A major obstacle you may face when prodded to devote yourself to “improving your writing” as you contemplate writing a memoir is that you, as do most people, know how to write.
By “know how to write,” I don’t mean to convey people know how to compose a long-form literary work but that they know how to write shopping lists, enotes, social media posts and sometimes even letters.
Most people in the Western World know how to write—that is, to string words together in a semi-legible and semi-literate manner. Unfortunately, we use the same word for the process of composing a memoir.
But, writing a memoir calls for more than spelling and grammar. It calls for the ability, generated by discipline, to both manage one’s reactions to writing—what some people call the “inner game”—and to handle the requirements of writing’s best practices—the “outer game.”
Both are necessary to improving your writing.
Best writing practices
In this category I am presenting best writing practices of the outer game of writing.
Of course, there is clearly a factor of “inspiration” of some sort in mot successful pieces of writing, but I am wary of emphasizing inspiration, which too many people believe is the key to a successful piece of writing, as it is different from enthusiasm.
Most of us start to write with some enthusiasm. That is great. However, what will ultimately sustain your writing and make improving your writing possible, is knowledge and skill of best writing practices.
By best practices, I refer to techniques used by writers to steer and enhance reader reaction and to keep the reader reading.
In conclusion
Work on improving your writing. The posts below—as all the posts on this blog—will help you to do just that.
Find here many tips and theories about improving your craft. You will learn much to make your memoir more meaningful and more interesting.
Your memoir and your readers will thank you.
Truth in Your Memoir – Three Tips For Including Safe “Guess-timates”
When writing a memoir or family history, you will inevitably come across bits of information that you want to include, but which you cannot verify…
The Wrong Point of View in a Memoir Can Throw the Story
I was challenged by the point of view in a memoir. I had put off completing the book because I could not resolve its thematic problems.
Five Memoir Writing Tips Nancy Pelosi Ought to Know Before She Pens A Memoir
What memoir writing tips ought Nancy Pelosi to know when she writes her memoirs? Fame and power are not enough to intrigue a reader. Start here
How to be a Better Storyteller
In this YouTube video on how to be a better storyteller, I share with you how you can learn to make effective use of a variety of technical skills to shape successful lifestories.
Three Ways an Inauthentic Memoir Theme Will Trip You Up
As you articulate your theme, ask yourself if this theme is really yours–does it reflect your present understanding of your story and of life itself?
Writing about Non-Events: They Belong in Your Memoir Writing
Non-events belong in memoir writing. I witnessed one recently while having coffee in a restaurant. A man and a 14- or 15-year-old boy whom I took to be his son walked in together and ordered. At first they were both silent, and then the boy began to speak. He spoke quite a bit. I couldn’t […]
More on Using Precise Language
Many memoir writers are under the impression that you need to have an extensive vocabulary to write. An extensive vocabulary can only help you–if by “extensive” you mean many precise words—not just “big” ones. More important is using precise language.
Before Sending a Manuscript To An Editor / Part 3: Time Sequencing and Flashbacks
A writer can tweak the use of time in a memoir to bring a manuscript to a higher level of finish before sending the piece off to a professional editor. In this section, I write about time sequencing: specifically, cause and effect sequencing and flashbacks.
Core Focus for Writing a Memoir
Is your family one of the many whose history is at risk for getting lost to future generations because no one has written it down? Here is a clear focus for writign a memoir Writing your lifestories—even just a few—is a great way to memorialize your family and to keep the experience of your life—and […]