The Memoir Mystique: Getting close to a story without losing your distance
At the heart of memoir is a conundrum: While writing about the most subjective experiences, you have to find the most objective framework. A simple list of the names of childhood friends might move you to tears, but that won’t work for readers. They need you to supply context, physical description, character sketches, and a whole range of verbal wizardry if they are to come close to feeling as you do about your material. We’ll talk about navigating these tricky waters.