Writing a Memoir
What is a Memoir?
Memoir comes from the Latin word “memoria” meaning memory. A memoir is a type of autobiography. An autobiography is a full-length story written by yourself about your life, usually written at the end of a career or lifetime and usually written in chronological order. A memoir differs in style from the autobiography in that it tends to deal with more specific periods of themes in your life. The types of memoirs that are published and sold in bookstores are written by people for their own reasons and for any number of reasons.
Why Do People Write a Memoir?
Some reasons people write a memoir are:
They feel they have an important story to tell. Maybe they are the sole survivor of a disaster or have been treated badly by a big company. Maybe they have been misrepresented in the press or worked for a celebrity. Whatever the story, if they feel that a particular part of their life is an interesting story they choose to write it in a memoir.
For future generations. Maybe they are struggling through a divorce and want their children to understand in their adulthood what had happened. Maybe they want their grandchildren to know them better. Maybe they have emigrated and they want future generations to know what their heritage is. A memoir can be like a piece of them reaching out to their descendants long after they have gone.
To document their success, their rags to riches struggle, their journey from crackpot inventor to innovative millionaire, or their struggles as a freelance writer leading eventually to that one best seller. Both inspirational and interesting, everyone likes to read how people triumph in the face of diversity.
To document how they handle an illness. Whether they have an illness which will reduce their mobility, sight or attention span or have been diagnosed with a degenerative disease a memoir can be a good way to document their illness and treatment for others in a similar situation to read or to help their relatives understand how they may be feeling.
As therapy. Writing or talking about their feelings and past events can be an excellent way to work through them in their head and find some peace and resolution.
To remember. Writing a memoir can help to unlock memories they had forgotten they had and as a result can help them to understand themselves better.
Task:
During this term you will write a Memoir. It will consist of a series of memories and thoughts on a predetermined set of topics. It is due on Oct 25. It is important that you begin working on it NOW and for the remainder of the semester to complete it on time without rushing.
You will present your final copy of your Memoir in a loose leaf duo-tang or a snap-ring binder. Whether you need a 1⁄2 - inch or a 2 –inch binder will depend on how much you put into your Memoir.
Part of the mark is presentation, so you need to consider how to decorate the inside and outside of your Memoir with personal artwork/photographs, etc. Your Memoir will have a cover/title page and an interesting title.
Your Memoir must include the following 15 chapters and an epilogue. The title and subject for each chapter have been provided. If you have “issues” with a chapter and want to propose an alternative, then please discuss it with me ahead of time.
What It Involves
You are going to write 16 chapters. Each chapter must be at least 250 words (one full page of typing double-spaced). Feel free to write more when you get into the zone.
Choose to share what you want. You do not have to share anything you don’t want to.
Remember, you are writing for a public audience.
Your good copy should be typed (font size 12 and double spaced only). If typing is not
possible for you, please let me know as soon as possible.
Pro Tip – Do not write your chapters as a single paragraph. Each chapter should follow intro-body-conclusion model.
❒ PROFESSIONAL BINDING—I will help with this.
❒ A COVER-- Your cover should include your selected title, your name, and an illustration appropriate to your book. For illustrations, consider a word pattern, graphic design, collage, original drawings, photographs, magazine pictures, quotations, etc. Use rubber cement or a glue stick to mount items, and be sure that your cover design hides price tags and brand names.
❒ A TITLE PAGE-- Select a word or phrase particularly meaningful for you to serve as your title. Browse through a thesaurus, listen to music you love, think of special people and places and interests, and then submit several possible titles. “A Book about Me” or “My Autobiography” are poor titles because they are vague and impersonal. Illustrate the title page with the title, name, hour, and date due.
❒ A TABLE OF CONTENTS-- List the assignment number and title of all assignments in your autobiography. Title each contents page.
❒ AN INTRODUCTION-- Explain the significance of your title, making clear why it is relevant to your life in particular. Also include a brief description of this writing project and its purposes -- in your own words.
