Yes, for me it’s the writer’s voice that either appeals or not. And for the ones I do like, the subjects may range and jump from fiction to non-fiction, and even the tone and mood may vary, but beneath it all is the writer’s voice. The writer’s unique essence. Like a Bukowski poem, for example. I know that voice. But developing one’s own unique voice…therein lies the challenge.
This rings up off the page, Charles, and it rings TRUE. War and Peace is better than all the 1812 facts you can find. And this: “If I read a memoir, I am drawn to the person ... and how this person decides to present themselves is what I find interesting—not whether they’ve selected actual facts.”
It’s a much more pithy expression of what I was trying to say in a few pieces (Wordsmoke and On a train in upstate NY: “I aim for fiction, and sometimes fall short, lacking imagination, constrained to my one body and definitely not zen-like enough.”)
Let’s normalise fictionalised memoir - since the best fiction reads autobiographically anyway.
Ya, I felt echoes of it in your piece, but there's also plenty there that Shields would disagree with. And ya, it's worth checking out, and with it's collaged manifesto style, it's also a real punchy read.
Cody Kommers: "Memory allows us to imagine not just the future, but to take alternative perspectives on the present. We use the building blocks of memory to imagine the thoughts or experience of another and to see our present surroundings or situation in novel ways."
Yes, for me it’s the writer’s voice that either appeals or not. And for the ones I do like, the subjects may range and jump from fiction to non-fiction, and even the tone and mood may vary, but beneath it all is the writer’s voice. The writer’s unique essence. Like a Bukowski poem, for example. I know that voice. But developing one’s own unique voice…therein lies the challenge.
Yes, absolutely, and it probably requires an individual path. Thank you for the comment, John.
This rings up off the page, Charles, and it rings TRUE. War and Peace is better than all the 1812 facts you can find. And this: “If I read a memoir, I am drawn to the person ... and how this person decides to present themselves is what I find interesting—not whether they’ve selected actual facts.”
It’s a much more pithy expression of what I was trying to say in a few pieces (Wordsmoke and On a train in upstate NY: “I aim for fiction, and sometimes fall short, lacking imagination, constrained to my one body and definitely not zen-like enough.”)
Let’s normalise fictionalised memoir - since the best fiction reads autobiographically anyway.
🎯 You nailed it.
Thank you very much for the kind words, Jill.
Nice piece. Have you read David Shields' Reality Hunger?
No, I haven't, but I know that is considered worth reading. I'll have to take a closer look. Thank you, Cathal.
Ya, I felt echoes of it in your piece, but there's also plenty there that Shields would disagree with. And ya, it's worth checking out, and with it's collaged manifesto style, it's also a real punchy read.
Cody Kommers: "Memory allows us to imagine not just the future, but to take alternative perspectives on the present. We use the building blocks of memory to imagine the thoughts or experience of another and to see our present surroundings or situation in novel ways."
https://nautil.us/faulty-memory-is-a-feature-not-a-bug-302075/
Thank you for the link, Aron.