Thanks For the Memory -Writing Memoir
A memoir is not a review of an entire life. It is merely a piece of that life – a snippet, a chunk, an event that has taken place during that person’s life. It's the snapshot, not the album. The events are told from that person’s point of view. Imagine a pie, and that pie represents your entire life. Well, a memoir is a slice of that pie, not the whole pie... 'The writer of a memoir takes us back to a corner of his or her life that is usually vivid or intense.' Zinsser,W (Ed). (1987). “Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft Of Memoir' A memoir incorporates a sequence of feelings, thoughts and observations surrounding the chosen event. Often the writer comes to a personal reflection on this event. How does this event reflect my life? What feelings, thoughts and observations are keys to this event? In teaching students to write a memoir piece, it is important for the writer to narrow the topic before commencing the task of committing words to paper. To begin, it may pro