You Can’t Make This Stuff Up A Memoir Writing Project For who will testify, who will accurately describe our lives if we do not do it ourselves? --Faye Moskowitz

What is a Memoir? A memoir is a narrative written about an important event in the author’s life that affected them in some way. Characteristics of Memoirs: A memory; a description of a true past event Written in the 1 st person Reveals the feelings of the writer Has meaning; shows what the author learned from the experience About the author’s experience more than about the event itself

What Does a Memoir Look Like? Memoirs are stories, so they should look like narratives written from the 1 st person point of view. The number of paragraphs is up to you – there is no set rule – the goal of a memoir is to clearly show an important event or experience and explain how it changed you. The ending of a memoir must include an explanation that shows how this experience changed or affected you in some important way. Student-Written Memoirs

6-Word Memoir What if you only had six words to write about a true past event or experience that changed you in some important way?

6-Word Memoir What if you only had six words to write about a true past event or experience that changed you in some important way?

6-Word Memoir What if you only had six words to write about a true past event or experience that changed you in some important way? Now it’s your turn, choose some important experience or event and write about it using only six words. Remember 1.It only works if it’s personal – the event or experience should be unique to YOUR life 2.Put the six best words in the best order 3.Be creative 4.Focus on your EXPERIENCE, not the details 5.Have fun

Memoir: Fly Away Home 1 st person point of view Dialogue Focuses on author’s feelings Why do you think the author is telling the story about the bird being stuck in the airport and eventually finding a way out?

Planning Start by thinking of some important event in your life – try to think of something memorable; something you’ll never forget, something that changed you or taught you something. Need an idea? Click on the link below, Brainstorming Memoirs from Life

What’s a Good Idea?

Planning Start by jotting down a memorable event Then, write down what you learned from this event or how it changed you in some way Finally, list what happened moment by moment Event : When my cat got lost What I learned : To never leave a friend behind What Happened : 1. Misty disappeared 2. All of us wondered what happened to her 3. My brother and I began searching the forest calling her name 4. By noon of the second day I had given up hope that we would ever find our cat 5. Then

Writing: Lead A “lead” is how an author starts their memoir in order to grab the reader’s attention.

Writing: Story After you’ve written your lead it’s time to write the story – this is where you’ll write about the actual experience or event. Remember: Use the 1 st person point of view Tell the OUTSIDE story – what’s actually happening Tell the INSIDE story – what you were thinking and feeling Use dialogue to add impact Tell details that only you, as the author, could know (what you felt, what you wanted, etc...) The INSIDE story is the most important!

Writing: Ending The ending of a memoir is where you reveal how this important event changed you and what you learned from it. A Good Ending Includes:  A memory of the main event  Your feelings about it  How you think/act differently because of this or how this changed you. If you can’t tell me how this experience changed you then you’ve chosen the wrong experience to write about!

Writing: Ending  A memory of the main event  Your feelings about it  How you think/act differently because of this or how this changed you. I’ll never forget the crack of the bat as I hit that homerun and the way my heart pounded as the ball flew out of the park. Suddenly, I knew that I was more than just the names they called me. I knew that it wasn’t just baseball I could be good at. If I worked at it, I could do anything.

Writing: Ending Terrible Ending So that’s the end of the story about my big baseball victory. Awesome Ending I’ll never forget the crack of the bat as I hit that homerun and the way my heart pounded as the ball flew out of the park. Suddenly, I knew that I was more than just the names they called me. I knew that it wasn’t just baseball I could be good at. If I worked at it, I could do anything. Don’t write terrible endings! Your goal is to make your reader understand not just WHAT happened, but WHY it mattered to you.

Revise & Edit

Final Draft After revising your essay, you’re ready to write your final draft. It’s also a good idea to have someone read your memoir to make sure you’ve shown your INSIDE story about how you were feeling and how this experience changed you.