Remember, memoir is not
autobiography. Memoir recounts an
important time in the writer’s life, an important journey, happy or sad,
triumphant or not, where a discovery is made.
This journey is merely a slice, not the whole life pie. But within that slice, as in fiction,
internal dialogue is important.
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| Discovering the possibilities |
Internal
dialogue is a dialogue the writer/character has with herself. This dialogue in memoir usually projects present
day thoughts or logic or knowledge onto prior actions of the writer/character. It’s like an interpretation of the preceding action,
scene, or anecdote.
Like fiction,
memoir cannot be merely a collection of scenes, dialogues, or actions. Some scenes and actions are used to move the
plot forward, to create tension, or to enhance characterization. Other scenes need to be interpreted by the
writer through internal dialogue.
Interpretation
in memoir explains why a particular action is so important in the writer’s
journey. The writer attempts to revisit
that part of her life again, through memoir, and discovers newfound knowledge to share with
the reader.
As I move ahead in my
revision work of the college memoir, I’m probing beyond my literal college
experience to discover the epiphanies that I was too busy to see at the time
with the daily grind of college and family life. My husband and children find my scribbled
thoughts on torn pieces of paper left on tables and counters, bookshelves and
bathroom vanities. I tell them to throw
away nothing they find and put it on my desk on the porch. When I get time, I type them into the
prologue document to my memoir and sort them from there. [This cuts down on the fire hazard in our
home.]
Memoir needs to be more than
autobiographical. It needs to provide
insight not merely the facts of the experience.
Memoir is a writer’s story about a specific time in his or her life with
the writer’s present day reflections on that time.
Oh…the timer’s beeping and I need
to get the apple pie out of the oven. I hope
you all have a blessed Thanksgiving. Thanks
for stopping by.
