Remembering

Tierney.Clement said:

I'm not very familiar with memoirs, and I've definitely never tried to write one before, but it's something I've started thinking about. The first question that came to my mind is this:

If I'm not sure I'm remembering something accurately, is it ok to just do my best, or would it be better to leave it out entirely?

Click to expand...

Well, you're likely not remembering accurately when you are sure (ask Dr. Loftus) so...

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Do your best. If it's part of the story, put it in. If it's not, leave it out. It's okay to guess, reconstruct, ask other people who were there, consult other sources (like photos, newspaper articles, letters, etc.).

Best of luck!

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

This reminds me of something I learned in one of my nonfiction classes. Memories of pretty much anything will change at least a little bit over time. It's something having to do with how the mind works. If the memory is something like the color of a car, or casual dialogue, I wouldn't worry too much about inaccuracies. But if it's a major part of the memoir (for instance, writing you were addicted to drugs when you really weren't), I would be a little more careful.