The art of the mini memoir
Don't try to say it all. Say less and say it well.
My approach to coaching memoir writing comes out of my own experience.
I spent a year working on a memoir about my life in theater. After writing 150 pages, I faced the fact that I was never going to finish it. I am 67, and my life is busy with work, family, and fighting tyranny. Also -- I write v - e - r - y slowly.
So what do I want to leave for my kids and grandkids? To share now with friends?
Some of what I’ve learned, some essence of my experience and how I wrestled with it. And I want it to be a satifsying read – not something glib or hastily thrown together.
I’ve settled on writing mini memoirs. Self-contained pieces that offer windows into the life I've led. Each mini memoir focuses on a single moment in my life. I've written two about my political activism, one about dealing with insomnia and heart disease.
The three selves in memoir writing
My approach to memoir writing is influenced by the work of the behavioral economist Daniel Kahnemann, z"l. Kahnemann observed that our Experiencing Self and our Remembering Self tell completely different stories about the same events. I believe the memoirist needs to draw on both of these sources -- and on yet another: the Reflective Self, which insists on asking bigger and deeper questions than we usually make time for. Read more
What I'm offering
If you're working on (or contemplating) a memoir, I offer
The first step for either is to schedule a free 15-minute Zoom to discuss your project.
The photo above, by Max James Fallon, shows me holding a picture of my much younger self
