“The memoir writer takes us back to some corner of his or her past that was

unusually intense-childhood, for instance.” - William Zinsser

It is a way of making sense of the past It allows us to explore moments in our

lives and make them meaningful It encourages us to discover truths in our

lives and share them It is written in the first person point of

view (I, me)

A memoir is more detailed than a narrative because it focuses on one thing only

A memoir is a snapshot; a glimpse into your life

Before writing a memoir ask yourself: What experiences have I had that are worth

capturing on paper? Which memories stick with me?

The writer tells a personal story based on the truth, however parts can be fictional.

It is written from 1st person point of view. It is about discovering meaning(theme)

in your memories rather than recording the facts.

It is about using your senses to describe the event (show don’t tell)

It is more about the writer’s experience than the memory itself.

The writer expresses emotions, through dialogue and actions, that are connected with the memory.

It is not an autobiography because it focuses on one main memory, or a series of connected memories.

Narrative structure, includes elements such as setting, plot development,imagery, conflict, characterization, foreshadowing and flashback, irony and symbolism.

What are my earliest memories? What are the most important things that

have happened in my life so far? What have I seen that I can’t forget? What’s an incident that shows what my

family and I are like? My pets and I? What’s something that happened to me

at school that I’ll always remember? Home?

What’s an incident that changed how I think or feel about something?

What’s an incident that changed my life? What’s a time or place that I was perfectly

happy? Sad or depressed? Laughed a lot? What’s a time with a parent/guardian that

I’ll never forget? Grandparent? Sibling? Cousin or other relative? Friend?

Can I remember a time I leared to do something for the first time?

What memories emerge when I make time line of my life so far and note milestones?

I remember my dad’s blue volkswagon beetle, the airstrip behind our house, the 3rd floor attic, and no indoor toilet.

Most important things: wedding day, birth of my 3 children, first teaching job, selling my first story, watching my puppy get run over, buying my 150 yr. old house.

Visions I can’t forget: Die hard (blond guy hanging in elevator shaft), my puppy lying on road bleeding, sunset over St. John river, my son in an incubator hooked with 5 iv’s and a feeding tube

My family: bursting out laughing in church thinking about “party hats”

School: peed my pants in grade 2 Home: fainted after hitting my funny

bone 911 – the world is much bigger and more

dangerous than I realized Changed my life: When a friend stabbed

me in the back