Barbara Eberhard's Blog - Posts Tagged "autobiography"
Autobiographical Writing
I'm writing a companion book to the biography of my dad. It's called Journal of Grief, and it's about 2020. Primarily, it's about my parents and their deaths within weeks of each other. But it's also about me and my relationship with them, my siblings, and my husband. And about how COVID-19 affected us and the world. In other words, it's autobiographical.
I've read a lot of biographies and autobiographies. And I wrote a biography, Maverick for the Built Environment, as anyone who reads this blog likely knows. My first novel was largely based on a what-if of my real life, so it definitely had autobiographical elements. There have been other novels with autobiographical references.
But this time, the writing is truly autobiographical. And very personal. Vulnerable.
I'm trying to remember all that happened, too. It's been three years, and while some things are crystal clear memories, others are not. Fortunately, I have my email from those days, and texts, and there's Facebook, too.
In fact, Facebook is sort of the organizing principle of the journal, as I posted the journey we all took - meaning not only my family, but the world. I share my posts and other writings as milestones or subject matter.
Today, for example, I wrote about "Seed". After my father passed away, my office sent me a memorial seed to be planted in his honor. I dutifully planted it as instructed, though I have a "black thumb". And lo and behold, the plant was two plants. I wrote on Facebook that the plant "knew" I had lost two people, as I had lost my mother a couple of weeks earlier. Two memorial plants were needed. What I didn't write on Facebook was that Eric and I called the plant "Seed" and how the fact that the two plants were touching reminded me of my parents holding hands. And that it was fitting, and lovely, that the two plants were obviously not the same plant - not two offshoots of the same seed. Because my parents were two very different people, who grew next to each other. And yet, in time, one shoot became larger than the other, as some might say happened with my father overshadowing my mother, or at least being the one who made most of the "family" decisions.
It's interesting to use my posts as fodder for this journal and as an organizing principle for the story of my family in 2020.
I've read a lot of biographies and autobiographies. And I wrote a biography, Maverick for the Built Environment, as anyone who reads this blog likely knows. My first novel was largely based on a what-if of my real life, so it definitely had autobiographical elements. There have been other novels with autobiographical references.
But this time, the writing is truly autobiographical. And very personal. Vulnerable.
I'm trying to remember all that happened, too. It's been three years, and while some things are crystal clear memories, others are not. Fortunately, I have my email from those days, and texts, and there's Facebook, too.
In fact, Facebook is sort of the organizing principle of the journal, as I posted the journey we all took - meaning not only my family, but the world. I share my posts and other writings as milestones or subject matter.
Today, for example, I wrote about "Seed". After my father passed away, my office sent me a memorial seed to be planted in his honor. I dutifully planted it as instructed, though I have a "black thumb". And lo and behold, the plant was two plants. I wrote on Facebook that the plant "knew" I had lost two people, as I had lost my mother a couple of weeks earlier. Two memorial plants were needed. What I didn't write on Facebook was that Eric and I called the plant "Seed" and how the fact that the two plants were touching reminded me of my parents holding hands. And that it was fitting, and lovely, that the two plants were obviously not the same plant - not two offshoots of the same seed. Because my parents were two very different people, who grew next to each other. And yet, in time, one shoot became larger than the other, as some might say happened with my father overshadowing my mother, or at least being the one who made most of the "family" decisions.
It's interesting to use my posts as fodder for this journal and as an organizing principle for the story of my family in 2020.
Memories
As I write Journal of Grief, I'm writing my memories. Mostly. Some of the things are pulled from emails and other records. I've included some articles from 2020 to give context at times.
But mostly I'm writing my memories. And memories - as we all know - can be subject to misremembering. I think the older memories are probably clearer, as they've been reinforced over the years as I've told my husband and other people about them. I just today wrote about my weekly calls with my mother and about going to church with her. The memories associated with those things are pretty clear.
