Struggling with your memoir?
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So many of my students ask me: "How long should my chapters be?" See my answer to this question in this short video. Warning: I get a little bit sillier than usual. I also talk about chapter length in memoirs such as In the Dreamhouse, The Tender Bar, The Wave, Wild, and Eat Pray Love.
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Does present-tense make your memoir feel more immediate? Most people say yes, but I don't think this is always true. Does past-tense allow for more reflection? Usually. But there are some exceptions. This video covers all you need to know about verb tense, one of the critical choices you'll need to make when it comes to writing your memoir. How Truthful Does Your Memoir Really Need to Be? Taking Literary License While Not Getting Sued9/9/2021 How much license can you take in your memoir? Will you get sued for changing the order of events? Where is the line between taking literary license and simply making things up? Wendy Dale answers these questions and helps you solve one of the memoirist's toughest dilemmas: How to ethically include the details that make for a great story even if you don't remember them exactly. How do you go from fourth grade to twelfth grade in a sentence? How can you skip huge chunks of time without making this jarring to your reader? In this video, three tricks for jumping through time seamlessly. Should you tell your story from the point of view of the person you are now? Or is it better to tell the story from the point of view of the younger you who actually lived through events? Can you do both? The answers to these questions in the video below. The way you think of your life and the way you create a story are two different ways of thinking. Here come transitions to the rescue! Transitions can do the heavy lifting when it comes to creating structure. It was hard enough living through traumatic events. And writing about them brings up bad memories all over again. Why am I doing this to myself? Some answers to that question in the video below. Nearly every writer questions themselves and their book. In this video, Wendy tries to help writers get past their meltdown by understanding what it is that truly keeps a reader engaged. Your book might not be fascinating and filled with plot twists and turns, but that's actually okay. What is the difference in plot between fiction and memoir? And how do you not fall into the traps that most memoir writers make when structuring their books? I answer both of these questions in the video below. Oh, and I make light fun of Jane Austen too. Using visual details is not the best way to describe place. Watch the video to learn what actually works. |
AuthorA Random House author offers tips on writing your own memoir. Archives
September 2021
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