Name:__________________________
Date/Period:____________________
Steps to Writing a Memoir:
Your Story is Important
Directions: Read the following packet. After each step there will be a chance for you to
brainstorm for your own memoir. Bring this packet to class on Thursday.
This packet must be turned in with your completed memoir, which is due April 20. See memoir
assignment for more details on the memoir itself.
1. Determine Why
Writing a memoir can be a daunting project. The clearer you are about why you are doing it, the
more motivation you will have to complete it. Your reasons for writing a memoir maybe to:
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Leave a legacy
Share wisdom with others who are going through what you went through
Heal or understand yourself
You believe that your story is important
The reasons for writing memoir are vast and varied. By knowing your own purpose and reasons
will give you emotional fuel to finish your memoir over time.
Your Turn: Explain WHY you are writing a memoir. What do you hope to accomplish
with your writing? Consider the importance of your story and why telling it is important.
Do not just say because it is an assignment.
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2. Choose a Time Period
Determine which time of your life you want to write about. A timeline can bookend the
beginning and ending of your story. These timelines might encompass:
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Your childhood years
Your years living in a certain city
A moment that changed your life
A time when you felt great emotion - either sadness or happiness or anger
Your time pursuing a certain goal and its attainment
Time spent with a loved one
Your spiritual journey
An overseas adventure
Your Turn: Explain what time period you are going to discuss and why:
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3. Find the Emotional Turning Points On your timeline, you can start to see the emotional
turning points of your life. For example:
Year
Event
Emotion
1955
Met Fred
Fell in love
1956
Got Married
Committed to love
1960
Tiffany Born
Experienced Unconditional
Love
1961
Fred Went to War
Fear about the future
1962
Hank Born
Uncertainty
1963
Fred Killed
Grief and Determination to
Create Good Life for Kids
Fill in the chart below with important life events, years, and emotions associated with each event.
Year
Event
Emotion
4. Find a Theme
It has been said that the universe of stories comprises only two themes: love and change. All
stories fall under these two categories. Every story, song, movie, script, play or tale is a unique
and individual expression of love or change, or both.
What is your story about? What is the main theme? What is the main lesson you have learned
from your experiences?
Your theme may be:
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Love never dies
Never give up
Keep going for your dreams
You can heal your life
Small things are beautiful
You do not have to know the theme to begin writing your memoir. Often, it will emerge in the
writing itself. But at some point, you will want to choose the main theme of your memoir and
organize the details of the story around this theme.
A theme transforms your memoir from a collection of events to a compelling story that others
will want to keep reading.
Name at least 3 themes that you are considering for your memoir. Circle the theme that you
ultimately decide to write about.
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5. Think of Your Life as a Hero's Journey
Many great classics follow the structure of the Hero's Journey. This is the journey of a person
from innocence to wisdom, self-doubt to self-knowing, that is born of tests and trials during an
adventure. Following the formula for a hero's journey gives your memoir a solid structure.
The Hero's Journey in Memoirs
The hero's journey is the classic story structure of great adventures, including Homer's The Iliad,
Virgil's The Aeneid, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and Baum's The Wizard of Oz.
Many contemporary memoirs also tell of a hero's journey. These include: Eat, Pray,
Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert, and Dreams of My Father, by Barack Obama.
It is also a story arc that parallels the lives of many great people, such as Mahatma
Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Rosa Parks.
Stages of the Hero's Journey
The stages of the Hero's Journey:
Innocence -> Call to Action -> The Journey -> Climax -> King/Queen
In the innocence stage, the hero or heroine lives in a balanced world. Everything is familiar and
known.
Then a crisis happens that upsets the hero or heroine's world. Perhaps someone dies, an enemy
appears, or a health challenge occurs. This creates a call to action, which launches the character
on a journey or quest. The hero or heroine leaves the familiar world in search of justice, peace,
answers, treasures or the elixir of life.
The journey is the adventure itself. Along the way, the hero or heroine encounters obstacles and
foes, which can be external enemies, threatening situations or internal demons. The character
also finds tools and friends, including guides, wizards, talismans and gifts. Throughout the
journey, the main character needs to overcome his or her weaknesses, while discovering inner
strengths.
At the climax, the hero or heroine faces the final battle or ultimate test. The character must
apply all the lessons learned along the journey, to defeat the enemy and win the throne.
At this point, the character becomes a king or queen. The king or queen has earned the right to
teach others and share the lessons learned along the journey. The kingdom becomes the new
balanced world, where the king or queen shares justice, peace, treasures and the elixirs of life.