I'm also trying not to embellish what happened. Channeling Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am." What happened in 2020 was horrific enough. It doesn't really need a lot of editorializing. Just the sheer number of infections and deaths. The craziness of the public health situation. No need to add much to any of that.
But my memories are the bulk of what is essentially a memoir. And because they are my memories, I'm sure that other people will remember them differently, even those that were intimately involved.
I can only hope that they see in my memories glimpses of their own memories. And so believe them to be the truth - as I saw it.
But mostly I'm writing my memories. And memories - as we all know - can be subject to misremembering. I think the older memories are probably clearer, as they've been reinforced over the years as I've told my husband and other people about them. I just today wrote about my weekly calls with my mother and about going to church with her. The memories associated with those things are pretty clear.
I'm also trying not to embellish what happened. Channeling Joe Friday, "Just the facts, ma'am." What happened in 2020 was horrific enough. It doesn't really need a lot of editorializing. Just the sheer number of infections and deaths. The craziness of the public health situation. No need to add much to any of that.
But my memories are the bulk of what is essentially a memoir. And because they are my memories, I'm sure that other people will remember them differently, even those that were intimately involved.
I can only hope that they see in my memories glimpses of their own memories. And so believe them to be the truth - as I saw it.
First-Person vs. Omniscient Narrator
There are many considerations to make in writing. One of the most important is the type of narration.
First-person narration is used when the novel will be from a single perspective. I call my women's fiction novels "fictional autobiographies" because I use first-person narration when I write them. They tell the story from the main character's point of view, like a autobiography would.
But there are disadvantages to using first-person narration. It means that the main character has to be "in the room" for everything that happens and/or she has to hear about what happened in rooms where she was not. Other characters can - and do - recount things that happen elsewhere, of course. But everything is filtered through that one lens.
My fictional autobiographies require the life of the protagonist to change, often significantly. Such transformations are more impactful, in my opinion, when written from that person's perspective.
I suppose it might be possible to write a fantasy in first-person narration. But more often, as I have, authors choose to use an omniscience narrator. The narrator knows everything about everyone and everything. Thus, you can switch perspectives from one character to another. You can present information that the reader should know, but the characters may not yet.
For my Dichotomies trilogy, I'm combining the two. The first and last chapter are written in first-person narration. This establishes the main character - the title character of each book - in their own "voice". And allows the climax and denouement to also be from his or her perspective, adding more interest to those parts.
But the main body of the novels will be using an omniscient narrator, because that's just easier when telling a story with lots of characters with lots of their own ideas, not to mention a prophecy.
I personally have never seen this done before in a novel. I think it will give the Dichotomies trilogy an interesting twist.
First-person narration is used when the novel will be from a single perspective. I call my women's fiction novels "fictional autobiographies" because I use first-person narration when I write them. They tell the story from the main character's point of view, like a autobiography would.
But there are disadvantages to using first-person narration. It means that the main character has to be "in the room" for everything that happens and/or she has to hear about what happened in rooms where she was not. Other characters can - and do - recount things that happen elsewhere, of course. But everything is filtered through that one lens.
My fictional autobiographies require the life of the protagonist to change, often significantly. Such transformations are more impactful, in my opinion, when written from that person's perspective.
I suppose it might be possible to write a fantasy in first-person narration. But more often, as I have, authors choose to use an omniscience narrator. The narrator knows everything about everyone and everything. Thus, you can switch perspectives from one character to another. You can present information that the reader should know, but the characters may not yet.
For my Dichotomies trilogy, I'm combining the two. The first and last chapter are written in first-person narration. This establishes the main character - the title character of each book - in their own "voice". And allows the climax and denouement to also be from his or her perspective, adding more interest to those parts.
But the main body of the novels will be using an omniscient narrator, because that's just easier when telling a story with lots of characters with lots of their own ideas, not to mention a prophecy.
I personally have never seen this done before in a novel. I think it will give the Dichotomies trilogy an interesting twist.
