Back to Basics: Details, a must for your memoir

 

The holidays are over—!! So . . .

we’re returning to our Back to the Basics series

for our newcomers—and for all of us,

no matter where we are

in the writing of our memoirs.

 

You want your story to come to life so readers will feel they’re a part of your experience. Sensory details can do that for your readers.

 

Your task is to write so readers connect with you. Invite them to see, feel, hear, taste, and smell what you saw, felt, heard, tasted, and smelled. That way they can enter into your story with you.

 

Make your story happen all over again, this time for your readers.

 

The following quote will help you understand sensory details and why they’re important:

 

 

“You must recreate how you experienced the places,

people and situations of your life experiences

through the senses.

Where you were and what was happening to you

originally came in through your ears,

nose, tongue, skin, and eyes.

That is what the reader needs, too,

to experience your world

and draw the conclusions you did . . . .

 

As writers we must learn to rely on the outer world

for the images a situation provides,

rather than relying on thoughts and summaries.

Sure, those will come into our writing, at times,

but using them sparingly . . .

makes them all the more powerful.”

Sheila Bender,

“Letting Images Do the Talking”

 

 

Below, I offer you additional quotes for inspiration:

 

 

“In writing, imagery is the key

that can unlock a reader’s imagination.

When an image is rendered with the right combination of words,

it magically appears in the reader’s mind

like a photograph or a film clip.”

Melissa Donovan,

“Creative Writing Prompts for Crafting Compelling Imagery”

 

 

“Concentrate your narrative energy on the point of change. . . .

When your character is in a new place,

or things alter around them,

that’s the point to step back

and fill in the details of their world.”

Hilary Mantel,

“23 Writing Tips from Booker-Prize Winning Authors”

 

 

“If you’re like most writers

the dominant sense is visual.

That’s because most of us write ‘by sight.’

That is, we include what we see and, sometimes,

what we hear.

Rarely what we smell, taste, or feel (as in the sense of touch).

If your writing tends to fall within this ‘mostly sight’ category,

you may fail to engage your readers.

If you want to write vivid memories,

then you must learn to remember vividly—

not just see, but smell, taste, feel, and hear those memories. . . .”

Amber Lea Starfire,

“From Memories to Memoir, Part 3—Remembering Vividly”

(See Amber’s whole post for step-by-step tips

on how to remember vividly.)

  

Look over your rough drafts and have fun crafting scenes that include what you want your readers to see, smell, taste, feel, and hear.

 

Editing and proofreading a book you can be proud of

Have you ever re-read something you’ve published and found a grammatical error, misspelled word, or punctuation error? You feel embarrassed, right? If it makes you feel better, you’re not alone—we all have found mistakes in our published pieces.

Why don’t we catch those errors before we hit “publish” and send it out into the world?

“Gestalt psychologists were the first to discover that our minds tend to see things not as they are, but as our minds think they should be,” writes Debra Hart May in Proofreading Plain and Simple.

“The implications of this phenomenon for proofreading are enormous. Artist and author Carolyn Bloomer, in her book, Principles of Visual Perception, tells us ‘. . . Your mental “correcting” tends to tune out the very errors you are looking for. . . .’”

Read that again. If we grasp that “our minds tend to see things not as they are, but as our minds think they should be,” and that “mental ‘correcting’ tends to tune out the very errors you are looking for,” we’ll be more committed to watching for that tendency in our own editing and proofreading.

Writers can find help from books, blogs, classes, writing workshops, and critique partners. (There’s a difference between editing and proofreading. Learn more at Leah McClellan’s post, What’s the difference between editing and proofreading?)

Melissa Donovan at Writing Forward offers twenty-one tips in Do-It-Yourself Proofreading and Editing Tips. Each point is important but let me call your attention to point 16: “Start building a collection of grammar books and writing resources so when you do run into questions (and you will), you have access to reliable and credible answers.” I say Amen! to that! Also, ask other skilled writers which books they recommend.

Related to that is Melissa’s point 21: “Make it your business to develop good grammar skills. Read up on grammar or subscribe to a blog that publishes grammar posts (like this one) to stay up to date on proper grammar.” Amen! to that, too.

