memoir and leaping naked

Last night, I attended a writing seminar at the Central Library facilitated by Thomas Larson. Tom wrote a book called “The Memoir and the Memoirist”. He discussed his take on the difference between an autobiography and a memoir…he feels that an autobiography focuses upon a chronology, a linear narrative, whereas the memoir expands (horizontally) upon a piece of one’s life…an interest, a place, a person, a failure, a success, a condition, a trip.

Tom then gave us a few writing exercises, the first being a list making effort to jot down places, people, interests, memories, successes, family, failures…he gave us categories of memory to in his words, “incite us to write”. There were five other people at the round table where I sat. This was the cool bit about this session. He had us sit in groups, rather than in lecture pews.

So we built our lists. As I built mine, I stopped for a while and looked around at all the lists coming to life. I considered how rich people’s lives are…how deeply we connect with so many times, places, people, experiences, and emotions. All these lists, some chronologies, some even building calendars made me realize that people have so much to tell and share.

Writing is exposure of the personal kind. Even fiction challenges me to freefall into the world of imagined narrative with personal perspective. And it’s that personal perspective that allows me to inject my senses into the world. Memoir must be even more of a risk, more of a naked leap.

Last night, it took four pages of pen scribbles to complete Tom’s mental gymnastic stretches. Today the pages look like sketches, doodles, and make a great deal of sense, really. While writing is a solitary site to mine, it’s fun to hang out with writers and listen…this was fun.