2/28/2023 0 Comments Memoir vs autobiography![]() ![]() What it’s “about” is the surface-level story-the plot. ![]() A strong memoir (like a strong novel) can be clearly divided into two main threads: what it’s about and what it’s ABOUT. Memoir, unlike autobiography, makes a deliberate attempt to draw out the universal elements of a story in order to facilitate readers making an emotional connection to the material. The author reflects extensively on how the event shaped his or her life, drawing connections between the past event and the present moment the author also explores the significance of these connections in great detail. In other words, a memoir “digs deep” in an attempt to make meaning of the event/era. “Memoirs” is a different word than “memoir.” It sounds similar, but as far as literary genres go, “memoir” and “memoirs” are not synonyms, whereas “autobiography” and “memoirs” are very close in meaning.īecause a memoir examines a much smaller segment of the writer’s life, it explores that single era in great detail. I suspect that some of the confusion surrounding the is-it-a-memoir-or-is-it-an-autobiography question arises because celebrities and public figures often refer to their autobiography as their “memoirs.” Note the “s” at the end of the word, though. These are stories from a life. By contrast, Bill Clinton’s autobiography, My Life, begins with the former president’s childhood and continues all the way through and beyond his presidency - the story of a life. Another way to think of it is that autobiographies strive for breadth whereas memoirs strive for depth. Creative writing professors often say that “autobiography is the story of a life and memoir is a story from a life.” (This nugget is based on Judith Barrington’s attempt to clearly distinguish between these genres in her book Writing the Memoir.) In other words, an autobiography encompasses the highlights of the author’s entire life, from childhood to the present a memoir, on the other hand, focuses on a single era of the author’s life.įor instance Angela’s Ashes is a memoir that focuses solely on Frank McCourt’s impoverished childhood in Ireland and Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir Eat, Pray, Love chronicles her world travels following her divorce. However, that’s where the similarities end. It seems like a small thing -after all, the label doesn’t change the content of the book-but incorrectly categorizing your manuscript will create a lot of frustration for you when you send it to the wrong agent, try to publish excerpts in the wrong journals or magazines, and give your potential readers false expectations as you build the hype for your forthcoming book on your blog, website, and/or social media.īoth memoir and autobiography are nonfiction works that tell the author’s story from the author’s perspective. It’s important to give your book the correct label because it will influence audience, purpose, marketing strategy, which publishers will be interested in the manuscript, and more. ![]() (Or vice versa.) Memoir and autobiography both involve the author writing his/her personal story, but there are more differences than similarities between these genres. In the past few months, I’ve been approached by several clients who were interested in working with me on a “memoir” only to discover-either through conversation with the author or by reading the manuscript-that, in fact, they were looking for someone to edit/assess/develop an autobiography. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |