College Essay Memoir, Narrative, or Essay?

Memoir-Brainstorming for your college essay A memoir is a piece of autobiographical writing, usually shorter than a comprehensive autobiography. The memoir often tries to capture certain highlights or meaningful moments in one’s past. The memoir may be more emotional and concerned with capturing particular scenes rather than documenting every fact of a person’s life. It has a narrative structure, including many of the usual elements of storytelling such as setting, plot development, imagery, conflict, characterization, foreshadowing and flashback, irony and symbolism.

Excerpt from The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. It was just after dark. A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes, and people hurried along the sidewalks with their collars turned up. I was stuck in traffic two blocks from the party where I was heading. Mom stood fifteen feet away. She had tied rags around her shoulders to keep out the spring chill and was picking through the trash while her dog, a black-and-white terrier mix, played at her feet. Mom's gestures were all familiar -- the way she tilted her head and thrust out her lower lip when studying items of potential value that she'd hoisted out of the Dumpster, the way her eyes widened with childish glee when she found something she liked. (cont)

Her long hair was streaked with gray, tangled and matted, and her eyes had sunk deep into their sockets, but still she reminded me of the mom she'd been when I was a kid, swan-diving off cliffs and painting in the desert and reading Shakespeare aloud. Her cheekbones were still high and strong, but the skin was parched and ruddy from all those winters and summers exposed to the elements. To the people walking by, she probably looked like any of the thousands of homeless people in New York City. It had been months since I laid eyes on Mom, and when she looked up, I was overcome with panic that she'd see me and call out my name, and that someone on the way to the same party would spot us together and Mom would introduce herself and my secret would be out.

"For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." In the 1920s, Ernest Hemingway bet ten dollars that he could write a complete story in just six words. He wrote: "For Sale: baby shoes, never worn." He won the bet.

Wish I wasn’t so goddamn pleasant.

I can’t keep my own secrets.

Met online; love before first sight.

You’re the parent, act like one.

Rather be alone in my room.

I’m deaf, but she can’t hear.

Brains too big. Boobs too small.

I love you, please stop drinking.

I plan on breaking her heart.

First time hazy. Blame the booze.

Three high schools. Only uniforms change.

I wish “Sir” was “Dad” instead.

Autistic brothers give the best hugs.

I’m just a simple human. Being.

Honestly, I hate all my friends.

He said I wasn’t worth it.

Slowly becoming everything that I hate.

Blessed with good mom and breasts.

We’re the family you gossip about.

I miss when boys had cooties.

Against all odds, I’m still myself.

At times overwhelmed, but always grateful.

Write your own 6 word memoirs: Choose 10 of the 20 topics to brainstorm and write 6 word memoirs for each. When you are finished, choose your favorite and put your memoir on a piece of paper so that it can be clearly seen from across the room. Put your name on the back. *These memoirs can be used for ideas for your college essay and/ or an interesting opening line to your essay.