Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir
Memoirist and writing teacher Norton’s slim but substantive how-to guide begins with an anti-definition of memoir: it’s not autobiography, not journalism, and not essay, although it should use, she suggests, the techniques of all three. Norton ends with some plain and incisive advice: the payoff of writing memoir comes not in publication but in uncovering personal truths and in facing the chaos and transformation of creation. The heart of the book deals with the concept of shimmering images, those that continually rise up in the storyteller’s memory like photographs. The image of your mother standing on the beach in her polka-dot swimsuit, for example, or of your brother blowing bubbles on the lawn. Norton believes that such moments remain in one’s memory for a reason; they are the keys to unlocking meaning and story and are, therefore, memoir’s building blocks. Accessible, funny, and honest, Norton acknowledges the hard work involved in shaping life stories, offers practical and inspirational advice, and celebrates memoir writing as nothing short of essential to the care of the writer’s soul. --Heather Dewar