I have posted a question about this issue in another forum, but now realize it was the wrong place. Here's my problem:
I've written a family history/memoir that people tell me is a compelling story that needs to see publication. But it has problems.
It's the story of a family, and I'm just part of it. It's also a story about my mother, who stoically endured much hardship, most of it for the love of her children--a love she could express only through hard work. Married too young and bred to obedience, she found the courage to defy the men--the family decision-makers--only in defense of her children's welfare. But it's a story of my father, too, a big man with a big heart--a man who lost his way in a repaidly transitioning world, torn between the expectations of the wife he loved and the father he'd been taught to honor. And it's a story of my siblings, who worked too hard, had too little, lost their childhoods too soon, struggled too hard to find their place in an unfamiliar society, and died too young (I lost three of them before my 15th birthday.)
I've included the stories because they show the personalities and character of the people involved and in many instances, inject some much-needed humor. But, while they are certainly true, many cannot be written from my pov because I was not present when they occurred. Yet, since I'm telling the story and most of the book is entirely from my pov, how can I handle their stories?
In my manuscript, I've said "I grew up hearing most of the stories, but some came later, long-delayed "confessions," told from the safety of adulthood, and heard for the first time over cups of coffee at my mother's old kitchen table, or around a campfire at a family reunion."
Then, when I actually tell the stories, I introduce them as "these are the stories my mother told me," or "the boys' stories." But they are so long, I didn't use narrative to tell the stories. I set scenes, complete with dialogue, in order to "show, not tell," and used those scenes to help develop background.
Can I get away with this? If not, does anybody have any suggestions about how I can rewrite those chapters?
I'd appreciate any input on this. I've wracked my brain for weeks, and can find no way of doing this, other than the way I've handled it.
I've written a family history/memoir that people tell me is a compelling story that needs to see publication. But it has problems.
It's the story of a family, and I'm just part of it. It's also a story about my mother, who stoically endured much hardship, most of it for the love of her children--a love she could express only through hard work. Married too young and bred to obedience, she found the courage to defy the men--the family decision-makers--only in defense of her children's welfare. But it's a story of my father, too, a big man with a big heart--a man who lost his way in a repaidly transitioning world, torn between the expectations of the wife he loved and the father he'd been taught to honor. And it's a story of my siblings, who worked too hard, had too little, lost their childhoods too soon, struggled too hard to find their place in an unfamiliar society, and died too young (I lost three of them before my 15th birthday.)
I've included the stories because they show the personalities and character of the people involved and in many instances, inject some much-needed humor. But, while they are certainly true, many cannot be written from my pov because I was not present when they occurred. Yet, since I'm telling the story and most of the book is entirely from my pov, how can I handle their stories?
In my manuscript, I've said "I grew up hearing most of the stories, but some came later, long-delayed "confessions," told from the safety of adulthood, and heard for the first time over cups of coffee at my mother's old kitchen table, or around a campfire at a family reunion."
Then, when I actually tell the stories, I introduce them as "these are the stories my mother told me," or "the boys' stories." But they are so long, I didn't use narrative to tell the stories. I set scenes, complete with dialogue, in order to "show, not tell," and used those scenes to help develop background.
Can I get away with this? If not, does anybody have any suggestions about how I can rewrite those chapters?
I'd appreciate any input on this. I've wracked my brain for weeks, and can find no way of doing this, other than the way I've handled it.