So sorry to hear of the passing of Larry, who was instrumental with our site. Condolences to all his loved ones.
Mabel, good to hear you read through our discussion on the book
Educated.
Mabel,
I just read thru your discussion on “Education”. I have a question for you librarians: how are memoirs classified? Are they put with the non-fiction/biography? How is a memoir different from an autobiography? Or is it different? I understand biography, written by someone other than the subject, should be supported by research, documentation that gives us “facts”. My sense is that memoir doesn’t need those activities, but relies on the memory of the writer.
Jane it is so good to see you.
Mabel...I think most libraries agree with you and would include memoirs with biographies/autobiographies.
This may help answer the question and clarify the difference between a memoir, biography and autobiography.
Getting Started on Your Memoir
5 ELEMENTS of Memoir
Memoir tells a compelling story using
truth, theme,
1st person POV narration,
voice, and a fifth element—the M&Ms of writing,
Memory and Musing.
1.
TRUTHIt really happened. We know the trouble writers can get into by not remembering
this. But the bigger dilemma is how not telling the truth leaves the reader; it not only
weakens the relationship with the author, it destroys it. No longer trust them. This
can be tricky because not everything in a memoir is word for word true. Who can
remember exactly what their dad said at breakfast fifty years ago? Dialogue serves to
further the theme.
In memoir, the author stands behind her story saying to the readers, “This happened;
this is true.” What is important about this is that the reader believes the story is
true, which in turn requires the writer to be rigorously honest.
2.
THEME Memoir is different from autobiography in choice of subject matter.
JB: “An autobiography is a story of a life: name implies that the writer will somehow
attempt to capture all essential elements of that life. …Memoir, on the other hand,
makes no pretense of replicating a whole life. Indeed, one of the important skills of
memoir writing is the selection of the theme or themes that will bind the work
together…”
3.
VOICEJB: “Voice has been said to be the fingerprint of the writer, not the person on the
page… The writer with her own particular linguistic quirks, sentence rhythms,
recurring images.
4.
POV- First Person NarrativeFirst person (singular):I—“I woke up this morning.” The narrator is the protagonist; the
person who is telling story.
JB: “Separating yourself as a writer from yourself as protagonist will help give you
necessary perspective to craft memoir as a story. It will also decrease the degree to
which you feel exposed as others critique your work.”
5. THE ONGOING ATTEMPT TO ARRIVE AT ANSWERS
Memoir is about perception. What is important/significant about a particular set of
events? What do you remember about a certain event? Why? What did you think
when it happened? What do you think now? The
M&Ms of memoir. (Musing & Memory) In a sense, in writing memoir “It is all about you.”
Ethel Lee-Miller Thinking of Miller Place: A Memoir of Summer Comfort (ELM)
Lorraine Ash- Life Touches Life: A Mother's Story of Stillbirth and Healing; Self and
Soul (LA)
Judith Barrington- Writing a Memoir (JB)
©Ethel Lee-Miller 5/09 etheleemiller@me.com
www.etheleemiller.comHere is a very informative article in comparing the differences between writing a memoir, biography and autobiography.
https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/i-have-an-idea/w/choosing-your-topic/6397/the-differences-between-memoir-autobiography-and-biography---articleWow, you all are reading such interesting books, I can barely keep up with all these title.
I just finished reading
The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton.
OverviewA rich, spellbinding new novel from the author of The Lake House—the story of a love affair and a mysterious murder that cast their shadow across generations, set in England from the 1860s until the present day.
My real name, no one remembers.
The truth about that summer, no one else knows.
In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe’s life is in ruins.
Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist’s sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river.
Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets?
Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a story of murder, mystery, and thievery, of art, love, and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker’s daughter. I truly enjoyed this book.
