[Tipster] How To Structure a Memoir

In this edition of Tipster, our focus is on structuring a memoir. 

I (Dave) am re-reading one of the classics on how to think about structure in writing called "Draft No.4" by John McPhee.

McPhee is a long-time writer for the New Yorker and author of more than 30 books.

"Developing a structure is seldom ... simple. Almost always there is considerable tension between chronology and theme, and chronology traditionally wins."

In short, when writing a longer story or a memoir, we default to telling the story from the beginning. We assemble a list of stories - and start from the start.

But you don't have to start from the beginning. In fact, your story may be more interesting if you don't.

A Different Structure

If you want to write an extended story or write a memoir, a better approach may be to structure the stories around a central theme or themes.

McPhee writes for those writing nonfiction:

"As a nonfiction writer, you could not change the facts of the chronology, but with verb tenses and other forms of clear guidance to the reader you [are] free to do a flashback if you thought one made sense in presenting the story."

One application would be to identify one of your themes in your stories.

I'll use a silly example. Let's say you want to write a memoir about how you always lose weight - and then gain it back in six months. You've done it your entire life.

It would be tempting to start the story the first time you lost weight in your twenties - and then gained it all back.

But what if you started the story with the most recent time that you fell prey to the cycle?

Maybe that was the time when you finally said, "I'm never doing this again," and you decided to make changes.

That may be a great place to start the story - at your most frustrated, self-loathing moment.

I'm not sure "weight loss and gain" is a good example, but it illustrates the point.

Start the story from an arresting part of the story, not from the beginning of the story.