Saturday, April 14, 2012

M is for Memoir

A long time ago I asked my great followers what they would like to read about on this blog and one of the requested topics was Memoir.

(image link)

Honestly, I have never ever considered writing a memoir. Even in high school, I hated writing about myself. One time I was supposed to do a personal essay about myself and instead I wrote about the education system. Yeah, not quite what I was supposed to do but still got an A so oh well. If I ever say I am writing a memoir that will be a time for concern. So here is some information I found online.

What is a Memoir?

noun
1. a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation.
2. Usually, memoirs.
a. an account of one's personal life and experiences; autobiography.
b. the published record of the proceedings of a group or organization, as of a learned society.
3. a biography or biographical sketch.

How to write a Memoir?
http://theamericanscholar.org/how-to-write-a-memoir/
"Writers are the custodians of memory, and that’s what you must become if you want to leave some kind of record of your life and of the family you were born into. That record can take many shapes."

http://www.rd.com/money/great-tips-on-how-to-write-your-memoir/
"In other words, 99.9 percent of people lead boring lives. But every single one of them is trying to make some sense out of his or her existence, to find some meaning in the world, and therein lies the value and opportunity of memoir. It’s therapeutic for the writer, and it eventually even helps his or her descendants understand themselves better."

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/How-to-Write-Your-Memoir-by-Abigail-Thomas
"You need to feel free to write about the uncomfortable truths, and unless your motive for writing is revenge, you may find that these moments of discomfort are mostly your own."

http://freelance-writing.lovetoknow.com/Tips_on_Writing_a_Memoir
"Although a memoir is true, the events are told in a way that makes it seem like a fictional work. This makes the story much more interesting to the reader, even if the author is someone they have never heard of before."

Examples:
http://www.mental-health-survival-guide.com/memoir-types-and-examples.htm
http://www.goodreads.com/genres/memoir
http://www.writingmemoir.com/published.aspx



Do you like to read memoirs? 
What is your favorite memoir?
Would you ever write one?

6 comments:

Denise Covey said...

Hi Dawn. I plan to write a travel memoir one day, probably a funny one as the real me laughs at everything! One of my dear blogger friends Ann Best is a memoir author. I love reading memoir but perhaps not as much as fiction.

Denise

Dawn Embers said...

Denise - oooo A travel one could be fun since you travel to some fun places. Yeah, Ann Best came to mind when I started writing this since I think she's the only one I know much about currently that blogs and wrote a memoir.

Laura S. said...

Hello, Dawn! I just commented on your other blog, unless there are two Dawn Embers!

I've read a few memoirs: Eat Pray Love; A Girl Named Zippy; First They Killed My Father; When Heaven and Earth Changed Places; and... those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. I don't seek out memoirs, but I'll read them if I think the title is interesting or someone recommends it to me.

I'm an avid gymnastics fan, and two of the sport's most recognizable U.S. gymnasts (Dominique Moceanu and Shawn Johnson) have memoirs coming out in June and I can't wait to read them!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend and happy A to Z!!

Dawn Embers said...

Laura Marcella - Yep, that was me. I have two blogs in this challenge. I haven't read many memoirs but it's good to read a variety of things, and if the title grabs you then why not give it a try.

The Hopeful Romantic said...

My memoirs are something I always imagine writing when I am truely old and grey. i am rather bafffled by people who write their memoirs when they are in their early 20's - no matter how much they have had to go through!

Dawn Embers said...

The Hopeful Romantic - Yeah that is an interesting concept, the young writing a memoir. It does feel like something that should be done later in life but guess if it works for them.