Nowadays we have more resources at our fingertips than in the past. For example, if you use Microsoft 365, you’ll see “Editor” near the top right of your screen. Click on that for feedback on spelling, grammar, clarity, conciseness, formality, punctuation, and vocabulary.

Also, I highly recommend using “Read Aloud” (Microsoft Office 365 under the Review tab). Pay close attention while you listen. You might be surprised at how many mistakes your ears catch that your eyes miss.

I also use the free version of Grammarly for online writing (emails, blog posts, Facebook).

Perhaps you’re like me: I’m always amazed at how I fail to notice overused words. Because of my blind spot, I depend on Wordcounter to point them out to me. It does what its name implies: it lists how many times I’ve used a given word. I use the Thesaurus (under the Review tab) to choose different words.

Melissa Donovan also has a comprehensive list so click on this link to take in her rich resource. You might want to print it for a handy reference.

And below, I’ll share additional tips with you:

• When you think your manuscript is nearly ready for publication, take a break from it. Don’t think about it. If possible, wait a week before you set eyes on it again. If that’s not realistic, work on something else for a while—empty the dishwasher, take a walk, make a phone call. Afterward, you’ll be better at spotting areas that need attention: grammatical errors, misspelled words, punctuation errors, etc.
• Print your manuscript. Eyes see mistakes on a printed page that they miss on a computer screen.
• Move away from your writing area to read your printed document—in a different room, a park, your back yard, a coffee shop, or at the beach. 

Here are more tips from Debra Hart May’s Proofreading Plain and Simple:

• Print a [vertically-oriented] portrait document in landscape (or horizontal) mode.
• Print in a larger or less familiar font. (But choose a serif font . . . [because] they are easier to read.)
• Work in small time increments—15-20 minutes at a time.
• Take regular breaks to stretch, rest your eyes, and mentally engage from the task.

Editing and proofreading can be tedious tasks,

but they are a super-important part of writing and publishing.

If you do them well (hiring experts if necessary),

you can publish a quality book.

Don’t settle for anything less!

“The most productive and transformative part of writing a book”

Have you ever re-read something you’ve published and found a grammatical error, misspelled word, or punctuation error? You feel embarrassed, right? If it makes you feel better, you’re not alone—we’ve all found mistakes in our published pieces.

Why don’t we catch those errors before we hit “publish” and send it out into the world?

“Gestalt psychologists were the first to discover that our minds tend to see things not as they are, but as our minds think they should be,” writes Debra Hart May in Proofreading Plain and Simple. “The implications of this phenomenon for proofreading are enormous. Artist and author Carolyn Bloomer, in her book, Principles of Visual Perception, tells us, …‘Your mental “correcting” tends to tune out the very errors you are looking for….’”

A writer can find lots of help in editing and proofreading—from books, blogs, classes, writing workshops, critique partners. (There’s a difference between editing and proofreading. Learn more at Leah McClellan’s post, What’s the difference between editing and proofreading?)

Melissa Donovan at Writing Forward offers 21 tips in Do-It-Yourself Proofreading and Editing Tips. Each one is important but let me call your attention to her point 16: “Start building a collection of grammar books and writing resources so when you do run into questions (and you will), you have access to reliable and credible answers.” I say Amen! to that.

Related to that is Melissa’s point 21: “Make it your business to develop good grammar skills. Read up on grammar or subscribe to a blog that publishes grammar posts (like this one) to stay up to date on proper grammar.” Amen! to that, too.

Ask other writers which books they recommend for editing, proofreading, and grammar. I have the following on my bookshelf: Proofreading Plain and Simple, Keys for Writers, Correcting Common Errors in Writing, Woe Is I, and others.

Melissa’s is one of the most comprehensive lists I’ve seen recently so click over there to take in this rich resource. I printed it so I’d have it as a handy reference, and perhaps you’ll want do so, too.

But I want to add to Melissa’s list. Here are my tips:

• Take a break. Don’t think about your manuscript. If possible, wait a week or two before you set eyes on it again.
• Print your manuscript. Eyes see mistakes on a printed page that they miss on a computer screen.
• Move away from your writing area to read your document—a different room of your house or office, in the back yard, a coffee shop, the beach, the library, or a park.