Your Life as a Hero's Journey
Maybe you don't think of yourself as a hero or heroine. Maybe the events of your life do
not fit neatly into this formula.
But you have probably been on a hero's journey. The call to action might have been a car
accident, poverty, the death of a loved one, an illness, or an inner challenge. Your journey might
have been the quest for wealth, health, self-expression, love, peace or justice.
Along the way, you may have felt challenged by societal beliefs, competitors, doubtful
relatives, or your own fears. And you have been helped by teachers, guides, and friends. As you
learned valuable lessons and overcame those challenges, you gained wisdom and a new outlook
on life. You became a king or queen in that area.
In life, not everyone wins the final battle. Some lose themselves to cynicism, resentment
and hopelessness.
But if you have overcome these challenges, you are a hero or heroine. However
insignificant it may seem, yours is a story of light over darkness, hope over despair.
Why the Hero's Journey is Important
Your hero or heroine's journey is important, because it allows you to share experiences
and create meaning in your life. It is also a way to inspire others and leave your legacy.
We all need hero's journeys. Since ancient times, human beings have gathered around fires
sharing their adventures, experiences and wisdom. Such stories give us a sense of history,
community and connection.
When you share your hero or heroine's journey, you inspire all of us to triumph.
Why is your story important?
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6. Your Memoir as a Hero’s Journey:
Innocence:
Time:
Place:
Explain in detail the setting/circumstances:
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Call to action:
Explain the crisis in your world:
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The Journey:
What are you in search of:
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What obstacles do you encounter on your journey:
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3.
What tools do you find on your journey:
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3.
Weakness(es) you are overcoming:
1.
2.
Strengths you find:
1.
2.
Climax:
Describe your final battle or ultimate test:
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King/Queen:
Reflect on your experience. What have you learned? How has this experience
changed you? This is an analysis of your journey and the MOST IMPORTANT part of
your memoir because it will show your audience what you have learned and how you have
changed as a result of your journey.
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7. Peer Review
Name of Peer who reviewed your work:__________________________________
What lesson is the writer trying to teach the audience?
What event has the writer chosen to use to tell his or her story:
Why is this even appropriate to tell the chosen lesson or convey the chosen theme? If the event is
not appropriate explain why.
How has the author analyzed the events? Does the author appropriately reflect and explain the
importance of the event, what he or she has learned, and how he or she has changed as a result?
How can the writer improve his or her memoir?
Has the writer used specific details to help paint a picture of the events? Explain how they have
done this.
What is your favorite part of the memoir so far?
Circle grammar mistakes on the paper. Specifically look for capitalization, punctuation, spelling,
and dialogue errors. Name ______________________
Freedom Writers Questions
1 .Why are the students so unwilling to associate with anyone outside their ethnic/racial groups?
Where does this intolerance come from?
2. Do you think it’s more important to “protect your own” or do what’s right?
3. Think about your own school or out-of-school activities. Are youth respectful of each other’s
differences? Are there problems similar to those in Wilson High? If so, what steps can you take
to initiate change?
4. Why is trust such an important component of a teacher-student relationship?
5. How do the classmates learn to trust one another? How do reading and writing initiate this
change?
6. Describe how writing in journals helps transform the lives of the students. How does writing
“free” the students from their pain?
7. Why are the students filled with such anger at the beginning of the movie? Do you think their
anger is reasonable?
8. Why aren’t Ms. Gruwell’s students motivated to succeed in school? What outside factors
affect their ability to learn?
9. What factors affect your ability to learn?
10. Why do some of Ms. Gruwell’s students believe they won’t live past age 18?
11. Describe how the honors English students are treated differently from the “at risk” students.
Why?
12. Miep Gies, the woman who hid Anne Frank, is a hero to Ms. Gruwell’s students. What does
Miep Gies mean when she tells Ms. Gruwell’s students, “You are heroes everyday.”?
13. Why is Eva so affected by the ending of Anne Frank’s diary?
14. Have you ever had to overcome a significant problem? What was it? Who did you turn to for
support?
15. What makes Eva choose to “go against her people” in the courtroom? Do you think this was
a good decision? How doe her family and friends react?
16. Ms. Gruwell is a shining role model and source of encouragement for her students. Who is
your role model or biggest motivator in life? Who pushes you to succeed? If this person does not
exist, what would you want this person to tell you?
17. Why do Ms. Gruwell’s students hate and resent her at first?
18. Most of the teachers at Wilson High do not dress in formal attire. Why do you think Ms.
Gruwell chooses to wear business suits and pearls to class? What impression does this make?
How do clothes, accessories, and make-up affect how other’s perceive you?
