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To Outline or Not to Outline Your Memoir
One early decision most memoirists face is whether to outline. Should you sketch the scaffolding first, or simply open the valve and let the memories pour out? If you browse writing forums or attend memoir workshops, you’ll see this question argued with the same vigor usually reserved for politics or barbecue recipes. Some insist you… Continue reading
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The Man In The Arena
Benjamin Kalb stepped out of his car and into the storm as if crossing an invisible threshold. Rain fell in hard, wind-driven sheets, needling his face and soaking his clothes. Beneath his feet, the Stony Creek Bridge stretched long—an earth-filled concrete Luten arch nearly a quarter mile in length, its 1,187 feet offering no shoulder,… Continue reading
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Fun-Sized
A memoir chapter should be fun-sized—not small, but complete. A self-contained tale that integrates all the elements of a story—plot, characterization, dialogue, setting—in one sitting. You should be able to lift one chapter out, read it during an oil change or on a quiet Sunday morning, and feel satisfied. Something began. Something changed. Something ended.… Continue reading