 Everyone has a story. Even the most mundane story can be insightful and transformative when told through the lens of memoir. Writing memoir is not just about recounting the events that transpired throughout a lifetime. It is about how the inner life can transform pain and joy for anyone who takes time to reflect. According to Judith Barrington’s book, Writing Memoir: a practical guide to the craft, the personal challenges, and ethical dilemmas of writing your true stories, memoir is defined as the act of writing “the story from a life.” This concept is opposed to autobiography, which is the “story of a life.” Memoir is written in first person, “I” while autobiography is written by someone who conducts interviews and writes from the third person perspective of “he/she/they/one.” The memoir is written from personal experience, anecdotes, and a good deal of reflection, while the autobiography is written from history, facts, and dates. Writing from a life gives a unique perspective of what memoirist Frank McCourt calls, “hot spots” in one’s life. It may not span the entire lifetime or encompass everything relevant, but it will be stitched together by ongoing and recognizable themes. The themes that run through each chapter are the boundaries that define and focus the work of memoir. They may be subtle or they may be blatant, but they have to be there. This is where novice writers often miss the mark. There is nothing more disconnecting or jarring than reading a memoir that lacks any sort of cohesive connective tissue throughout the text. Those patchy memoirs read like a series of short stories from the same author strung together to create a novel length manuscript, not like the over-soul of an intimate life story. Consequently, there is nothing wrong with a series of short stories to reveal a memoir; however, they must be related by theme to tell the broader, bigger picture. Do not obscure memoir with irrelevant facts that fall outside the parameters of those chosen themes. To help identify themes and provide some perspective, a writer can separate the narrator’s voice of the protagonist “I” from the narrator’s voice. It is safe to assume that not everything in memoir is one hundred percent factual or accurate. In that case, can a writer make up dialogue? Can names change? Is it OK to change physical descriptions? Does the writer have the right to change up the order of events when it tells a better story? The short answer to these questions is a resounding “yes.” A memoir writer can do all of these things and more, but it is a balancing act. For example, in the nineties, Judith Blunt wrote a memoir entitled, Breaking Clean, where in the first edition, there was a scene depicting her father-in-law throwing her typewriter out the window because she was late for dinner. Later, it was revealed that this scene never actually happened. Blunt defended the memoir by stating that the scene represented her “emotional truth.” The question is then, how far can a writer go to tell his or her emotional truth? In memoir, there must be a reliable narrator. In fiction, it is often far more interesting to have an unreliable narrator. However, the reader goes into memoir with an understanding that, “this happened.” That idea of non-fiction forms an unspoken contract between the writer and the reader that must not be broken. There is a commitment to non-fictionalize the story. So, the question remains of how far will the writer go to fill in memory gaps, disguise identities, or express emotional truth? Memoir can be described as the imagination constrained by facts; whereas, fiction can be described as the imagination constrained by what the reader will believe. The three distinct parts of memoir: narration, dialogue, and musing work together to form and express complex opinions. The writer is sharing the intellectual quest for answers. There is a struggle to understand life and form judgements. Musing provides the space for the memoirist to voice this quest for meaning. Musing is the act of stepping outside the story and speaking from the perspective of the here and now. The act of self-realization along with analysis guide the reader along on the journey of self-discovery, which is prominent in most good memoir. Without this struggle, the reader loses respect for the writer. Without this tussle, the protagonist is just a hero in his or her own story. No one likes to read a memoir where the hero’s journey is an easy victory every time. A writer of memoir should grapple with thoughts and ponder the consequences of life. Barrington says that “The painful growth of transformations do not lie in the landmark moments, but in small incidents and relationships.” Moments in the life of the reader are likely to resonate with moments depicted in the memoir. Here are some tips on writing memoir from Barrington’s book:
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 Why would you intentionally mislead your reader? Perhaps, it is because unreliable narrators are far more interesting than reliable narrators and can connect with your reader on multiple levels. For example, who wouldn’t want to hear a story told by a psychopath, a liar, or a child? Possibly even someone psychologically unstable, a politician, or a conspiracy theorist could spin a tale of interest and intrigue that takes your reader into uncharted territory. If the genre is fantasy, a demon, a fairy, or the moon may have an interesting perspective; but is it trustworthy? Such a person or entity withholds information, lies to the reader, and deliberately deludes them. This forces your reader to think critically about the story to draw their own conclusions. It can also cause the story to become a page-turner luring in your reader with tawdry promises and inaccurate points of view that no doubt stimulate the intellect. A literary critic named Wayne C. Booth in 1961 first used the term “unreliable narrator.” However, the device has been used for hundreds of years. One early example of this technique is in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath. In her prologue, the narrator brags, exaggerates, and omits information crucial for the reader. She is not naïve or unable to give insights, but her insights may not be reliable. This makes the reader want to continue reading in anticipation of what is to be ultimately revealed. Using an unreliable narrator invests your reader on a deeper level. They are reading your text with peaked interest looking for the clues and foreshadowing elements that eventually leads them to the truth. Be careful however, the narrator and reader relationship is a tenuous one. There needs to be a clear purpose and solid connection between the two. With an unreliable narrator, you can break the trust between the narrator and the reader, but do not obliterate it. Remember, readers like a feeling of satisfaction, so tread carefully and do not to deprive them of that sweet feeling of a story arc arriving at full circle. Three Types of Unreliable Narrator
Examples The unreliable narrator shows up a lot in the crime/mystery/thriller genres. Agatha Christie is an expert at this technique of leading the reader down the garden path just to find out it was the gardener all along, or as in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the narrator of the story turns out to be the murderer. This is an example of a deliberate unreliable narrator. On the other hand, Daphne du Maurier creates an unreliable narrator in Rebecca not because she is intentionally deceiving the reader, but the narrator simply does not have enough of a sense of self throughout most of the novel to inform the reader of events and characters objectively. She omits information like all first person internally focalized narrators. Mrs. de Winter filters details and confessions to exonerate her own questionable actions. This is an example of a naïve narrator. In The Life of Pi Yann Martel offers what seems like a somewhat balanced view then, during the plot twist at the end, the readers find out the narrator chose to tell the story out of a response to trauma causing him to become psychologically unstable or impaired. Nelly Dean in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights offers the literary device of a narrative frame to present an unreliable perspective of events making her arguably another deliberate example. Why Indeed If you like intricate plots and complex characters, try your hand at the unreliable narrator. They are usually, but not always presented in first person point of view (third person limited can get the job done also). Unreliable narrators often give the reader a thrill in the form of a plot twist or sudden realization for the protagonist. Just remember to drop clues and use an appropriate amount of foreshadowing to keep your reader in the loop and actively engaged with the story. Not enough engagement and the reader can get lost, too much and they can easily become overwhelmed. |
AuthorPriscilla Stone, MA. ArchivesCategories |
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