Here’s guest blogger Dorothy Ann Skarles with more tips and examples for your memoir.
Memoir
Memories are quick flashes of past reflections or specific things remembered, like when my son came home and told me he needed fifty dollars to fix his truck.
“You do, do you?” I said, and suddenly recalled how I got my very first fifty dollar bill.
I was in high school, and the school bus dropped me off at my daddy’s and mama’s restaurant where we had living quarters.
It was late afternoon, past serving lunch, when I walked in. Daddy, standing behind the counter by the cash register, smiled and asked, “Ready to count the days cash?”
I saw ones, fives, tens, and twenties all lined up in a row in neat piles. “Sure.”
As I began to count, Daddy suddenly pulled out a bill from the cash register and waved it in the air.
“Quick! If you can tell me whose picture is on a fifty dollar bill, I’ll give it to you,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
“General Grant,” I shouted so quickly I hardly knew what I said.
Daddy, laughing, slapped the bill down on the counter in front of me. “Pumpkin, it’s all yours.”
Dashing off abridged memories is still part of you and your memoir. Make these small moments in time a chapter in the long version of your memoir.
Like the time my husband and I told our young son we were driving across the Golden Gate Bridge. He looked out the window and said, “No we’re not! I don’t see any gold gate.” This is a story I’ve saved for him to read in my own memoir.
So dash off a tiny-sized memory you can save to give to your family.
- Did you or someone else do something outrageous or quirky in high school?
- Something funny a family member did while you were with them?
- Anything happen that was odd while you were dating or getting married?
- Do you remember any funny things children did and said—when meeting someone, going to school or at a birthday party?
- Did anyone ever give you a ten, twenty, fifty, or hundred dollar bill you didn’t expect?
And how about my high school son who needed 50 dollars to fix his truck. I asked him if he knew whose picture was on the fifty dollar bill, and he didn’t. Bet if you asked him now he would!
Thanks Dorothy!
Dear readers:
I hope you don't mind, but I am posting this for myself so I may ask readers what ideas they have for me to write on. I love to get feedback. For the last two years I have been hiding in a shell and it is hard for me to open up. Margaret has been helping me, and she is great. My publisher has a book out that I have a story in (How I wrote my first book with 19 other writers) that have a few writing tips that I used. But maybe I could come up with a few more for Margaret's readers if interested. Anyway, I hope to hear from you, and thanks for reading my post.
I for one would love to hear more about HOW I WROTE MY FIRST BOOK and the writing tips you share. Count me in!
Hi Dorothy, your suggestion of 'expanding on a flashing memory' is great. I'm sure everyone can follow that advice and write lots of intersting stories.
You were a very smart girl to know who was on the $50 bill. I certainly didn't, but thanks to this posting, I will have the right answer engraved in my bits of trivia.
I would strongly encourage all "Enter the Between" followers to list their 'flashbacks' and it is sure to ignite inspiration in writing for others. Let's all see if we can 'jog our memories' from other's exeriences.
I'll start off with "swinging on the backyard swing and making my home planet jupiter." Now someone else dust off the cobwebs of yesteryear. bernadine
Thanks Bernadine for your flash story. How old were you when you went on the planet Jupiter? What fun. What a great imagination. I have one on school that I will write about in the next one or two Fridays.
Margaret, I also thank you for giving me more ideas to write on. You are a sweetie.
Hi Dorothy,
When I was a resident of Jupiter, I probably was about 7 or 8 years old. In addition, when I was happily swinging up to Jupiter, my mother used to buy a lug of peaches each summer and can for a couple of days so we would have fruit all winter long.
I remember her bringing out a fresh peach, peeled, for me to eat. I'd stop swinging and savor the fresh fruit, with the juices all sticky running through my fingers and down my arm. Yummy though. Then when I got done swinging, when I went into the house, it would smell so good, freshly baked peach pie. I wonder if they had peach pie on Jupiter? bernadine
Bernadine, I loved peach pie, but I could never touch the fuzz on the peal of the peach or I would break out. My mom would always peal it for me.
Dorothy,
I guess that's what mothers are for – to peel their kids peaches! My could touch the fuzz, but not eat it either. bernadine
Glad to know I am not the only one. Thanks for writing.