Slice of Life Writing

Over the past year or so I found myself being drawn more and more to authors who share stories of their lives in the form of memoir. I didn't realize there was a pattern happening, because I was just reading books that I was drawn to by their titles, their covers and, of course, the glimpses on back covers into lives that I wanted to know more about as authors shared some particular event or experience and their journey through it.

Aside...I always want to tell you about the books I'm reading and enjoying, but I detest book reports writing book reports. I can still feel the squiggly dismay I had as a school girl at having to sort out my thoughts and feelings on paper about the book, and then give it to someone else to mark up with a red pencil. One day I'll get over that and share some of my own happier version of a book review.

All that say, I've enrolled in a memoir writing course with author and book editor Lisa Dale Norton of the Santa Fe Writing Institute. Class starts today. I'm excited!

I first 'met' Ms. Norton through her book, Shimmering Images, A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir and when I went in search of her website, I knew I wanted to take Lisa's course.

I think this rising-to-the-fore form of writing is what I've been looking for as a way to share my own stories. When you think of memoir writing, don't think the Hollywood versions of telling the juicy bits. It's much more than that. It's about people telling a slice of their life story... just a slice of it... and what they've learned and gained (or lost) from it. Giving us glimpses of universal truths that we can relate to and sharing insights for our own journeys.   

I hope to post about my writing experience at Just Write should you want to stop in and see how I'm doing. I might need your cheers and hugs (maybe even a chide) to keep me going when the going gets tough. Digging around in old memories isn't always a picnic.

For you avid readers in need of topping up your bedside reading piles, here are a few titles on memoir that I've read over the last while. I appreciated each one and learned a few tips on memoir writing into the bargain:

Keeping the Feast, Paula Butterini  (love this one)

The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls

Maman's Homesick Pie, Donia Bijan

Somewhere Towards the End, Diana Athill

Making Toast, Roger Rosenblatt

Daphne de Maurier, A Daughter's Memoir, Flavia Leng

And so I'm off...
This is my new life and we're writing to find the right words.
Brenda