All-In on Memoir

On taking risks, pushing the orphan-genre forward, and keeping faith in your vision

In this Behind the Scenes post, Sarah Fay talks about writing a “verifiable” memoir, going against the idea of a wholly subjective art form (one-story), taking risks, and telling the story that a lot of people do not want to hear.

Welcome:

A braided memoir that’s also immersion journalism: In a nut shell, that’s Pathological: The True Story of Six Misdiagnoses by Sarah Fay.

We talk about Sarah’s book at the level of shape, structure, artistic intention, and also about her decision to keep her family (and others) out of her story. Finally, we have a frank discussion about scene in memoir that might surprise and delight light. Bottom line: It all comes down to the dialogue.

NOTE: Sarah is a master as keeping the sightline steady. I’m talking to her, not the camera though. Sorry about that, but it couldn’t be helped. Sarah’s simply captivating.

Resource Links:

Sarah’s original essay that launched her memoir: On Solitude (and Isolation and Loneliness) and [Brackets]

Cured (Sarah’s story of healing

A Field Guide on Immersion Writing by Robin Hemley

Tell it Slant by Brenda Miller and Suzanna Paola

Your Turn:

Finish this sentence: What I took away from this conversation is…(fill in the blank).

Post in the comments!

Thanks for being with us. 🐦‍⬛