THE BEST MEMOIR WRITING knows its limits. It does not take on too much. It does not take on too little. It takes on exactly enough and stays with it until it’s done. To illustrate this idea in my class, I’ll hold up my hands about shoulder width, thumbs up, fingers facing forward and pretend to be taking a slice out of someone’s timeline. “Just give me this much,” I’ll say, and if I get a blank look, I’ll usually offer, “Just go from here to there.” If I am working as a memoir editor or developmental editor over the phone, I’ll probably talk about the “here to there” of the best memoir writing. What is your favorite here to there? What small, interesting distances have you traveled once or twice – or seemingly endless amounts of time – until you got something right? For instance, have you ever lost your sense of humor and then a few days, or weeks, or months later felt the beginning of the lip curl that announces that once again, maybe for the first time in a while, you are finding something funny? That’s a story, and one worth pondering. How, and with the … Continue reading How to Get to Your Best Memoir Writing