Wiggly Nature of Memoir: Fact vs. Fiction – Part Three of Three

 …And then there’s memoir. Is it wiggly? How honest is it? As you may know, memoir is the focus of my blog. Encouraging people to write short, true tales about their mothers or other folks significant in their lives is what The Story Woman blog is all about. Memoir becomes untenable when referred to strictly as nonfiction. It isn’t. Due to the storytelling aspect and the nature of memory, memoir combines elements of both fiction and nonfiction, although many people would have you believe their memoirs are nothing but the truth.

Memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies of famous people are often fabricated to some extent due to ulterior motives and egotistical reasons. On the other hand, I believe the ordinary women and men, whom I have worked with for over a decade as they write bio-vignettes about people important to them, do tell their truths as openly and honestly as they can. I know this, because I’m often closely involved with them throughout their memory and writing processes. I witness their joy and anguish, expressed through smiles, twinkling eyes, or tightly knitted brows, and I appreciate their struggle to find the right words to honestly convey the passion and emotion they feel deeply. It takes courage, soul-searching, and creativity to write short, true tales that capture the character and spirit of our mothers.

Memoir can be described as creative nonfiction. But it is more than that, and it differs from creative nonfiction in general. Memoir is a specific form of creative nonfiction. Memoir is writing a true story rooted in fact, but with the license to use one’s imagination to fill in hazy spots that need greater illumination in order to bring the elements of the story together.  It is also appropriate to describe any one character using a composite of images and actions known to comprise the protagonist’s true nature.

In part one, I fumed about the lies and deception passed off as truth today in media and beyond. Celebs will inevitably grow old and wrinkled and sink out of sight (except for Meryl Streep!), dishonest politicos will be voted out of office, and people who expose their whole lives on the internet in one form or another, will live to regret the resulting lack of intimacy in personal relationships. (Could it be we’re reaching the tipping point?)

In contrast, ordinary people writing stories to capture the character of their mothers to keep their spirits alive for generations to come, know that their short memoirs will provide invaluable family legacies. And, if they’re in the mood to share their stories with a wider audience, the simple threads they have spun will add texture to our dynamic human tapestry.

 If you’re a writer of memoir or want to be, tell me, where do you stand?

• Are you ready to tell the whole truth?
• Will you tell it like it is, or tell it like you think others would like to hear it?
• Rather than rock the boat, are you choosing to write nothing at all?
• Where do you think the wisdom of mothers dwells?
• Do you believe that photo of your “mother” is enough, or will you write a bio-vignette bringing out her character and spirit so she will always be remembered in a way only you can portray?

I’d love to hear your comments about what you see as the true nature of memoir, especially as it relates to your writing about a person who significantly touched your life. Your words give me grist for the mill. Thank you.