Thoughts on Writing Memoir

By Val Mills, 15th Jan 2012 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/_2bgd2gi/
Posted in Wikinut>Writing>Tips

Memoir writing is not just for the rich and famous. Writing memoir is a way of recording every day incidents from the past.

Preserving the past
How do you go about writing memoir?
Licence to tell your own story

Preserving the past

Dressed up for my first school Fancy Dress Ball

Writing memoir is for famous people isn’t it? And old people? And people who have done something extraordinary with their lives? The simple answer to those questions is no. Memoir writing is for anyone wishing to preserve something about their perceptions of the past.
Recently I was persuaded to write a memoir about my 1950s primary school days. That seems like just the other day to me, but many of you weren’t even born then. There’s a double motivation for writing it. I now teach for six months of the year back at that school I attended. Recently the younger children were studying school life in grandparent’s days and, as I attended the school, I became their major resource. It seemed like a good idea to write something that could be used as a future resource for the kids of that school.
Secondly, the school is having its centenary in 2013. What better time to launch a school memoir than to coincide with the centenary celebrations. I’m giving myself plenty of time to gather my memories, to write, to edit and to publish. But, with the 2013 goal in mind I have something to work towards.

How do you go about writing memoir?

How come his car is better than mine?

I’ve done a lot of research on memoir writing. My local writing group focused on writing memoir stories last year, so I have a small base of anecdotes on which to build. I attended a memoir writing workshop. And I’ve been reading memoir, written by famous people, writers, interesting people I’ve never heard of and ordinary people who have led ordinary lives. By studying the work of so many I’m getting a real feel for how I want my finished memoir to be.
I’ve also read all the books I can lay my hands on about writing memoir. These too have been useful guides, giving me prompts about things I would never have thought of on my own.
Memoir seems to be a little like writing a series of short stories, but the stories are not fictional, they’re about you. All of us have episodes in our lives that are worth telling stories about. The trick to writing a memoir seems to be in the art of storytelling. Memoir is not autobiography, outlining what happened when and why. It is the recording of memories in such a way others will enjoy reading them.

Licence to tell your own story

My father & family around 1912

The funny thing about memories is that none of us remember things in quite the same way. We all responded differently to the things that happened and we all remember the parts that were important to us at the time. No one can tell us that our memories are incorrect, if we’re simply recording what we believe happened and how we felt about it. Memoir is truth from our point of view.
My memoir writing project is my major focus for the next two years, so I intend writing about what I learn along the way and sharing it here. Maybe that will inspire others to begin writing their memoir as well. I’ve already shared a few memoir stories online, not about school, but about my 1950s childhood. Some are as part of articles, some as fictional stories. If you’ve missed them, I’ll list links to some of them below.
I am not famous, rich, or extraordinary in any way. I grew up in an ordinary household and was probably a conservative, ordinary child at school. But, I believe my stories are important to record, as a record of school life in the past. And I believe I can write them in a readable way. Memoir writing is for everyone. If you enjoy writing, you too can write memoir stories.

Memoir stories by Val Mills:
Childhood Daisy Chains
A Writer's First Written Word
The Girl Who Wanted to Look Like Cinderella

Meet the author

Val Mills
A teacher who enjoys good coffee, a glass of wine and the chance to write daily without interruption. Other things get wedged in.

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Comments

Jerry Walch
15th Jan 2012 (#)

Good luck on your new project, Val. I look forward to reading your memoirs when they have been published.;

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Jerry Walch
15th Jan 2012 (#)

@branzaovidiu To be completely honest with you I look askance at any site that is so unprofessional that they leave spelling errors and typos on their landing page.

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Val Mills
15th Jan 2012 (#)

Thanks Jerry

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rama devi nina
15th Jan 2012 (#)