Beyond Linear Time: Creating Layered Memoir
The craft secret that turns good writing into great storytelling
From labor pains to life lessons: how weaving two timelines creates deeper meaning in memoir, plus an intimate look at the craft behind building parallel narratives.
Welcome into Flight School:
The younger me would have hated all this careful preparation. That Jennifer - pregnant, impatient, and burning to write - would have wanted to skip straight to craft. "GET TO THE POINT, LAUCK!" she'd shout.
I can see her now, tucking her hair into her helmet, snapping her goggles in place, ready for action. (Why we're in a bi-plane, I'm not sure, but work with me here). "Let's take this baby up already," she yells over the thwap-thwap of the propeller. "Let's go."
What we have here is the title essay for my third book, Show Me the Way. The story I wrote about the birth of my son rests on top of another story from the past about my mother’s death.
This piece shows you how parallel narratives work in real time - the outer story of giving birth woven with an inner story from the past. As you read, notice:
The clear outer arc (labor and delivery)
The subtle inner arc "bubbling beneath"
The moments these arcs collide
How space breaks and scene structure create meaning
Next time, we'll dissect how this works and why sharing our work becomes a powerful teaching tool.
~ Jennifer 🐦⬛
