WRITING THE MEMOIR

11th Grade English – Mr. Suarez

WHY WRITE A MEMOIR?• Take sharing your life to another level• Capture a moment in time with vivid detail and

imagery• A priceless historical document• Preserve people, events, places

WHAT IS A MEMOIR?• An autobiography or life story (usually personal or

relating to family history)• Combination of fiction and non fiction, because no

one’s memory is perfect (and for the sake of entertainment you want to make your story compelling and interesting to readers).

TERMS TO KNOW FOR CONSTRUCTING THE

MEMOIR• Plot- your story• Structure- how you choose to arrange events• Description- details that appeal to the five senses• Dialogue- a speaker’s exact words• Characterization- telling and showing what

characters are like• Point of view- the vantage point from which the story

is told• Voice- the writer’s unique personality

WHAT YOU NEED TO CONSIDER

• What elements of literature do you want to include in your memoir?

• Flashback? – a scene that breaks the story to let readers know of actions that happened in the past

• Flash forward? A scene that shows a later part of the action

• You do not need to write a chronological order of events

WRITE IN FIRST PERSON• The memoir type of narrative requires the telling of

the story in first person (usually). • Decide what the narrator would like the audience to

learn about. Why should they read your memoir?• Remember not to talk about yourself as you would

with friends. Don’t use slang or jargon unless included in dialogue.

• Make your narrator interesting by using detail and description to paint a picture in the reader’s mind

USING DESCRIPTION • Use imagery- descriptions that appeal to the senses;

creates vivid mental picture of person, place or event• Ask yourself:• What year did the event take place?• How old was I? Who were my friends, influences,

etc.?• What was the weather like?• How much did gas cost when this event happened?• Have a friend interview you and ask you about how

you, (the narrator) would respond to hypothetical situations. Know yourself, your reactions, and your surroundings (setting).

CONSIDER MEMORABILIA • You may want to add some personal items to your

memoir:• Illustrations/ Photos• Samples of poetry, writing, diary• Family recipes• Birth certificates, awards, newspaper clippings• Genealogy records; ancestral documents

DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE DETAILS UNTIL LATER

• Having a sound plot, sequential order, images and emotions is key to the drafting process

• Know what you want the reader to picture and feel first• Revise details, descriptions, grammar and word choice

later• Use a map or graphic organizer to start a draft• Don’t demand perfection, you are only human, and the

memoir should characterize human traits after all

POLISHING YOUR WRITING• Your checklist:

• Is my writing concise? Did I use unnecessary words in descriptions?

• Are my ideas linked in a logical way? Do I have sound transitions?

• Is my writing clear? Are character and setting descriptions visible to the reader?

• Did I avoid giving the same information twice?• Did I include sensory imagery, description, and

dialogue to make the memoir interesting?

SIX WORD MEMOIRS• Introductory video• http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=143416&title=The_Six_Word_Memoirs_Film_2009&vpkey• “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” – Hemingway • “Not Quite What I Was Planning?”• How would you tell “your story” in six words?• Characterize an aspect of your life using six words

or a meaningful phrase • Choose your words concisely, you only have six?• How to start:• http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/bsndev-219582-Writing-six-word-memoir-2-a-w-Education-ppt-powerpoint/

SIX WORD MEMOIR

SIX TIPS FOR WRITING SIX-WORD MEMOIRS