Hello! I'm writing a memoir but I struggle with plotting so I'm trying to soak as much knowledge from you novel writers as possible!
I'm guilty of approaching my project with an autobiographical approach, wanting to include so much compelling backstory from childhood even though the crux of my story is a medical malpractice incident in my late teens resulting in bodily damage culminating in (but not limited to) hospitalization for acute depression.
Tentatively, I start the book with the scene of me getting hospitalized for depression without revealing the medical malpractice root issue, then I go back to the beginning and proceed chronologically.
I almost feel my book overlaps with two genres: first a David Sedaris-like humor book where plot is less important, then a more proper narrative memoir story.
However, part of me insists the robust backstory events dating back to childhood is important both thematically and to the book's plot.
One major theme of my book is the loss of innocence. Or you could say my book is about "how I lost my sanity." Thus, it's important to establish the "before" world where I was confident and stable (and sane) before it deteriorates to the "after" world (as a result of abuse, abandonment, bullying, yada yada yada), whereby the medical malpractice incident is almost just like a symptom of a larger shift of my character/wellbeing.
In terms of plot, the medical malpractice incident takes place during the "after" world and the timing of the deterioration of my confidence and stability is therefore important to the crux of the plot because if I wasn't already so vulnerable I might not have suffered the incident. In fact, a cathartic event where I came out of the closet as gay was what ultimately rejuvenated my senses, priorities, and stability and prompted me to cease the erroneous and damaging medical treatment.
That said, I'm trying to figure out just how to reveal the backstory starting in chapter 2.
I'm trying not to make it feel like a laundry list of happy and fun anecdotes that simply imply "look at how innocent, happy, sensible, and confident I used to be!" then "look how effed up my family was and how mean kids at school were!"
Being gay is important to the book because it shaped my experience and in some cases was the explicit reason why specific friends and family members abandoned or abused me. It's also important toward my writing voice as I can be very campy and humorous as times.
Therefore, I'm wondering if I should frame my early backstory chapters in terms of me being gay, to present a conflict between my identity and personality and others around me and my conservative community that I grew up in.
I'm hoping that if i frame it this way, I can steer away from the "laundry list of anecdotes" vibe and create a sense of causes and effects and plotted action. Specifically, instead of just dumping a bunch a cute anecdotes of me as an imaginative gay child, I'm thinking about starting with an event where I got in trouble for wearing women's clothes to convey a conflict.
Basically, I'm trying to find a way to include these compelling and relevant backstory anecdotes in a meaningful way without just info-dumping and talking about myself in tangents. Establishing a sense of conflict between my being gay and my environment seems like a good way of achieving this.
Any other tips for techniques and ways in which I should reveal this backstory?
I'm guilty of approaching my project with an autobiographical approach, wanting to include so much compelling backstory from childhood even though the crux of my story is a medical malpractice incident in my late teens resulting in bodily damage culminating in (but not limited to) hospitalization for acute depression.
Tentatively, I start the book with the scene of me getting hospitalized for depression without revealing the medical malpractice root issue, then I go back to the beginning and proceed chronologically.
I almost feel my book overlaps with two genres: first a David Sedaris-like humor book where plot is less important, then a more proper narrative memoir story.
However, part of me insists the robust backstory events dating back to childhood is important both thematically and to the book's plot.
One major theme of my book is the loss of innocence. Or you could say my book is about "how I lost my sanity." Thus, it's important to establish the "before" world where I was confident and stable (and sane) before it deteriorates to the "after" world (as a result of abuse, abandonment, bullying, yada yada yada), whereby the medical malpractice incident is almost just like a symptom of a larger shift of my character/wellbeing.
In terms of plot, the medical malpractice incident takes place during the "after" world and the timing of the deterioration of my confidence and stability is therefore important to the crux of the plot because if I wasn't already so vulnerable I might not have suffered the incident. In fact, a cathartic event where I came out of the closet as gay was what ultimately rejuvenated my senses, priorities, and stability and prompted me to cease the erroneous and damaging medical treatment.
That said, I'm trying to figure out just how to reveal the backstory starting in chapter 2.
I'm trying not to make it feel like a laundry list of happy and fun anecdotes that simply imply "look at how innocent, happy, sensible, and confident I used to be!" then "look how effed up my family was and how mean kids at school were!"
Being gay is important to the book because it shaped my experience and in some cases was the explicit reason why specific friends and family members abandoned or abused me. It's also important toward my writing voice as I can be very campy and humorous as times.
Therefore, I'm wondering if I should frame my early backstory chapters in terms of me being gay, to present a conflict between my identity and personality and others around me and my conservative community that I grew up in.
I'm hoping that if i frame it this way, I can steer away from the "laundry list of anecdotes" vibe and create a sense of causes and effects and plotted action. Specifically, instead of just dumping a bunch a cute anecdotes of me as an imaginative gay child, I'm thinking about starting with an event where I got in trouble for wearing women's clothes to convey a conflict.
Basically, I'm trying to find a way to include these compelling and relevant backstory anecdotes in a meaningful way without just info-dumping and talking about myself in tangents. Establishing a sense of conflict between my being gay and my environment seems like a good way of achieving this.
Any other tips for techniques and ways in which I should reveal this backstory?
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