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Action in a memoir overlaps the concept of plot. The two concepts are similar and different.

All plot has action, but not all action has plot.

Generally, most people would probably say an action is “something happening, something without much drama”: e.g. “I walked to the store.” Something is happening, but it has no drama—or little drama. We don’t know what the “I” walked to the store for or how the trip went or what happened there.

A plot is generally made up of several or many actions that are organized to produce some insight, effect or foreshadowing: e.g. “When I walked to the store, I met my cousin and we had a disturbing conversation about our grandparents.”

The first example is a simple action that is not in itself very interesting. It merely says that the “I” went for a walk to the store. The second example combines several actions organized chronologically and containing a value word “disturbing”  which contains some suspense: what was disturbing in the conversation about the grandparents? How will it affect the cousins?

Organizing your story along an action line that is segued into a plot is important to your memoir. Your reader needs a hook to keep reading, and that hook is an action that involves a plot whose outcome is uncertain or unknown.

In conclusion

The articles below will inform you about how to write action and plot into your memoir without making anything up. This category is not about how to produce autobiographical fiction!

best memoir writing practice

A Best Memoir Writing Practice

When learning to write memoir, it can feel awkward and uncomfortable as you learn the process, just like in learning to swim. We often see people who are not comfortable swimming flail about in the water, their heads reaching up high, desperately, to catch a breath of air. They usually execute strokes too fast. This […]

pillars of a powerful memoir

Three Pillars of a Powerful Memoir

There is power in writing your story. Your memoir can transform you as it leads to understanding the energy in your life and ultimately making that energy work for you.

The three pillars of a powerful memoir I want to talk about are the old stand-bys of character, action, and setting. A story is not a journal entry. Unlike a journal, a memoir needs development.  Ranting and raving fit into a journal but not into a story—unless ranting and raving are in the dialog. Story has its own dynamics which in turn lead to their own conclusions. In writing your memoir, connect to your story as a literary form—literary here refers to in writing. There are requirements that go into the creation of an effective story—whether written or spoken. As mentioned before these are character, action, and setting.

Be Guided by These 3 Pillars of a Powerful Memoir When Writing Your Story

1. Your characters are the people in your story

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dramatic story

Dramatic story development, rather than dramatic events, adds up to an interesting memoir

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People will sometimes suppose that only big drama can make an interesting memoir. Of course, there are many readers who require constant titillation if they are to remain reading. Perhaps they are not the readers you should be seeking for your memoir. Nonetheless, nearly all readers require some attention to “interesting.”  

No, I do not believe that it is the scope of the drama of your memoir that is the crucial element to creating interest. Some would-be memoir-writers get discouraged by the ordinariness of their lives. Yet, I have found that almost everyone I have had a serious conversation with about memoir writing had enough happen in their lives to fashion an interesting memoir.  

An interesting memoir: drama vs. dramatic story development?

Much more important than the inherent drama of an action is the dramatic development of your story.

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moving your memoir plot with action

Four Tips For Moving Your Memoir Plot With Action

Action drives your story and keeps your readers interested. Writing with effective action is the key to creating lifestories that people want to read. Here are four tips for moving your memoir plot with action.

Moving Your Memoir with Action

1) The action of your memoir is its plot.

Generally speaking, something must happen in your story to retain the interest of your reader. Some people have had roles in the political, economic, cultural life of their times. These people’s lives exhibit an external drama. They, just like those of us who have not had these roles, must find a way to convey their stories in a way that has internal rather than merely external drama.

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money story

Three Points Not to Forget When You Write Your Money Story

This post originally appeared in That Money Girl blog on November 26, 2013 as Your Money Story…Pack It With Power

There is power in writing your money story. Your money story can transform you as it leads to understanding the money energy in your life and ultimately making that energy work for you.

In this post, I write about three features you must utilize in the writing of a money story. These are character, action, and setting. [Free Membership required to read more. See below. ]

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action in a memoir

Why Action in Writing Is Important

Action in Writing Is Essential In writing a life story, it is important to pay attention to three aspects: action, character, and setting. These will enhance your story every time. To neglect these elements is to risk having your story fall flat. In this article, we will concentrate on action. When you use action in […]