Memoir or Autobiography?
In some
general contexts, memoir and autobiography can be used interchangeably.
In fact, Amazon.com puts them in the same category. But there’s a key difference that publishers use to define each—the timeline covered in the writing:
Both are based in truth.
Both are highly marketable in the publishing world.
Both use the First person: Voice/Account of life’s details/facets.
And both require research, phone interviews and trips to places you once lived, and sitting back into a comfy chair and doing some deep, focused remembering.
In fact, Amazon.com puts them in the same category. But there’s a key difference that publishers use to define each—the timeline covered in the writing:
Both are based in truth.
Both are highly marketable in the publishing world.
Both use the First person: Voice/Account of life’s details/facets.
And both require research, phone interviews and trips to places you once lived, and sitting back into a comfy chair and doing some deep, focused remembering.
"History is written
by the victors, but it's victims who write the memoirs." ― Carol Tavris
Generally speaking Memoirs are less formal, less encompassing, more
concerned with emotional truth toward a particular section of one’s life and
how it makes you feel now.
Starts anywhere and can deftly move around in time and place.
Starts anywhere and can deftly move around in time and place.
In
his own memoir, Palimpsest, Gore
Vidal gave his own definitions of the two genres stating, "a memoir is how
one remembers one's own life, while an autobiography is history, requiring
research, dates, facts double-checked."
“You don’t want a voice that simply relates facts to
the reader . You want a voice that shows the reader what’s going on and puts
him or her in the room with the people you’re writing about.” – Kevan
Lyon in Writing a Memoir - (Show, don’t tell).
Examples of popular memoirs include Eat, Pray,
Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Glass Castle by
Jeannette Walls.
Below is a brief list of the differences:
Below is a brief list of the differences:
1.
Autobiography usually covers the author’s entire life up to the point of
writing, while memoir focuses only on parts of the author’s life.
2. In
autobiography, authors usually tell their life stories because they are famous
and important. A memoirist can be anybody, famous or not.
3. People read autobiographies because they want
to know about a particular (probably famous) person (detailed chronology,
events, places, reactions, movements and any other relevant information that
inhabited the life of the subject). They read memoirs because they are
interested in a certain subject or story or they are drawn to the writer’s style
or voice or philosophy.
4.
Autobiographies tend to be written in chronological order, while memoirs often
move back and forth in time.
5. Autobiography places greater emphasis on
facts and how the writer fits into the historical record (focused on facts - fact, above all, is its foundation),
while memoir emphasizes personal experience and interiority. The facts matter in memoir, but it’s understood
that memoirists select and shape the facts of their lives to explore their
chosen theme which becomes a narrative.
https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/i-have-an-idea/w/choosing-your-topic/6397/the-differences-between-memoir-autobiography-and-biography---article. Information harvested
from the web, nkk, Aug. 2019
HOW TO WRITE A MEMOIR: DO'S AND DON'TS
Memoirs are
among the most powerful books on the market in terms of their ability to
positively affect their readers. The basis of memoir writing lies in an author
with a story worth telling, whether about an accomplishment or struggle.
But while memoir
authors often have many life lessons to share, it’s important that they don’t
stray into the more prescriptive world of self-help writing.
Follow these do’s and don’ts, and you’ll be well on
your way to writing a memoir that can compete toe-to-toe with the best on the
market.
Tell a Story
DO THIS: Establish a story arc*.
Even though it’s a story about your life, it still has to have some of the
elements and structure of fiction to make it compelling. Consider how you will
tell your story based on what elements you’re trying to emphasize. Remember,
you still need character development, a compelling struggle**, and a
resolution.
NOT THIS: Include every detail of
your life in your memoir. If you’re focusing on your relationship with your
siblings, don’t put unnecessary details in about your college years or your
European vacation with friends unless it relates directly to the story.
Show Don't Tell
DO THIS: The inspiration needs to come
from the story. If you’re writing an inspirational memoir, it’s the story, the
characters, and the action that should incite emotion. When you read an amazing
memoir, it’s not uplifting because the author is telling you it is; the
inspiring nature of the book is written into the story.
NOT THIS: Tell the reader why the
story is inspiring. Don’t say things like, “In overcoming my illness, I finally
realized how strong I was.” Show your readers how you felt,
and let them infer from your storytelling the lessons you learned. This is
an important distinction between self-help and memoir, and a key place where
authors unintentionally blend the two.
Highlight What's Unique
DO THIS: Find your hook and
emphasize an element of your story that makes it unique and marketable. Telling
about your struggle isn’t enough. Research comparable titles and figure out an
angle for your book that is new and different from what is already out there.
NOT THIS: Write a very broad book
about overcoming a difficult situation. For example, instead of a book about
addiction, write a book about beating alcoholism with your supportive, madcap
Southern family at your side.
Based on Green Leaf Book Group
*We’ll study the
ARC process early on…
** a compelling struggle: Here ‘’struggle’’ can be
viewed as meaning the focus of your
core topic like: Visiting my brother in
1972. Don’t take the word in
its literal meaning.