19. Have you ever been treated differently than someone else because of something out of your
control? Explain what happened.
20. Describe the transition in Mrs. Gruwell’s classroom from the first day of freshman year
through the end of the year – how have the students changed? How has Ms. Gruwell changed?
Name:______________________
Date/Period:_________________
Memoir Assignment
Recall an experience from your past that has shaped your identity or worldview. Write a detailed
memoir combining narrative, reflection, and analysis. Describe the experience and what it taught
you. Try to work with as small a slice of your personal history as you can, since this will make
for a more focused paper. Remember also that while your narrative should be interesting and
well-drawn, the memoir is really more about the lessons you learned and the way you can apply
your experience to a global audience.
Audience:
This is not a private “Dear Diary” journal entry. Keep in mind that your audience is the general
public, including (but not limited to) your instructor and your classmates. Write as if your essay
would be published in a national magazine, journal, or anthology. If you wouldn’t be willing to
share the story you choose aloud with your classmates, consider carefully before you write about
it.
Degree of Formality:
While this is a personal essay, and you may take greater creative and stylistic license than if you
were writing a response to literature essay (ex. you can use I in this piece), you must still write in
a credible and intelligent way, meaning your spelling and tone should reflect careful
proofreading and following the rules of standard English. If your story and its moral are to be
taken seriously then they must be coherent, focused, and logically presented.
Grading Hints (AKA: What I’m Looking For):
I will be evaluating you on several elements, especially:
 Focus: How well do you keep your paper on track with your main idea and purpose?
 Organization: Are the ideas thoughtful and ordered?
 Balance: Do you balance the paper properly between the two main elements of “story”
and “interpretation”?
 Detailed Support: Do you breathe life into your narrative and validate your analysis with
specific evidence and sensory concrete details?
 Style: Is the writing interesting and artistic? Is it clear and easy to read? Does it reveal
you to be a person of sophistication and eloquence?
 Structure: Is your essay at least 3 pages in length? Is it double spaced? Is your essay
typed? Have you submitted a print copy AND an email copy? Does your paper have the
proper heading? A title?
Due Friday, May 7 by 5:00 PM
Each day the paper is late you will lose one letter grade. Please submit your paper as a
Googledoc to rliscinsky@paulcharter.org and to khood@paulcharter.org and as a hard copy.
Memoir Writing
Grading Rubric
Item
Thesis/Theme and Lesson
(This sections will count
for double points)
5
Demonstrates
comprehensive grasp
of the significance of
memory; theme is
sophisticated and
persuasive; achieves
specific purpose
(reflective,
thinking/shared
human experience)
4
Conveys
significance of
memory; theme is
clear and relevant
suggests specific
purpose;
3
Attempts to
convey
significance of
memory; theme is
simplistic and/or
predictable;
limited purpose
1
No significance of
memory; theme is
unclear; purpose
not considered
Concrete
Details/Description (This
sections will count for
double points)
Uses carefully
selected, specific
sensory details to
effectively describe
memory
Uses appropriate Uses obvious and
sensory details to general sensory
describe memory details to describe
memory
Uses limited,
repetitive or little
sensory details; no
description of
memory
Tone
Writer’s attitude
clear; evokes
emotions
Writer’s attitude
clear; evokes
response
Writer’s attitude
unclear; evokes no
reader response
Mechanics
Few, if any; generally Some errors but do Some errors that
free from error
not distract
confuse
Distracting errors
decrease
readability
Diction
Sophisticated,
precise, original,
persuasive word
choice
Appropriate,
effective word
choice
Limited, redundant
word choice
Format
Includes 6 of 6:
Correct heading,
word-processed, 12
point TNR font,
double-spaced,
original title centered
in bold, min. 3 pages
Includes 5 of 6:
Includes 4 of 6:
Includes less than
Correct heading, Correct heading, 4 of 6: Correct
word-processed, 12 word-processed, heading, wordpoint TNR font, 12 point TNR font, processed, 12
double-spaced,
double-spaced,
point TNR font,
original title
original title
double-spaced,
centered in bold, centered in bold, original title
min. 3 pages
min. 3 pages
centered in bold,
min. 3 pages
All prewriting activities All work is turned in Work is turned in
(free writes, brainstorm complete, neat and on but was turned in
packet, etc..) are turned in time.
late OR missing 1
(This section counts for
component
double points)
Writer’s attitude
clear; evokes
limited response
Simple,
predictable word
choice
Work was turned
in late and/or
missing more than
one component
Work was turned
in late and
multiple
components are
missing.
Comments:
__________/50 points