Got Five Minutes? You’ve Got Memoir

JUST FIVE MINUTES. That was the assignment I gave myself today. Five minutes, tops, to scan the paper for something that would help you write one short piece of memoir. Why five? It’s all I needed. Don’t believe me? Here are three provocative pieces ripped from the headlines by me to get you to write. Think of them as a back-to-school gift. Or a sharp stick. Your choice.

• This is how you write a piece and get it in the national press.
• Here is something ripe for parody. A new form of memoir: Your restaurant profile.
• Here’s another parody-able piece. A washer smarter than I am. What would it be like?
• And if that wasn’t enough, you bet I’d like a surrogate talker, someone to step in when the at-home topics get tough.

One serious, three funny. Don’t say I never gave you anything (to write). So have at it. And oh yeah, it’s submissions season, writers. For more on that, read this great piece on how to submit from the lovely and generous Missouri Review. And write on.