Look around you. Everything you see has form. Tables, chairs, couches, musical instruments. Form is communication. Form is function. It tells us many things about an object, what it means and what it can do.
Or what you can do with it. It tells you whether it is soft or hard, expensive or cheap. Big or small. Public or private. Easy or hard. Old or new. Broken or intact. Whether it can drive a nail or make a sound. Unlatch a door or steer a car or track a scent or support a human, whether sleeping, sitting, or standing. It is geometric, organic, abstract.1
Writing has form, too, its most basic and universal form the book. But forms exist within the book, too. And this form is what I’ve been hung up on for years in terms of really pushing forward with my writing. I have a list of memories to write from, but what form should they take? I am drawn to short forms. Novellas and short stories. Personal essays and poems. But…novellas and short stories are technically fiction. Memoirs are not.
Memoir is non-fiction, but there are ways to incorporate elements of fiction writing into it. Creative non-fiction using narrative arc, character development, tension, plot, dialogue, descriptive imagery.2 But I digress a little. I have decided to write my memoir in the form of letters to my dead mother (sigh…”dead” is such a heavy word). Letters to tell her what I’ve been up to since she’s been gone. Letters to tell her about the world in her absence, things that would enamor and things that would infuriate. Things that would awe and things that would despair. The epistolary novel, creative non-fiction style. In preparation, for inspiration, I am reading other books written as a series of letters, starting with this one: The Night Diary. It is technically a children’s book, but a Newbery Award Winner3, a category of the best writing that I love to draw from, regardless of my aging out of this category decades ago.
A collection of letters will also provide affordances for me to experiment with short story, poetry and personal essay, too. If you have recommendations for books written as a collection of letters, please share below.
Onward.
Things That Nourished My Writing: April 2024
FOOD
Lilac ice cream. The window for lilac blossoms is short. I’m going to make some.
Coffee. Coffee. Coffee.
LITERARY
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
FILM + TV
Inside the Iranian Uprising, another great Frontline documentary.
MUSIC
House concerts. I’m going to host one this summer.
Tai Shan, from whom I took a songwriting class.
Thanks to Tai, the song I just wrote. First one ever, but it still needs lyrics.
Speaking of motifs: building blocks of songwriting.
PLACES
My little east garden. To wit, my backyard. Mint, wisteria, butterfly bush, fennel, camellia, shamrock, Mexican orange, salal, rosemary, climbing roses and creeping thyme.
The vintage Takashi Okamura & Marquadsen for Nelo armchair in the southwest corner of my living room, from where I can see the Olympics.
THINGS
OTHER RESOURCES
8 Types of Structure in Writing Every Writer Should Know
Understanding the 4 Writing Styles: How to Identify and Use Them
Short Fiction Forms: Novella, Novelette, Short Story, and Flash Fiction Defined
The Difference Between Fiction and Non-Fiction
When I asked Claude – the friendliest of GPTs (generative pre-trained transformer, in case you were wondering) – her take on writing things, this is what she said:
Design forms and writing forms share some similarities, but also have distinct differences. Both involve the creation and organization of elements to convey information or express ideas. However, design forms rely heavily on visual elements like shapes, colors, layouts, and typography, while writing forms mainly utilize text composed of words, sentences, and paragraphs. A design form communicates through aesthetic appeal and spatial relationships, whereas a writing form communicates through the flow and structure of language.
Despite this core difference, there are overlapping principles that apply to both disciplines. Successful design forms and writing forms alike require a clarity of purpose, an understanding of the intended audience, and careful consideration of how the elements work together as a cohesive whole. Principles like hierarchy, contrast, balance, and rhythm are relevant to the organization and emphasis of visual design elements as well as written content. Both strive to guide the viewer's or reader's focus and experience.
Where writing forms are linear experiences unfolding over time, design forms often need to communicate their meanings more instantaneously using the core design elements. Writing forms describe or narrate through text, while design forms may utilize text more sparingly as one component within a larger visual composition. The designer has a wider palette to work with including imagery, iconography, and multimedia. Ultimately, both aim to engage their audiences and facilitate understanding, just through different means of expression.
Incoporate fiction elements into non-fiction
As a college writing professor, here's how I would advise students to effectively incorporate elements of fiction writing into their non-fiction work:
One powerful technique is to employ narrative storytelling methods used in fiction. While staying true to the factual events and information, you can craft compelling narrative arcs, develop characters, create dramatic tension, and utilize literary devices like dialogue and descriptive language. This storytelling approach can make even dense, academic non-fiction topics more engaging and accessible for readers.
For example, when writing a biography or profile, you could open with an illuminating personal anecdote that quickly captures the essence of your subject. Use novelistic techniques like scene-setting, specific details, and atmospheric descriptions to immerse the reader in pivotal moments of a historical figure's life. Well-rendered dialogue can provide insights into personalities and relationships.
Another strategy is to experiment with unconventional structures often seen in fiction, such as non-linear timelines, frame narratives, multiple perspective shifts, and symbolic motifs woven throughout. This can add intrigue and depth to a non-fiction work. In a cultural criticism essay, you might use a distinct narrator's voice to guide readers through ideas. An experimental format could parallel the experimental art you're analyzing.
However, it's crucial to maintain factual accuracy and credibility as you borrow fictional techniques. Thoroughly research your topics, include verifiable evidence and data, and separate speculation from documented truth. Don't sacrifice authenticity and intellectual honesty simply for dramatization.
Ultimately, injecting a non-fiction piece with fictional writing's power of language, narrative cohesion, and artful architecture can transform it from a dry recitation of facts into an evocative, insightful, and resonant work that educates and moves audiences.
Would love to read your memoir. Senior mind…..how long did u work with us,
Become friends?