Here are more tips from Debra Hart May’s Proofreading Plain and Simple:

• Print a portrait (…vertically-oriented) document in landscape (or horizontal) mode.
• Print in a larger or less familiar font. (But choose a serif font… [because] they are easier to read.)
• Work in small time increments—15-20 minutes at a time.
• Take regular breaks to stretch, rest your eyes, and mentally engage from the task.

Editing and proofreading can be tedious tasks, but they are an important part of writing and publishing. If you edit and proofread well (and hire experts if necessary), you can publish a quality book.

Your memoir and the importance of EMPATHY

You, as a memoirist, want to write about people that “readers bond with and root for,” writes Angela Ackerman, “and this happens because of one very important word: EMPATHY.”

“When characters are unique yet well-rounded and familiar in some way, we connect with them,” Angela continues. “We empathize with what they are going through, become tense when trouble hits, and relax when they emerge in one piece. We care about what happens to them because our emotions are engaged.”

You and I, as memoirists, have a big responsibility: to create realistic, fleshed-out main characters in our stories—not all the people, but central figures. Our job: craft believable individuals.

The stars of our narratives, the heroes, need to have:

• personality,
• quirks,
• depth,
• blind spots,
• complexity,
• obsessions,
• talents,
• weaknesses,
• inconsistencies,
• successes,
• and failures.

What trait is most prominent? His worst trait? Her most endearing trait?

What is his passion? What are her life’s goals? Did he drop out of high school to fight in World War 2? Does she have her PhD?

We pinpoint what makes these details unique within the context of our lives and stories. If she’s wealthy, or if he’s just barely scraping by—and if that is significant info for our readers—then we include it.

We use all five senses to round out our main characters. We let readers see, smell, hear, feel, and taste what we experienced with our heroes.

Does she usually smell like lilacs? Or garlic? Does he have red hair and freckles? Does she have dark skin and white hair? Does he smell like coal because he works in a coal mine? Do you wish he used deodorant? Are her hands soft and well-groomed, or are they rough and chapped? What does his voice sound like? Is she cute as a bug’s ear? Does he have a birth defect? Does he wear too much aftershave? Is she super-organized? Is he sloppy?

We want our readers to feel they know our main characters and can relate to them, care about them.

Analyze and then include your main characters’ body language: “Sometimes what people say without actually speaking tells us a whole lot more than what comes out of their mouths,” writes Melissa Donovan at Writing Forward blog. “Using body language to communicate is natural. We all understand it intuitively.… [C]losely observe people’s body language and learn how humans speak without words so you can bring unspoken communication into your writing.”

Our readers want to enter our stories with us. They want to identify with us, bond, cry, laugh, worry, and hang in there with us all the way to the end.  

You’ll enjoy reading more about creating empathy through action, a person’s flaws, self-doubts, and mistakes in Angela’s post, “3 Quick Tips To Help Readers Connect To Your Hero.” (Keep in mind the post is about developing fictitious characters, but Angela’s tips are important for real people in your memoir. Just be sure you’re honest and accurate in fleshing out your real person!)

Again: Include only those details that are unique within the context of your stories. If a bit of description is significant info for your readers, include it.

More next week on fleshing out our main characters.

Details: a must for your memoir

If you want your readers to enjoy your stories—and keep reading—include sensory details. They add texture and interest and pizzazz—but they do so much more. Sensory details can make your stories come to life.

Your goal is to write so readers connect with you. Invite them to see, feel, hear, taste, and smell what you experienced so they can enter into your story with you. You want your experience to happen all over again for your readers.

Here are a few quotes to inspire you:

“In writing, imagery is the key

that can unlock a reader’s imagination.

When an image is rendered with the right combination of words,

it magically appears in the reader’s mind

like a photograph or a film clip.” 

Melissa Donovan,

“Creative Writing Prompts for Crafting Compelling Imagery”

“Concentrate your narrative energy on the point of change.…

When your character is in a new place,

or things alter around them,

that’s the point to step back

and fill in the details of their world.”

