"There is, after all, a fluidity between who we were to other people, who we thought we were, who we think we were, and who we think we are now."
That sentence above speaks a story. While all of those things; who we thought we were, etc; are totally different, there is something about them that relates each one at the same time.
How does that affect the writing of a memoir?
You have to decide which version of you is the right one. Who you thought you were, who you think you were, and who you think you are. Each one is a different person yet are also all the same person at the same time. It is still you. But which one of you was right?
A powerful example of a memoir is Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings".
https://www.amazon.com/Know-Why-Caged-Bird-Sings/dp/0345514408
She talks about how she grew up in a racist time when people made her seem less than for being African American. There is no way that she blurred lines between fact and fiction.
Could this transfer to a blog?
I don't think it would have the same effect. There is a certain feeling one gets from reading this in a book. I don't think it would work as a blog.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Week 12: The View from Halfway Down
The View From Halfway Down: Mental Illness in Television Mental health on television shows is a tricky subject to navigate. There are too...
-
I always loved how different the lighting seemed in the morning. Bright, but not blinding. Soft, but still noticeable. As I walked along the...
-
First, a disclaimer. Despite the title, my memoir will not be about the actor/wrestler Dwayne Johnson. Sorry to disappoint, but if it’s... -
Most of my life I have had some crazy ideas, from political ones to ideas about where to put the picture on the wall. I like to be heard, an...
I haven't read this book in quite some time, but I think it has a sense of timelessness to it.
ReplyDelete