Familiarity with other writers can teach you a lot about effective writing techniques as you develop your own style. Reading good memoirs will help you to write a good memoir. As children, we learned by imitation--it's still a key strategy for adults as we practice the skills we need to master. Reading others' memoirs is an essential first step in writing your own.
1) In general, read widely and voluminously. In particular, read memoirs, autobiographies, and biographies. Read not just books but periodicals.
2) Read as a writer--i.e., study how others have handled their stories. What can you repeat--or use as inspiration? How do the writers introduce their characters and their action? How do they develop the conflicts that make up the action of their stories? Have they used the technique of suspense? Have they started close enough to the final crisis or climax? What are the turning points of their stories and how are the conflicts resolved? Have they used specific and striking details in describing characters, actions and settings? Is point of view used effectively? Is the tone in each story appropriate for its theme? Is the theme presented without preachiness? How are unpleasant truths handled? How have the authors ended their stories? How do these writers handle transitions from one segment (or one story) to another?
3) Reading beyond technical matters, study how others have dealt with stories whose topics or themes are similar to yours. Which effective elements in these stories can you include in your own? What fresh perspectives does this create for you?
4) Certainly, at the very least, reading memoirs will jog your memory and give you an expanded sense of possibilities. Don't forget: the more you know, the more detailed the background of your writing will be and the fuller your stories.
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