The “Memoir Series” is the first full-scale project at School of Nonfiction, an exploration of everything to know in order to create compelling works of memoir. While the guidance in this series is generally geared towards book projects, most of it also applies to personal narrative essays.
The following is the conclusively inconclusive list of essays in this series. This list might change as we go, so check back every now and again. This list is also nice and orderly. The essays themselves, however, will be written as they come, in no particular order.
Active links are for items already published. Unlinked items are forthcoming. (Click here for a list of published essays only.)
PART I: APPROACHING THE FORM
What Exactly Do You Mean By Memoir Anyway?
The 3D of “Unusual” to Make Your Reader Care
Understanding Life From Hindsight
Seeing the Stories in the Everyday
Why Memoir Isn’t A Substitute For Therapy
Why Memoir Is a Little Bit Like Therapy
Can Writing Be Taught — Or Must it Always Come Naturally?
Top Ten Rules for Memoir
PART II: THE BIG PICTURE
Finding the Narrative Needle in Your Life’s Haystack
The Fly in Walter White’s Meth Lab: Why Desire and Obstacle Are Key to Every Story *NEW*
Making Stories Out of Everyday Life
Shaping The Narrative: What Aristotle Got Right About Storytelling
But What’s the Story About? Why “Theme” is Important to Story
Why Pivotal Moments Are Key to Narrative Progression
PART III: CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES
It’s Always About You — Even When It’s About Others
But Are You Sure Your Memory Is Reliable?
Why Honesty is Key to Gaining Your Reader’s Trust
Why Vulnerability is Key to Gaining Reader Intimacy
Don’t Be the Hero of Your Story
Seeing the Humanity in Your Villain
Why Telling the Truth Matters (And Not Only Because It’s the Right Thing.)
Religious and Ideological Transformations: Special Storytelling Challenges
PART IV: GETTING DOWN
How to Think Cinematically — and Why You Should Do So
Slowing Down and Speeding Up: Scene, Summary, and Exposition
Scene: Lights, Camera, Action!
Summary: The B-Roll
Exposition: Facts the Reader Just Needs to Know
Voice and Tone
The Art of the Sentence
Effective dialogue
Writing Like a Sculptor: Hacking Away to Find the Perfect Form
Present vs. Past Tense
PART V: DEVICES
In medias res
The Unreliable Narrator
Contrasting Mood and Tone
The Epistolary Form
Tying the End to the Beginning
Multiple Narrative Threads
Transitions
Mix and Match: Memoir / Reporting / Scholarship / Family History
Easter Eggs: Motifs / Symbols / Allusions
PART VI: TIPS AND BEST PRACTICES
10 Helpful Writing Exercises
10 Workshopping Tips
Your Characters in Real Life
APPENDIX: READING LIST
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