The Illusive Memory
Sven Birkerts's book The Art of Time; explores the why and how of memoir writing.
He writes, " The memoirist is generally not after the sequenced account of his life so much as the story or stories that have given that life it's internal shape."
That's quite an assignment. It demands honesty, digging through the shards of accumulated details. It means pushing aside those memories that are on the surface to find those that were foundational.
I have read memoirs that never moved beyond a " and then " stage. Memoirs that parade the author around like a horse and pony show.
Finding our stories --moving past the dross and mining our experiences, may be liberating or a daunting task.
Why not drag along a mirror and skip a linear recitation.
He writes, " The memoirist is generally not after the sequenced account of his life so much as the story or stories that have given that life it's internal shape."
That's quite an assignment. It demands honesty, digging through the shards of accumulated details. It means pushing aside those memories that are on the surface to find those that were foundational.
I have read memoirs that never moved beyond a " and then " stage. Memoirs that parade the author around like a horse and pony show.
Finding our stories --moving past the dross and mining our experiences, may be liberating or a daunting task.
Why not drag along a mirror and skip a linear recitation.
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