TOW#25: Memoir vs Novel

When life takes an interesting turn, many people use their experiences to write a book, but the debate is should they write a completely true memoir or use the event as the base of a novel. Adair Lara wrote the article “10 Ways to Tell if Your Story Should be a Memoir of a Novel” in order to assist writers with their decision of which genre their life story should fulfill through successful examples and simplified list.

 The genre of a book is based off of the author’s personal preference; however, it is capable of success either way. In order to portray this message Lara provided specific examples of successful novels and memoirs that were written by authors who were unsure of which genre to choose. She used extremely well known examples such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Liars’ Club in order to demonstrate the level of success that can be reached by either genre to encourage the audience to feel less pressure to choose the perfect genre.

Lara also provided a list of reasons why someone may question which genre to use in order allow the audience to personally connect to the article. The list is split into two separate sections, one categorized as fit for memoirs and one for novels (each with five bullet points).  This provides a simple way for the audience to identify with the article and easily categorize their story as either genre. The list effectively and easily assists the audience to accomplish Lara’s goal, help authors choose a genre or their story.

It is through the use of examples of success and simplified lists in order to effectively help authors choose a genre for their life events. By provided such a simple but encouraging form to her article, Lara was able to successfully achieve her purpose.

Article: http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/10-ways-to-tell-if-your-story-should-be-a-memoir-or-a-novel

Memoir vs Novel

URL:http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2013/07/01/ask-the-editor-memoir-or-novel-for-my-true-story/