Memoir in third person? List of writing questions

Pushingfordream · Mar 9, 2013

1. Memoir in third person? Is it common?
2. I have written half in third person and have in first person is that unacceptable for major literary agents?
3. Can you say, "I remember" for the first section of your book using past voice, or is it better to keep that part active?
4. What is the difference between active/passive in a memoir?

Chris P · Mar 9, 2013

1. Not very common. I can't even think of an example off the top of my head.

2. I'd keep it all in the same POV, unless you have an iron-clad reason.

3. I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean "past tense" or "passive voice"? I think you mean "passive voice," in which case you should use as much active as you can. Passive has its place, but active is usually considered better.

4. It's the same as in any other writing: when the subject of the sentence is not the doer of the verb. "The ball was hit" is passive; something else did the hitting. I'm not sure why that would be different in a memoir.

Bufty · Mar 9, 2013

A memoir with the writer of the memoir writing about himself in third person isn't a memoir, surely.

Pushingfordream · Mar 9, 2013

Ok I posted in share your work, but still looking for more answers...

LillyPu · Mar 9, 2013

I'm not a huge memoir reader to begin with. There are plenty good ones. I just don't want to travel their journeys with most of them.
But I would definitely not want to read a 3rd person memoir: first because I would not trust it, and hold the writer suspect; it would make me think the writer is ashamed (I don't want to read anything "ashamed"), or has not come to terms with "their journey" which is usually the point of a memoir -- coming out the other side OK, or as close to OK as possible to live their life, etc.

Writing a memoir is a brave endeavor. If you can't be brave and true--because it takes a huge amount of self-examination--then don't do it. And if you do, make sure your story needs telling. So many don't. Whatever you do, keep it in 1st person?

Pushingfordream · Mar 9, 2013

LillyPu said:
I'm not a huge memoir reader to begin with. There are plenty good ones. I just don't want to travel their journeys with most of them.
But I would definitely not want to read a 3rd person memoir: first because I would not trust it, and hold the writer suspect; it would make me think the writer is ashamed (I don't want to read anything "ashamed"), or has not come to terms with "their journey" which is usually the point of a memoir -- coming out the other side OK, or as close to OK as possible to live their life, etc.

Writing a memoir is a brave endeavor. If you can't be brave and true--because it takes a huge amount of self-examination--then don't do it. And if you do, make sure your story needs telling. So many don't. Whatever you do, keep it in 1st person?

Thanks I might do the rewrite in only first person, heres example of first chapter... Most of the memoir is in first person but the beginning which is barely tangible is in third.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8031369#post8031369

GinaBrown · Mar 9, 2013

It’s better to keep the point of view consistent within the same manuscript, unless if there’s a good reason not to do so and you are very skilled at doing it. I once used both the first and third person point of view in a book, and my agent made me redo half of the manuscript. The only successful example of a memoir completely written in the third person that I can think of was Sholem Alecheim’s autobiography. Of course he also had quite a sense of humor when talking about himself in the third person.

Pushingfordream · Mar 10, 2013

I will start the first person rewrite, thanks for your time everyone.

Kudra · Mar 10, 2013

Salman Rushdie's memoir that came out last year -- Joseph Anton -- was written in third person. I haven't read it so can't talk to its effectiveness, but that proves that it can be done. In an interview Rushdie said that it helped distance himself from the events and tell the story better so that's why he chose that point of view.

No harm in trying. Good luck!

Memoir in third person? List of writing questions

Pushingfordream

Writing about life!

Chris P

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Pushingfordream

Writing about life!

LillyPu

Pushingfordream

Writing about life!

GinaBrown

Pushingfordream

Writing about life!

Kudra

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