One challenge many first-time and only-time writers of memoir face is understanding that long-form and short-form writing are not the same. That is, long form is not just longer short form. Long form has its requirements. Let me explain how memoir is long form Many of the writers who come to me for coaching and […]

One challenge many first-time and only-time writers of memoir face is understanding that long-form and short-form writing are not the same. That is, long form is not just longer short form. Long form has its requirements.

Let me explain how memoir is long form

Many of the writers who come to me for coaching and editing are already fine writers—of short form. They can write coherent and clear sentences and their paragraphs convey meaning. There is no problem with their ability to write short form—the essay or blog post. This may lead them to overestimate their ability to produce long form.

Many writers come to me recognizing they have a problem, but they are usually unable to articulate what the problem they are facing may be. They will say a variety of things like:

• My story is not interesting.

• This memoir just rambles on.

• My writing style seems to always be stopping and starting.

What they are telling me actually is that they are writing in the manner of the short form and they have a feeling that it is not working for their book. They are using the skills they learned in high school or college to write paragraph answers or essay pages. Teachers in high school and college necessarily advocate for the short form—how could a teacher deal with regularly reviewing long pieces of writing! They also know that most graduates will write only short pieces anyhow, and if by chance the pieces are long, they will be reports—factual, data-oriented. Essentially longer short form which is ok for factual prose. Most of their students will not need to know how to handle long-form.

Memoir is long form. Really!

But a memoir is not a short form, nor is it longer short form. It departs from the norms of short pieces. It has its own rules.

Inevitably, at first, the pieces I receive from writers are stand-alones. These short pieces present a situation, work through it and then come to a conclusion which is a wrap-up. Often the wrap-up is a pithy saying or moral. It is fitting for the closing of an essay, but it is detrimental for a memoir.

Let’s explore one facet

In a memoir, the chapter, or the end of a story, calls for “flowing” on to the next part of the manuscript. This next part is dependent on an earlier story or chapter and does not need an introduction (as do short-form pieces). In long form, endings of chapters call for transitions, for links, to the next unit of the story. Endings also call for occasional foreshadowing and elements of suspense. They do not call for a wrap-up, for an interpretation.

Sometimes it takes quite a few coaching sessions for client writers to learn to leave their stories open-ended so that they can tie into a new chapter eventually.

When this happens, the writer is capable of producing more pieces and more stories. The writer is finally on to long form.

Other challenges of long form include sustaining character, point of view, tone, theme, action. These topics are for another post!

In conclusion

Certainly, mastering long-form writing is a skill that you need to develop as a memoirist. As writers learn to write better earlier and earlier in the process, they produce more in less time. The practice of leaving your stories open-ended so that they can attach, or hook, to another chapter or story will save you time in making a second draft of your manuscript.

It also does this other thing: it trains you to think of the story in longer terms than a stand-alone story.

To view this information as a YouTube video, click here.

To indulge yourself in a short writing tutorial (“the more you know the better” and “ignorance is not bliss”), study these videos and experience how your writing can improve:

Cause and Effect in your Memoir 

4 Tips to Structure Your Memoir Better 

How to Write a Better Memoir: 7 Proven Tips 

3 Pillars of Starting a Memoir Right

Whatever you do today, write bit on your memoir.