Memoir+and+Biography+Unit

= 4 BASIC CATEGORIES OF WRITING: =

== -- 1. __Fiction__: Imagined (not real) stories including mystery, romance, sci-fi, literary, young adult, etc. Some use graphic formats (pictures and drawings combined with narrative/dialogue). ==

== -- 2. __Non-Fiction__: True stories or any other books that tell or teach about true things. This includes the great majority of books being published -- like biographies, cookbooks, history, travel, sports, how-to, philosophy, science, etc. ==

== -- 3. __Poetry:__ A unique category! Poems may be true or imaginary, and they may be short or long, but they are different from prose, which is written in paragraphs. ==

== -- 4. __Hybrid__: Interesting combinations of any of the above, such as graphic novels, literary magazines, or anthologies. ==

= = = A popular genre in non-fiction is the BIOGRAPHY or MEMOIR. These are stories about real people's lives. =

== -- 1. __Biography__: a full life story narrated and written by someone else -- sometimes long after the subject has died, or sometimes while the subject is living but written without his or her authorization ==

== -- 2. __Autobiography__: a full life story narrated by the person himself or herself using the "I" point of view, often written with the help of a professional writer ==

== -- 3. __Memoir__: a partial life story, told by either the subject or someone else, focusing on one aspect of the subject's life or one particular period when he or she underwent a dramatic or unusual experience ==



= ELEMENTS OF BIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR: =

== -- 1. Chronological time frame but often with flashbacks to childhood or flashes forward to the present time ("now" voice) ==

== -- 2. Re-creations of particular experiences (using "real-time" scenes with specific details and dialogue, described like a scene from a movie) ==

== -- 3. Summaries of experiences or time periods (as opposed to developing a full, real-time scene) ==

== -- 4. Use of other people's accounts to corroborate or add to the story and give multiple perspectives ==

== -- 5. Insights or epiphanies, lessons learned (using "now" voice, from perspective of the mature writer looking back) ==

= = = What lives are worthy of becoming books or films? What stories are worth telling and worth reading? =

== -- 1. stories about an admirable struggle and perseverence -- overcoming life's obstacles and hardships (with identity, relationships, poverty, acculturation, addiction, illness, legal issues, etc.) ==

-- 4. any stories that show us how a typical life became atypical or unusual
= What purpose(s) might a person have for telling his or her story, or telling the story of someone else? =

=All good stories, fiction or non-fiction, need to follow the basic NARRATIVE ARC of storytelling. Here is a reminder of its components:=



== CONFLICT and TENSION are the keys to all good stories! Conflicts are nearly always INTERNAL, as the main character has to decide what's important and how to proceed. But it is often also EXTERNAL, dealing with either another person ("HUMAN VS. HUMAN); with an institution like school, the job, the police, or "the man" (HUMAN VS, SOCIETY); or it may be a conflict with the forces of the environment (HUMAN VS. NATURE). ==

== As you read or listen to a story, note where the conflict is sparked. We call this the "inciting incident" or beginning of the rising action. The bulk of the story will most likely be what ensues as the main character works through the conflict, tension building, until it reaches its climactic moment. Often, just before the climax, there is a also brief CRISIS moment, where the character realizes what is about to happen. ==

== Once the climax happens, the character is changed somehow -- which is the story's RESOLUTION. The change often involves the character's life as well as his or her understanding of the world. . . or of him or herself. This is central to understanding the THEME or POINT of the story. Most stories also include a bit of "wrapping up," which we call FALLING ACTION, though some do not. Often, storytellers don't explicitly state the resolution but suggest or imply it through what the character says, does, or thinks at the end of the story. ==

**New York Times story about the power of story-telling: "The Scar"**
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