Mary Karr, in The Art of Memoir, writes about the importance of truth telling. About lying or embellishing, Karr says, “It’s as if after lunch the deli guy quipped, ‘I put just a teaspoon of catshit in your sandwich, but you didn’t notice it at all.’ To my mind, a
If your mom died baldWhen you were sixor disappeared barredwhen you were eightOr you never knewYour mom.If your sisterRushed you pastThe scene of your momAnd the blood,Down the fire escapeAnd to the neighbors.If your dad did a 360,On Ventura HighwayAnd your mom pretendedEverything was Jack Daniels fine.And if there’s no
In writing memoir, writers choose a slice of life that might illustrate the whole. Like a tree branch that is part of the larger tree, the memoir exists in relation to the life story. It’s included. Branch of a tree, branch of a memoir, branch of a bank where money
Memoir writing is an act of writing about a specific time of your life. You recall it, you shape it, and you revise it. But what causes someone to write memoir? What is the occasion to write memoir? For me, writing memoir is a way of investigating not only my
If my Golden Retriever Josie was choosing a freelance editor, what would she look for? Although I can’t know for certain, I believe she would look for someone who understood and cared about dogs. The editor wouldn’t have to be a Golden Retriever or even a dog herself. But the
