“The memoir writer takes us back to some corner of his or her past that was unusually intense-childhood, for instance.” - William Zinsser

 It is a way of making sense of the past  It allows us to explore moments in our lives and make them meaningful  It encourages us to discover truths in our lives and share them  It is written in the first person point of view (I, me)

 A memoir is more detailed than a narrative because it focuses on one thing only  A memoir is a snapshot; a glimpse into your life  Before writing a memoir ask yourself:  What experiences have I had that are worth capturing on paper?  Which memories stick with me?

 The writer tells a personal story based on the truth, however parts can be fictional.  It is written from 1 st person point of view.  It is about discovering meaning (theme) in your memories rather than recording the facts.  It is about using your senses to describe the event (show don’t tell)  It is more about the writer’s experience than the memory itself.

 The writer expresses emotions, through dialogue and actions, that are connected with the memory.  It is not an autobiography because it focuses on one main memory, or a series of connected memories.  Narrative structure, includes elements such as setting, plot development,imagery, conflict, characterization, foreshadowing and flashback, irony and symbolism.

 What are my earliest memories?  What are the most important things that have happened in my life so far?  What have I seen that I can’t forget?  What’s an incident that shows what my family and I are like? My pets and I?  What’s something that happened to me at school that I’ll always remember? Home?  What’s an incident that changed how I think or feel about something?

 What’s an incident that changed my life?  What’s a time or place that I was perfectly happy? Sad or depressed? Laughed a lot?  What’s a time with a parent/guardian that I’ll never forget? Grandparent? Sibling? Cousin or other relative? Friend?  Can I remember a time I leared to do something for the first time?  What memories emerge when I make time line of my life so far and note milestones?

 I remember my dad’s blue volkswagon beetle, the airstrip behind our house, the 3 rd floor attic, and no indoor toilet.  Most important things: wedding day, birth of my 3 children, first teaching job, selling my first story, watching my puppy get run over, buying my 150 yr. old house.  Visions I can’t forget: Die hard (blond guy hanging in elevator shaft), my puppy lying on road bleeding, sunset over St. John river, my son in an incubator hooked with 5 iv’s and a feeding tube

 My family: bursting out laughing in church thinking about “party hats”  School: peed my pants in grade 2  Home: fainted after hitting my funny bone  911 – the world is much bigger and more dangerous than I realized  Changed my life: When a friend stabbed me in the back