California Writers Club, Sacramento Branch

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Memoir Tips

CWC Sacramento 2019 Memoir Contest

Memoir Pointers

Narrative

  1. Journey and story arc are apparent – things must happen
  2. Momentum – scenes related, movement brisk
  3. “Shows” attitudes and feelings through thoughts, action and dialogue
  4. Shows how the learning changed the author’s life
  5. Perspective of the older, more mature narrator reflects back with compassion and forgiveness.

People involved

  1. Developed via action and dialogue
  2. Thoroughly depicted and interesting
  3. Distinctive and colorful

Dialogue

  1. Yes – may be and should be used
  2. Characterizes or is consistent with speaker
  3. Appropriate dialog tags
  4. Advances the story
  5. Shows character and reveals subtext.

 Scene and setting

  1. Establishes mood/consistent with action
  2. Appropriately robust and colorful
  3. Consistent POV

Style

  1. Clean, trim depiction; precise/strong word choice, especially verbs and nouns
  2. No fat – diversions and distractions, irrelevant details
  3. Minimal use of modifiers/ intensifiers
  4. “Shows” significance of events through details and language
  5. Avoid too many negatives

 Mechanics

  1. Grammar
  2. Spelling
  3. Free of clichés

Significance and Resonance

  1. Significance of story to narrator
  2. Universality

 

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