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narrative arc
Ready to Write Memoir?
by, Jill Swenson
May 2, 2017

It can be intimidating to think about writing your life story. Relax. Memoir isn’t your entire life story. It’s a slice of life, not birth to death. Don’t confuse memoir with autobiography. Today the only autobiographies which find publishers are those written by presidential candidates, retired statesmen, and superstars. And typically written by authors who don’t trust biographers to paint their portrait in a flattering… [Read More]

Filed Under: Apologia, Autobiography, Confessions, Dr. James Pennebaker, Joshua Smyth Ph.D., Lisa Dale Norton, narrative arc, Orations, Shimmering Images, writing to heal
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Narrative Arc for Nonfiction Writing
by, Jill Swenson
August 4, 2015

Blame Aristotle.  Blame classical Greek culture. Blame all of Western Civilization. But every story must have a beginning, middle, and end. And more than that. Without narrative structure, non-fiction writing is just a boring recitation of one thing after another. You may think because it is based on your experiences, historical events, scientific experimentation, or natural observations that you don’t need a story to write… [Read More]

Filed Under: Aristotle, escalating events, fictio, inciting incident, narrative arc, plot, story, take-away
2 Comments
Writing Memoir: Author, Narrator, Protagonist
by, Jill Swenson
March 17, 2015

Writing Memoir: Author, Narrator, Protagonist Memoir has become nearly as popular a genre as fiction. It’s the stuff of which movies are made. Almost everyone I meet thinks they have a story worth telling.  And today nearly everyone thinks they can publish their memoir. Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press, recently suggested in The Huffington Post the pursuit of publication is a birthright. Finding… [Read More]

Filed Under: Author, hero's journey, narrative arc, narrator, personal transformation. Aristotle, protagonist
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Prompts to kickstart your memoir
by, Jill Swenson
March 9, 2013

Sitting down to start one’s memoir is a daunting task. Remember memoir is a slice of life, not your entire biography. But where to begin? It’s not always obvious where to start. So finding a way to slip into your story might be easier if you find a side entrance. These memoir prompts are intended to stir up your memories and get you to set… [Read More]

Filed Under: Characters, memories, narrative arc, Prompts, Scene
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Writing Memoir: Getting Started
by, Jill Swenson
October 13, 2012

Where to begin? Getting clarity on the genre of memoir is a good start. Then writing one memory. It can be intimidating to think of writing your life story beginning at your birth. So, don’t write autobiography. The classical forms of autobiography are called apologia, oration, and confession. Apologia are written as self-justifications for one’s actions. Orations are written to document one’s literary talents in… [Read More]

Filed Under: Apologia, Autobiography, Biography, Confessions, Ego, genre, Id, memoir, narrative arc, Orations, Superego
3 Comments
The importance of narrative arc in non-fiction and memoir
by, Jill Swenson
September 15, 2012

Blame Aristotle.  Blame classical Greek culture. Blame all of Western Civilization. But every story must have a beginning, middle, and end. And more than that. Without narrative structure, a non-fiction book is just a boring recitation of one thing after another. You may think because your book is based on your real life experiences (memoir), historical events, scientific experimentation, or natural observations that you don’t… [Read More]

Filed Under: Aristotle, memoir, narrative arc, non-fiction narrative, plot, story
2 Comments
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