Q&A with Murdo Morrison discussion

You have published both a novel and a memoir. I'm interested in hearing how the writing process compared for these two different forms. Coming from a reader's perspective, it would seem that the two would be quite different.

Jean

They do require different approaches. However, there is a commonality in that you are trying to create a format that will tell the story well. In some/many ways, fiction is easier. You have enormous latitude to invent a story. Memoir deals with a story that has already happened and it has happened to you. The story is, therefore, highly personal. There are choices to be made that differ from those required in writing fiction. The writer is recreating past events from his or her memory. How reliable is that memory, how much should you be willing to reveal?

In my book A Hole Without Sides, I took the approach of trying to convey a process of self discovery that ultimately proved to have great consequences for my subsequent life. The book, therefore, is about the events, some tragic, that I experienced and how it changed my view of myself and life in general. In writing a memoir you have to remember that many readers will ask "Why should I read about your life?" My answer was to share with readers what I learned along the way and to give voice to many people who could not speak for themselves.