Why read about childhood of another?

Your book sounds more like an autobiography to me. The difference is an autobiography covers a lifetime, but a memoir is a about an event....for example:

the summer I went to Europe
the year after my father died


At least that is what the books and info I have read on it say...but wouldn't you know the first memoir that comes to my mind is an exception to that...Miss America By Day, by Marilyn VanDerbur

Another memoir on my list that talks about childhood is Black, White and Jewish by Rebecca Walker.

I don't have a suggestion about scene vs summary, except IMO use summary vary sparingly and only if you must...

I hope that helps.

Pushingfordream said:

Why read about childhood of another?
So I started the second draft of my memoir and from my birth to 6th grade is going to be a estimated rough 10,000 words. Yes I did have a lot of wild and traumatic events, but most of what I have written in a summary of that time period. Hypothetically those first 10,000 words are summary... Is that common? Becuase the next 60,000 or so words of my book will be a ton of scenes in greater detail... Is summary boring for a reader? I guess I am having trouble understanding Scene Vs Summary writing, any advice on how to pace it?

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Wait, are you saying you'd have 10k words and then 60k words expanding on the original 10k? I don't think most people want to read about the same thing twice like that.

Why did you choose to summarize rather than write more about that time period? If your summary isn't central to the story but is necessary to get the reader up to speed, I think a summary is sufficient. Otherwise, I'd go more into depth. It depends on what the goal of your memoir is.

For what it's worth, I enjoy reading memoirs, and I like reading about the childhoods of others if they're interesting.

cornflake said:

Wait, are you saying you'd have 10k words and then 60k words expanding on the original 10k? I don't think most people want to read about the same thing twice like that.

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Perhaps I misunderstood what he was saying, but I thought he meant that the first 10K words were a summary of his life to sixth grade, but then he goes into more depth in the time period after sixth grade.

Raison said:

Perhaps I misunderstood what he was saying, but I thought he meant that the first 10K words were a summary of his life to sixth grade, but then he goes into more depth in the time period after sixth grade.

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I'm not at all sure I understood it either (tis why I asked, because I think it's likely I misunderstood), but I got the other way - that both parts were to sixth grade, but like an intro of 10k and then 60k expanding upon it.

If it can be told in summary without missing anything important, then maybe that time period should be left out altogether?

If there are important key scenes from that time of your life that matter to other events, they could be added in as flashbacks at the point where they become relevent.

IMHO I read about childhoods in memoirs about childhoods, Angela's Ashes etc. Otherwise... not so much.

I enjoy reading people's memoirs or autobiographies, but I'm still looking for a good story and not just a series of scenes. If the first part is 10K, that's not a summary! That's quite hefty and I'm not sure I would want to read that.

With the people I work with in therapy, who want to use narratives as part of their person work, I encourage them to draw a timeline of their life and make marks on the line for significant events, either positive or negative. I encourage them to focus on how that particular time of their life was pivotal in some way and why. Maybe an activity like this might help you focus on the key moments of your life that you can really hone in one, rather than spending several thousand words going through rather uneventful background. Good luck with your work!

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

You've been asking this sort of question a lot.

The Seven Story Mountain is an autobiography. And yes, if you're starting at birth (or before) and going through to your life now, then it's an autobiography, not a memoir. Autobiographies are harder to sell than memoirs, unless you're famous...or are the greatest writer since Annie Dillard.

I'd map out which parts of your life are important and need to be scenes. I'd connect those scene with summary and thoughts. But I'd also leave out a lot of unnecessary stuff.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

I went to Pushingfordreams's blog. He's only 17 years old. I would consider his story to be a memoir. Angela's Ashes covered a larger period than that, and it was sold as a memoir. Frank McCourt originally wrote his entire life story, but it was too long, so his publisher split it into two books.

Pushingfordream, based on the story I read, if I were you, I probably would not start at the beginning of your life. I'd probably start at the point where your parents sent you away and then fill in the background that got you there as necessary to make the story understood. I wish you the best!

If you are seventeen you are still *having* a childhood. So, yeah, that makes a bit of a difference.

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

Oh, if you're THAT young, then yes, this would probably be a memoir. And yes, you're still legally a child, despite what you've been through.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

Pushingfordream said:

Thanks for help and feedback... Currently i am going to write the draft I'm working on then maybe after I get some feedback I will switch the format/style of writing... I am going to endeavor into reading more books as well. I am a beginning writer so It could take a long time to write my first book.

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It might, and that's a great realization and attitude to have. Yes, reading will help your writing more than anything else and your view of your story and what you want to include in it may or may not change as you work on it. Knowing it's a process is a big step - a lot of people want it done done done now now now.

Pushingfordream said:

Why read about childhood of another?
So I started the second draft of my memoir and from my birth to 6th grade is going to be a estimated rough 10,000 words. Yes I did have a lot of wild and traumatic events, but most of what I have written in a summary of that time period. Hypothetically those first 10,000 words are summary... Is that common? Becuase the next 60,000 or so words of my book will be a ton of scenes in greater detail... Is summary boring for a reader? I guess I am having trouble understanding Scene Vs Summary writing, any advice on how to pace it?

Click to expand...

If you want a good book on a memoir, I suggest reading Stephen King: On writing. I'm reading it now and the memoir keeps me interested. He talks about events in each chapter, so you can take a hint from him and just write about those events and go on. You don't need to write day to day about your childhood. Just talk about a event that is important or made you who you are today

Pushingfordream said:

I wanted done now now now, but I realized i want to publish something I'm proud of. Not a quickly written out piece of Sh*T

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You have the right idea.

Use flashbacks rather than summary.

Myrealana said:

If it can be told in summary without missing anything important, then maybe that time period should be left out altogether?

If there are important key scenes from that time of your life that matter to other events, they could be added in as flashbacks at the point where they become relevent.

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I agree that this would be a good way to do it. Summaries can be pretty dull and sterile, and where a childhood event becomes appropriate to whatever is happening in the post-6 period, it can be fleshed out. This could help to avoid the 'and then I' kind of exposition so many memoir authors write.

Is this a narrative non-fiction book?

However you handle it, good luck.

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

I had my memoir nearly all in scenes. The editor I hired (a good one) suggested adding in more narration. But not then-we-did-this narration. Readers of memoirs like to get deeper into the writer's thoughts and feelings than novels usually allow. So, let the summary of events, if necessary be short, give more what your thoughts and feelings were/are.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

I started writing my first memoir around your age which covered my middle school years. Ten years later it's still far from done, though it's evolved significantly since then.

Some recommendations if you still want some: Eat, Pray, Love; The Last Lecture; and Kitchen Privileges, where I got the best piece of advice about writing, at least to start with