Book by Marion Roach Smith
This book is the best tool I have found for instructing people in how to write memoir pieces; whether blog posts, opinion pieces, essays, or books. Marion teaches the reader how an algorithm she has formulated, can be used for any memoir piece which clarifies one’s goal in writing. She instructs the reader to “start by writing your plotline, then write your algorithm, and then write your argument.” Then she elaborates on the plotline, algorithm, and argument. She describes the three acts of book-length memoir, and details scenes and structure. She teaches the reader to write good op-eds and other shorter pieces of memoir. She gives very straight forward, practical, dare-I-say mathematical advice for how to write a memoir. She even pinpoints the difference between biography and memoir.
Marion also goes into what it means to write what we know and how to tell the truth, but from our own perspective, realizing that there are other perspectives and that we need to write from an angle. “Think in propinquities.” She elaborates on writing with intent, paying attention to relevant details, taking notes, using resources, fact-finding, looking for universal themes, and being hospitable to the reader.
The last chapter or two of this book provide a thorough run-down on the brutal act of editing. The first draft is the “vomit draft” and from there it is essential to edit multiple times. Marion describes editing as “murder” because that is often how it feels to the creator. We need to cut out the fluff that readers don’t need to know, then edit sentences beginning with “I”, edit adjectives and their nouns, simplify sentences and use the “razor-sharp” rule. This will take multiple editing passes. Her advice is thorough.
I now feel well equipped to write memoir, thank you, Marion!!