Elements+of+Memoir

= 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 ==



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

[[image:wrestler.jpg width="424" height="286" align="right" caption="Dustin Carter, wrestler and coach"]]
== -- 1. stories about an admirable struggle and perseverence -- overcoming life's obstacles and hardships (with identity, relationships, poverty, acculturation, addiction, illness, legal issues, etc.) == == -- 2. stories about triumph or remarkable achievement -- in sports, in a career, in war, etc. ==

== -- 3. stories of famous people or world leaders -- their lives, their rise to fame, their fall to obscurity, 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? = == -- 1. to inspire us to keep going or do better ==

-- 2. to warn us not to screw up
== -- 3. to satisfy our curiosity or merely entertain us ==

== -- 4. to clarify an event, a time period, or an era ==

-- 5. to appreciate what we have
== -- 6. to deepen our appreciation for the human (or animal) spirit ==

= ELEMENTS OF BIOGRAPHY AND MEMOIR: =

[[image:hutchinson-page/Von-Burg_Life-Story.jpg width="298" height="572" align="right" caption="Von-Burg_Life-Story.jpg"]]
== -- 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) ==

== -- 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) ==