In his article, Lee described how he went from being a fiction writer to a memoirist. 

His aunt told him the story of how his father lost his hands in a farming accident years ago before Lee was born. He had never heard the tale before. After learning of the incident, Lee used that information in a short story he wrote that was published in an East Coast tourist magazine. Lo and behold, his Illinois-based aunt heard about the story from a friend visiting the East Coast and was quite angry as a result. 

Fortunately, Lee was able to reconcile with his aunt years later.  But that story put him on the path of memoir writing.

Lee opens up about what he calls “selling out” when writing a memoir. You use every tool you can find to write your life story as you remember it. But while doing so, you have to open yourself up and can’t be afraid to tell the uncomfortable details, the dirty laundry, the whole story. You can’t be afraid of what your readers might think as a result. That’s what makes a memoir good.

When I discussed memoir writing with two of my professors, they agreed with Lee’s concept. Dr. Weaver said, "If they don't like your memoir, they can write their own." Both my professors cautioned that were I to write my memoir, I would have to prepare myself to go all the way. Be uncomfortable. To “sell myself out”.

Lee was telling the truth about writing a good memoir.

You can read the whole article here.

The description and dialog Steinberg included in the memoir was vivid and detailed. Really, an author’s memory made to be as impactful as a novel. The audience questioned if the event really happened that way. Had Steinberg told the truth?

Steinberg tells us that these questions go right to the heart of memoir writing. It’s not as if you are writing a news story with detailed facts. You are writing your story as you remember it. But the story has to read well and encourage the reader’s interest. It has to ring true to you personally as the writer. As Steinberg says, “A writer who positions herself as a witness-interpreter will see a reality different from that of a writer who places himself at the center of his own story” (Steinberg, 2001, p. 16).

A memoir is very different from a biography. Memories change over time. And how the writer remembers the past, and if the writer is good at their craft, the story becomes readable and entertaining.

That’s what I hope to do someday.

Read the article here.

What is transpersonal?  Transpersonal is a strand of psychology and social work which focuses on empowering persons based on spiritual experiences, personal transformation and health.

Raab conducted a narrative research study based on multiple interactions and types of communication (including face-to-face via Skype) with five esteemed writers. She included herself as a memorist and researcher and shared her own pivotal experiences that led to the writing of her two memoirs

The main research question addressed in this study was: What are the transformative dynamics of writing a memoir elicited by a pivotal or transcendent experience?

Raab’s study was informed by Abraham Maslow’s theory of creativity and metamotivation. Metamotivation is what Maslow considers creativity that arises from being motivated by a higher level of growth as opposed to creativity that arises to fill a gap due to an unmet primary need.

The final participant profile included those of age range between 35 and 75, three females and two males. 

All participants had transcendent or pivotal experiences and most said they had been transformed and empowered by writing a memoir. 

This research is relevant to my own thoughts regarding using memoir as my dissertation.

Here is the article.