Every assignment should be:
✔ a thoughtful response to the assigned topic
✔ revised as necessary
✔ neatly and legibly written or typed
✔ in order according to this assignment booklet
✔ in black ink
✔ titled on the top line
✔ numbered by assignment (not page) in the upper right corner
✔ corrected using proofreading symbols or correction fluid
DONENESS counts! But your writing should also demonstrate appropriate word usage, sentence structure, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.
WRITING PORTFOLIO: Specific Assignments
Chapter 1 Who Am I
How do you choose to describe yourself? What aspects of your life define who you are and how you see yourself?
Chapter 2 Before I Was, There Were
Describe an important relative or ancestor, some who impacted you life.
Or you could write about your family and your heritage.
Chapter 3 Suddenly I Became Me
Share you earliest memories: people, places events, or all those cute things that you did when you were tiny (or so you’ve heard).
Chapter 4 School Bells
Share your early memories of school – Kindergarten through Grade 7, like learning to read, special school events, interesting teachers or good friends. You may want to write about the following: first day jitters, fears, anticipation, learning to read and write, special friends, teachers, school programs (Did you play a tree in a school production?) Tell about where you lived during this time and the school you attended. Include favorite childhood activities you enjoyed during this period of your life. Extra Credit: Gather early schoolwork or artwork to share.
Chapter 5 Furry Friends
Describe what your childhood would have been like without your favorite pet, or what it could have been like if only your parents let you get the cute little puppy or kitten. Share memories of your special pet.
Chapter 6 Home is Where the Heart Is? Or is it?
Describe your impressions of your childhood town/city/reserve, neighborhood or house – whichever you want to focus on.
Chapter 7 Hide and Seek
Give a detailed description of a favorite childhood game you played, or talk about a specific memory when you had a lot of fun playing.
Chapter 8 My First Boyfriend/Girlfriend/Crush
Reminisce about those painfully sweet memories of discovering love.
Chapter 9 I Wish I Could See ____________________ Again
Tell about a childhood friend that you have no contact with any longer, but would like to see again.
Chapter 10 The Giving Tree
Write about someone in your life that you know is a “Giving Tree”; the person that gives to others, putting others before themselves. This response should be a minimum of two paragraphs. The first paragraph should describe the giving tree person using imagery so that the reader can truly ‘see’ the giving tree person. The second paragraph should give examples and explain the actions that he/she demonstrates that truly make him/her a ‘giving tree’.
Chapter 11 Favorite Flicks
Write about your all time favorite movie(s) and experiences around watching them.
Chapter 12 An Important Milestone
Pick an event in your life that was a milestone for you. This may be getting your license, going hunting for the first time, your first trip alone away from home, buying your own place, or having your first child.
Chapter 13 Let’s Take A Vacation
A memorable trip you took with your family and/or friend(s), or a trip you would like to take.
Chapter 14 What I Believe
Share one or some serious beliefs that you were raised with, or share some silly superstition (s) or belief (s) you held (and maybe still hold).
Chapter 15 Nobody’s Perfect
We cannot change our past, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t like to.
Write about one thing you would like to change from your past.
Chapter 16 Epilogue
Your epilogue is a reflection on the memories you have written about in your Memoir (your past) and how the process of writing your Memoir (your present) connect with where you hope your life leads to (your future). Did you notice a theme that came through in the various chapters of your Memoir?
Checklist and Grading Rubric
o Ch. 1 : Who I am
o Ch. 2 : Before I Was, There Were
o Ch. 3 : Suddenly I Became Me
o Ch. 4 : School Bells
o Ch. 5 : Furry Friends
o Ch. 6 : Home is Where the Heart Is? Or is it?
o Ch. 7 : Hide and Seek
o Ch.8 : My First Boyfriend/Girlfriend/Crush
o Ch. 9:I Wish I Could See ____________________ Again
o Ch.10 Middle School / High School
o Ch. 11 Favorite Flicks
o Ch. 12 An Important Milestone
o Ch. 13 Let’s Take A Vacation
o Ch. 14 What I Believe
o Ch. 15 Nobody’s Perfect
o Ch. 16 Epilogue