I'm writing a memoir. Like I've said in other posts, I'm struggling writing about backstory from childhood b/c my memory is fragmented. The easiest way to write about it is very "tell not show"-like, where I give an overview of my life back then jumping from one random example anecdote to another.
Should I really just focus on writing scenes (w/ action and dialogue)?
Furthermore, should I try as best as I can to do fewer longer scenes rather than many short scenes? I could accomplish this by combining events from different days that work well together....kind of creating bigger composite scenes, and simply changing the genre of my book to fictionalized memoir.
It's been a while since I've read "Catcher in the Rye" but if I recall correctly, a lot of the book happens in his head and his thoughts. This is the mode of writing I find myself falling into when I deal with the distant past. I get very descriptive and tend or organize little vignettes based on subject matter or theme. Like I'll address a certain topic or character trait, then give little anecdotal examples that jump around in terms of chronological order. When dealing with more recent events, I am able to write more action-packed play-by-play scenes and keep things very chronological.
I do hope to get the book published and appeal to a broad audience. I sort of have a feeling that writing in scenes and condensing important events into fewer longer scenes is best for this.
Should I really just focus on writing scenes (w/ action and dialogue)?
Furthermore, should I try as best as I can to do fewer longer scenes rather than many short scenes? I could accomplish this by combining events from different days that work well together....kind of creating bigger composite scenes, and simply changing the genre of my book to fictionalized memoir.
It's been a while since I've read "Catcher in the Rye" but if I recall correctly, a lot of the book happens in his head and his thoughts. This is the mode of writing I find myself falling into when I deal with the distant past. I get very descriptive and tend or organize little vignettes based on subject matter or theme. Like I'll address a certain topic or character trait, then give little anecdotal examples that jump around in terms of chronological order. When dealing with more recent events, I am able to write more action-packed play-by-play scenes and keep things very chronological.
I do hope to get the book published and appeal to a broad audience. I sort of have a feeling that writing in scenes and condensing important events into fewer longer scenes is best for this.
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