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- Nov 9, 2014
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I am trying to write a travel memoir right now. My inner critic says two things. One is, "Why are you writing all these useless details in summary? Sure, it's the history of the story, but people aren't going to care about it unless it's in scene."
That seems like a positive self-criticism. You need to figure out which way is best. But don't let it block you. Write it one way, putting in as many details as you think of. Then write it the other way or pare it down. Then pick the one you like the most.
And the other thing the inner critic says is, "The problems you were going through during this time were all so sissy. You were privileged and white, and nobody cares that you were frustrated about girls. Nobody cares that you wanted to be a good boy and follow your religion's rules on virginity."
Some people will write about struggling with a learning disability. That's not as awful as a story of someone subjected to medical experiments against their will. That's not as significant as a hero fighting to defeat the evil villain and free millions from suffering. It's not a competition. Readers are likely to want to read about the challenges most relevant to them, not necessarily the most difficult.