Truth in Memoir Writing
The topic of truth in a memoir is a complex and interesting one. I'm curious to know what other writers & readers think about it.
When I wrote my memoir about living in France in the 1960s, "A Gift from Brittany," I found that writing the book and preserving the truth of what happened were part of a balancing act. The strength of the memoir is that it is bound to the truth. But a memoir is not a diary; it is based on the truth, and at the same time, it must be a good story. Memoir writing means finding a balance between telling your honest perspective and also writing about what happened in such a way as to engage a reader.
Fiction is also rooted in a personal truth, but it involves flights-of-fancy and the flexibility of imagination. If you are compelled to write a memoir, there must be a reason why fiction is an inadequate form. Often, the truth of the events are even more remarkable than what we can make up.
Marjorie Price
When I wrote my memoir about living in France in the 1960s, "A Gift from Brittany," I found that writing the book and preserving the truth of what happened were part of a balancing act. The strength of the memoir is that it is bound to the truth. But a memoir is not a diary; it is based on the truth, and at the same time, it must be a good story. Memoir writing means finding a balance between telling your honest perspective and also writing about what happened in such a way as to engage a reader.
Fiction is also rooted in a personal truth, but it involves flights-of-fancy and the flexibility of imagination. If you are compelled to write a memoir, there must be a reason why fiction is an inadequate form. Often, the truth of the events are even more remarkable than what we can make up.
Marjorie Price
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