Hilary Mantel,

“23 Writing Tips from Booker-Prize Winning Authors”

(emphasis mine)

“You must recreate how you experienced the places,

people and situations of your life experiences

through the senses.

Where you were and what was happening to you

originally came in through your ears,

 nose, tongue, skin, and eyes.

That is what the reader needs, too,

to experience your world and draw the conclusions you did.…

As writers we must learn to rely on the outer world

for the images a situation provides,

rather than relying on thoughts and summaries. 

Sure, those will come into our writing, at times,

but using them sparingly …

makes them all the more powerful. ”

Sheila Bender,

“Letting Images Do the Talking”

(emphasis mine)

“If you’re like most writers

the dominant sense is visual.

That’s because most of us write ‘by sight.’

That is, we include what we see and, sometimes,

what we hear.

Rarely what we smell, taste, or feel (as in the sense of touch).

If your writing tends to fall within this ‘mostly sight’ category,

you may fail to engage your readers.

If you want to write vivid memories,

then you must learn to remember vividly—

not just see, but smell, taste, feel, and hear those memories.…”

Amber Lea Starfire,

“From Memories to Memoir, Part 3—Remembering Vividly”

(emphasis mine)

(See the whole blog post for step-by-step tips on how to remember vividly.)

Related posts about sensory details: 

Your story is important, but will anyone read it? 

Write life into your memoir’s characters

I knew even before I opened my eyes

“You leave little bits of yourself fluttering on the fences” 

Include the slime and the grime in your memoir, too

December’s details for our memoir: Touch and taste  

December’s details for your memoir  

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas?

What sights will your readers see in your memoir?

Endless ideas  

Invite readers into your story  

December’s details for your memoir

Make your December stories come to life for your readers. Write so your experience happens all over again for them.

How do you do that?

Include sensory details: Let readers see, smell, hear, feel, and taste what you experienced.

“When you trigger a reader’s sense of sight, smell, sound, touch, or taste,” says Melissa Donovan,* “you [elicit] a physiological response to your writing, and the reader will connect with it on a deeper, sensory level.”

Wednesday we considered sights related to your Christmas or Hanukkah memories: A memoir writer watches, looks, and sees.

“This is the secret of good writing: We must look intently.… We must look at everything very hard. Is it the task at hand to describe a snowfall? Very well. We begin by observing that the snow is white. Is it as white as bond paper? White as whipped cream? Is the snow daisy white, or eggwhite white, or whitewash white? Let us look very hard. We will see that snow comes in different textures. The light snow that looks like powdered sugar is not the heavy snow that clings like wet cotton.…” (James J. Kilpatrick, The Writer’s Art)

Capture December smells for your readers, too. Describe the perfume of evergreen Christmas trees because—who knows?—maybe your readers will have known only artificial trees.

Describe favorite food aromas. If your story is set in India, food smells will be different from a story set in Mexico.

For some of you, the fragrance of oyster stew might come to mind (but I’d change “fragrance” to “stench”).

A memoir writer also hears. He not only listens for stories,* he listens for the sounds of the holidays.

What Christmas or Hanukkah sounds will you include in your memoir?

If you write a vignette set in France, it will sound different from a story set in Japan.

If your story is set in 1930, it will sound different from a story set in 2000.

Capture December sights, smells, and sounds for your readers.

Next time we’ll cover the sensory details of touch and taste for your December stories.

  

“Stories create an experience.

It’s a long trip from the head to the heart.…

What experience are you going to create?…

‘There was this beggar sitting at the gate.’

Wait a minute.

Give me a chance to experience the beggar at the gate.

See the rags, smell the odor,

hear the coins in the tin cup, see the hollow eyes.”

(Fred Craddock, “Preaching as Storytelling,”

The Art and Craft of Biblical Preaching; emphasis mine)

*Resources and links:

Melissa Donovan at Writing Forward, http://www.writingforward.com/writing-prompts-3/creative-writing-prompts/15-yummy-creative-writing-prompts

Listen for stories, Do you hear them?

http://spiritualmemoirs101.blogspot.com/2011/12/do-you-hear-them.html