1. Writing Memoirs… Please grab your Writer’s Notebook!

2. What is a Memoir? Auto + Bio + Graph = Self + Life + Writing A memoir is a piece of an autobiography. A memoir focuses on a SPECIFIC time, or memory, whereas an autobiography typically covers an entire lifetime, or a large chunk of time. A memoir may be more emotional and concerned with capturing particular scenes, or a series of events, rather than documenting every fact of a person's life. A memoir typically documents a lesson learned, or a change

3. Butterfly Moment A good memoir captures the “Butterfly Moments” of our lives… “Butterfly Moments” include those events, experiences, conflicts, accomplishments, or failures that helped make us who we are today. Your “Butterfly Moment” is your So What? Think about experiences that: Changed you Made you more mature Made you realize something about love, friendship, family, a person Taught you something about yourself: your strengths, your weaknesses Challenged your belief about something: friendship, honesty, family Helped you overcome a fear Made you more independent Made you feel guilty and regretful MADE YOU A BETTER PERSON

4. Butterfly Moment Caterpillar Stage: Show the reader what you were thinking and feeling BEFORE the change. What type of person were you? Describe your thoughts and feelings before the change. Chrysalis (Cocoon): Show the reader the EVENT that caused a certain change. What was the conflict, the problem, the challenge, or the event that occurred to change you. What were you thinking and feeling AS it was happening? Butterfly Moment: Show the reader how you acted differently AFTER the event. What changed about you? How are you different? Don’t TELL us, SHOW us.

5. Butterfly Moment Chart Happy childhood memories with his grandparents, Christmas, “Power Chair” Grandpa’s stroke; “world turned upside down,” miserable, attending the funeral and hearing his uncle talk about his grandpa’s life Realized that his saddest moment was really his happiest; He learned that celebration of a life lived is more important than sadness Caterpillar Me BEFORE the experience Cocoon The experience/event Butterfly Me AFTER the event