.• Follow submission instructions; follow up after 4-6 weeks with

polite, not pushy note.• Don't whine if they reject you. Consider carefully comments

they make. Don’t revise for each editor or agent.• Take time to think about feedback, next steps.

What Agents & Editors Are Looking For

• Business partners• Savvy professionals• Confidence and expertise• Go-getters• Self-starters

Query Letters

• Spell the agent’s/editor’s name correctly!

• Purpose—introduce yourself and your book.

• Use a professional tone, yet show your voice.

• What your book is about—pitch.

• What will others get from your book: takeaway, its value.

• Word count and other details.

• Your credentials/brief bio.

Proposals• The value of doing one no matter what.• The elements:

• Overview• Chapter Summaries• Author Bio• Target Audience• Comparative Titles• Marketing/Publicity Analysis