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1. One of the biggest differences between a first and final draft of a memoir is its center of gravity. The center of gravity is the point around which your memoir revolves, the glue that holds it together, the thing without which there would be no memoir. Read through your first draft and identify its center of gravity! What is the theme or memory around which your memoir moves?
| Example: |
In Lucy Hester’s memoir, Family Dinners, the center of gravity is her family’s television set. Read her piece and see how it works! |
2. The problem with most first drafts is that — while they may possess
strong centers of gravity — the structure isn’t right. Many
writers make the mistake of confusing the fruits of inspiration with structure.
When brainstorming ideas for a memoir, a writer usually doesn’t
think about the nuts and bolts of how it will work as a finished piece.
Finding your way into a memoir is only the first step. Once you have a
strong idea upon which to hang the details of your memory, then you must
begin to play with the structure, placing your center of gravity in the
right place and constructing a story around it.
| Example: |
In Allison Shea’s memoir, Swimming
Underwater With John, she bookends her center, a distant memory
of her brother’s autism, with a present tense story told from
the first person point of view. Read her piece and see how it works! |
3. Finally, sometimes a center of gravity can be a single line of dialogue, or just a word. If this is the case, it is important to place your center in the right context, to maximize its impact upon the reader.
| Example: |
In Jane Jiang’s memoir, Flags, her center of gravity resides in a racial slur. Read her piece and see how she structures it around this one line of dialogue! |
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Your Turn
Read through your first draft and identify its center of gravity.
Now, restructure your entire memoir around this focal point! |
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