[stylist] questions about autobiographical writing

[loristay]

nicely put, Bridgit.
I majored in English Lit, mistakenly thinking that would lead to 
better writing, but the only thing that has is sitting down and 
writing itself, editing and revising.
Lori
On Aug 13, 2010, at 5:06:22 PM, "Bridgit Pollpeter" 
<bpollpeter at hotmail.com> wrote:

Jewel and others,

I am a senior at university and will graduate with a BFA in creative
writing, specializing in creative non-fiction. I am also the editor for
the Nebraska affiliate newsletter, and recently I was hired by the 
Omaha
World Herald to write a blog column for their health and wellness
website.

I love to write fiction as well as non-fiction, but I seem to have more
of a knack for the non-fiction (to my chagrin!) Seriously, though, any
form of non-fiction writing can have an applied element of fictional
techniques. Non-fiction does not have to be limited to the traditional
sense of what non-fiction is.

That being said, all writers must follow a structure and may attention
to content. In writing autobiography, you have to determine what your
focus is. Are you telling your life-story, or do you wish to focus on
isolated events? Non-fiction still has to have a beginning, middle and
end, and the "main character" should undergo a change by the end. All
successful non-fiction follows this method. Journals can really help
flesh out moments in your life that you feel are important and
momentous.

Also, while you should retain as many facts as possible, non-fiction
such as autobiography, is more concerned with how events have shaped 
you
and your personality. Obviously this has sparked much debate because
there is a fine line between focusing more on emotions than facts, and
completely fabricating your story. People also have to understand,
though, different perspectives happen for different people and even for
the same person, but at different stages of their life. My memories of
a certain event may be slightly different from those who may have their
own memories of the same event. However, my own memories are shaped by
my age, state of mind, and my own sense of priorities around a certain
event. Muddy, huh?

Have fun with non-fiction too. Try different things like switching the
point of view, or do not follow a linear structure. Play with voice and
content. Be really creative and write your story in a different time
period. This may sound silly and ridiculous, but lots of non-fiction
writers experiment with style and form. We are only bound by our own
perceptions.

Here are some suggestions for a good read:
The Truth Book: Escaping a Childhood of Abuse Among Jehovah's Witnesses
by Joy Castro
Man Killed By Pheasant by John Price
My Misspent Youth by Meghan Daum
Julie/Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell
Where I was From and The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Those are just a few, but there are many more out there. I hope this
helps and let me know if I can do anything else.

Bridgit

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