MANY TIMES, STUDENTS in my classes teach me more than I teach them. Such is the case with writer Dan New. In Dan’s case, what I learned was the power of one simple edit, when we agreed as a class what would happen if he moved what is now the opening line to that spot of power. That one line was just a little further down in the piece, but after we moved it, the piece unfolded into the compelling wonder that it is now. Writing memoir can be like that: Reframe a personal essay with one single line, and the piece becomes universal, something for all readers to explore.
Dan New served our country in Vietnam, and then came home to live the life of a veteran, topics that he brought to my memoir writing class this year. We urged him to record his pieces for public radio. He has.
Hear what I mean about the universal and the power of language by listening to Dan New’s personal essay. Or read that same piece here, as it appeared in the Voices of Faith column in the Times Union of Albany.
And then consider this: Dan recently started a memoir writing group for war veterans. On this Memorial Day, let’s salute the vets, and this one in particular for bringing veterans’ stories to the country.
Barbara Quackenbush says
I read Dan New’s Memoir piece in Friday’s T-U out loud to my husband, also a Viet Nam vet. It touched us both. It was an important piece, especially for Memorial Day. Being able to bring peace in some way to these brave veterans, who even many years later, continue to suffer from their war experiences, takes a special sensitivity. This sensitivity and understanding was apparent in Dan New’s writing. I thank him for my husband and so many others.
findessaywriter.com says
Hi ! Thank you Marion for the tips and tricks about creating a top quality memoir.