Juxtaposing Critique &
Criticism helps us stay on track!
Critique
|
Criticism
|
Caring
|
Blaming
|
Constructive
|
Destructive
|
Empowering (more )
|
Belittling (less)
|
Focus on Positive
(Inspires growth and learning)
|
Focus on Negative
(Leads to dead-end)
|
Wide scope
|
Narrow scope
|
Open to possibilities
|
Closed
|
Objective
|
Subjective
(personal)
|
General application
|
Personal application
|
Networking/Exploration
|
One narrow track focus
|
Creative
|
Dulling/Castrating
|
Broadening Self & others
|
Confining/boxing in
|
Flexible
|
Rigid
|
We want to hear more!
|
We don’t want to hear any
more!
|
WE FEEL GOOD!
|
WE FEEL BAD!
|
Why Your Past Matters Source: Antonioguillem / Adobe
Stock Tina Gilbertson LPC, BC-TMH
The
earlier parts of your life story have an impact on the outcome. Every once in a while, something in my life
goes badly enough that I wish I’d known at the time what I know now, so I could
go back and do things differently.
But then I ask myself, ‘If
there were a way to travel back in time, would I actually re-live
the entire day just to fix that one thing?’ The answer is almost always No.
Usually it just doesn’t seem worth it. Dwelling
on the past is something many Americans don’t like to do; we’re eager to wipe
the slate clean and start fresh on a path toward a tomorrow we hope will be
brighter than yesterday.
But pushing forward without a
backward glance can be hazardous to our mental health. Let me give you four
reasons.
First,
to paraphrase the philosopher George Santayana, if we don’t take time to
reflect on our behavior, we may unwittingly repeat it. This is true for other
people’s actions as well as our own; if we don’t think about how badly we were
treated, and make choices about what to do to protect ourselves next time,
we’re vulnerable to being treated that way again. We must remember to press “Pause” to
intentionally focus on the past, because how often we pause and how deeply we
reflect directly affects our destiny. If life is an exam, that’s how to
study for it.
A second
danger in the “out with the old, in with the new” worldview is that we don’t
get a chance to heal. We end up going through life at less than full capacity. Imagine
if you broke a bone and then, not wanting to dwell on the injury, went out and
played rugby the next day. How well do you think that would go for you and your
broken bone? It’s a ridiculous thing to
do, yet people do it all the time with wounds that aren’t physical. Instead of constructively wallowing in the
bad stuff that happens to us, we try to shake off an upset as soon as possible
so we can “get past it.”
Getting past an emotional injury is like getting past
winter; the only way past it is through it.
Emotional injuries need
time-outs, just as physical injuries do. We can’t process emotional wounds if
we’re busy focusing on the future, trying to shove aside any thoughts about the
bad stuff that happened “back then” (or yesterday).
Third,
racing toward the future at the expense of reflecting on the past robs us of
our identity. We’re made up of DNA and time. Our genes appear to determine much
about our personalities, but the events and people that populate our lives, and
how we respond to them, create the rest of our uniqueness.
When we honor the influence of our personal history, we
benefit from the lessons that have shaped who we are.
Fourth,
emotional maturity requires that we acknowledge where we’ve been by pondering
the past. We’re only as old inside as the wounded child who sustained our
oldest hurts – neglect, ridicule, criticism, sexual abuse, etc. If we hide
our personal history from ourselves by insisting on focusing at all times on
the present and/or the future, we can’t help that child heal and grow into the
adult we’re meant to become.
Our entire life story, not
just where we’re going but where we’ve been, deserves our curiosity and attention. I’m not saying we should live in the past,
only that it’s far too valuable to be relegated to the dust heap.
56 Memoir Topics: Which of these have been important in your life?
|
1. being a parent
2. your parents
3. your grandparent
4. a sister or brother
5. a sport or game that's been important to
you
6. gardening
7. a trip you took
8. a particular job
9. your career
10. something you collect
11. an unusual talent
12. dieting or fitness
13. your cultural heritage
14. a romance
15. marriage
16. divorce
17. farming
18. your relationship to nature
19. a school you went to
20. your college or university
21. summer camp
22. your house
23. a pet
24. an illness
25. a disability
26. an accident
27. an addiction
28. the death of someone close to you
29. childhood
|
30. adolescence
31. becoming an adult
32. middle age
33. old age
34. a book or movie that changed your life
35. a work of art that changed your life
36. a teacher or mentor
37. an important friendship
38. a spiritual or religious experience
39. a change in your economic situation
40. a decision to change some aspect of your
life
41. a place where you lived
42. a place that was special to you
43. a move to a new place
44. another major life change
45. the effect of war on your life
46. another historical event that impacted
your life
47. food
48. chores
49. a dangerous situation you survived
50. something you did to help others
51. military service
52. something you accomplished
53. a topic you research as a hobby
54. discrimination you have faced
55. someone who was a great inspiration to
you
56. a mission or quest
|
