Writers Tricks of the Trade Volume 5, Issue 4

PRESS “CONTROL” THEN CLICK “BUY” TO PURCHASE THE BOOK IS IT A MEMOIR, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, OR BIOGRAPHY? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE MORGAN ST. JAMES The question of the differences between these three forms of storytelling prompted me to surf the web in search of some valid answers from credible people. Because the definition of a memoir was the thing that triggered my search, it was the first definition I looked for. I’m recounting some of what I found by using excerpts from the websites or articles. Each also has the link to the full post or article. BUY It also must be said at this point that many people who wish to write a memoir or autobiography do use a professional writer or ghostwriter to help them. This is so that the story will be presented in a well-crafted professional, readable manner and in no way alters the fact that it is a memoir or autobiography. Sometimes the writers are credited, such as “As Told To” or the editor is thanked in the front matter. Generally ghostwriters remain that—a ghost behind the scenes. What is a Memoir? What Makes a Memoir Different from an Autobiography or Biography? From the website of Literary Agent Barbara Doyen who discusses the contents of a quality memoir and how it differs from an autobiography or biography BUY “Memoirs are perennially popular with many new books coming out each year. The bestseller, Night, by Elie Wiesel, is a memoir, not an autobiography or biography. But what is a memoir, anyway? A memoir is a special kind of autobiography, usually involving a public portion of the author’s life as it relates to a person, historic event, or thing. The text is about the personal knowledge and/or experiences of the author. In contrast, an autobiography covers the auth or’s entire life to the present, and is expected to include details about his or her public and private life. A biography is someone’s life story written by another person. BUY JULY-AUGUST 2015 Obviously, a memoir should be true. The author should not alter the truth in telling his or her story. Memories are faulty, so a little leeway is given to authors of memoirs, but they are expected to be honest and to check their facts for accuracy. Creating fiction and passing it off as nonfiction, as apparently was done by James Frey in his controversial A Million Little Pieces, is completely unacceptable. A memoir is written in first person from the author’s point of view. PAGE 18 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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