Memoirs Pages
Once upon a time there was this Andy character who…
Ever tried writing memoirs? Well I hadn’t. And I don't see many out there either. It should be easy, right? It’s your memories, it’s your stuff. They're ready made stories waiting to be spilled out across the page. They’re the stories you've told and retold to your family and friends. Or the ones you’ve kept to yourself ... or almost forgotten.
Couldn’t be easier right? Let's see. I’m just going to try a few for now and see how it goes. I’ve some stories of places I been to, things I’ve seen and done, that I’d like to get written down. And it’s all writing practice after all: some story ideas may come out of them too.
I can already see that one of the biggest problems will be not digressing. They will have to be written with assumptions. You don't need to know everything about whys and wherefores or who the people are. And that’s another thing: the people. How do you refer to people in the memoir when they don't get a say in the story or in you getting it out there? What if there was some dodgy activity involved (like, say, flag stealing or cowbell rustling, err for example?). Where names are used then I’ll just go with first ones in the main. And if unsure change the names completely I suppose.
So stand by for stories of almost dying on a volcano (or two), visiting an off-track Nigerian village, the surreal Turkmenistan, Central American pyramids, spiders and creepy crawlies, nature reserves and driving haps and mishaps.
Raul vs The Volcano - El Chichon, Chiapas
A Brief History of Timing - the Smithdown Story
The Kelabit Highlands: A Visit to Bario, Borneo
A Monumental Last Day: New Delhi
A Grand Canyon Epic
A Turkmen Odyssey
Once upon a time there was this Andy character who…
Ever tried writing memoirs? Well I hadn’t. And I don't see many out there either. It should be easy, right? It’s your memories, it’s your stuff. They're ready made stories waiting to be spilled out across the page. They’re the stories you've told and retold to your family and friends. Or the ones you’ve kept to yourself ... or almost forgotten.
Couldn’t be easier right? Let's see. I’m just going to try a few for now and see how it goes. I’ve some stories of places I been to, things I’ve seen and done, that I’d like to get written down. And it’s all writing practice after all: some story ideas may come out of them too.
I can already see that one of the biggest problems will be not digressing. They will have to be written with assumptions. You don't need to know everything about whys and wherefores or who the people are. And that’s another thing: the people. How do you refer to people in the memoir when they don't get a say in the story or in you getting it out there? What if there was some dodgy activity involved (like, say, flag stealing or cowbell rustling, err for example?). Where names are used then I’ll just go with first ones in the main. And if unsure change the names completely I suppose.
So stand by for stories of almost dying on a volcano (or two), visiting an off-track Nigerian village, the surreal Turkmenistan, Central American pyramids, spiders and creepy crawlies, nature reserves and driving haps and mishaps.
Raul vs The Volcano - El Chichon, Chiapas
A Brief History of Timing - the Smithdown Story
The Kelabit Highlands: A Visit to Bario, Borneo
A Monumental Last Day: New Delhi
A Grand Canyon Epic
A Turkmen Odyssey