Memoir

A memoir is a piece of autobiographical writing or a personal narrative/story that focuses on one specific memory or event that holds a special significance for the person. The event may either be positive or negative.

Memoirs can Include:

• A positive or happy event might include: your first day at school, your first goal or basket, a vacation, a funny moment, or an emotional moment such as receiving an award.
• A negative or sad event might include: your most embarrassing or frightening moment, the death of someone close to you, or a bad experience you had.
• The important thing to remember is that the event selected for the memoir must be significant to the writer.

Characteristics of a Memoir:

• contains a setting (time and place)
• contains a plot (a beginning, a middle, and an end)
• contains a lead: the beginning of the memoir must capture the attention of your audience (Suddenly everything stopped!)
• contains a great deal of description (adjectives) so that the reader can visualize the event that is being described
• contains as many specific details as possible about the event (who, what, where, when, why, and how are often addressed in the memoir)
• contains the writer’s contemplation of the meaning or importance of the selected event (why this event is still significant today)
• contains the use of first person narration (I, me, my…) as it is a recounting of a personal event or experience
• contains a conversational tone