personal narrative
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Dialogue (More)
Memoir isn’t merely the history of what happened. If that were the point, every family reunion would solve the problem—someone would stand up, clear their throat, and recite a timeline: We moved from Chicago to Des Moines in ’71. In ’73, we bought the blue station wagon. In ’74, shaving cream went up a quarter.… Continue reading
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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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What You Can Borrow From Hemingway When Writing Your Memoir
There are great writers who fade into oblivion. Then there’s Ernest Hemingway, whose prose is so popular that there’s a writing app that bears his name. Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Pulitzer Prize because he was a damn good writer. Over his lifetime, he crafted tales about courage, endurance, the relentless… Continue reading