This also brings to mind movies like “Stand by Me” that are narrated by the adult at the same time we’re experiencing his story as a young man. Interesting to contemplate.
Thank you so much for this Meghan. Do you by any chance have any excamples using present tense first person voice? I’m writing in present tense so the reader is right there with me and I will sometimes use ‘Later, I will come to realise’ or ask questions that suggest I will find the answer later. But perhaps it’s a bad idea to use present tense for a memoire?
Such a great question, Madelleine! You're right to think present tense somewhat obviates the possibilities of the palimpsest voice, which is one reason that I personally rarely use it: for me, reflection is the main thing I'm interested in, as a writer. But the present is really good at creating immediacy: I did use it briefly in The Long Goodbye to narrate my mother's death, shifting from a simple past to present to convey the ongoing immediacy of that loss and the intensity of those last moments. You could play, as you are, with the "I will come to realize," but part of what you're navigating here is the trade off of the two tenses...you probably won't get quite the same reflective benefits in the present tense casting forward, but you do keep that immediacy.
Thank you for this detailed examination of narrative voice - it has given me a new idea of how to approach a short story I’ve been struggling with for quite a while. I recently”layered over” the narrator looking back to the unsettling events of the short story many years later. I’ll take a look now at how exactly I’ve integrated this wiser voice.
Thank you for the specific examples. I tend to do it paragraph by paragraph, I realize now reflecting on what you’re sharing and I’m going to try weaving it together next time.
I am delighted to learn there is an explanation for a problem I have had writing memoir, and better yet, some tools to solve! When telling a personal story in a post, I have been struggling with tenses during what I can now see as part of de the shifts between character me and writer me. Aha--there is a reason to use both. I would also be all tangled up in when "I" could be used without causing confusion. It makes me want to rewrite those parts of several posts. Thank you Meghan, I'm looking forward next weeks nugget.
I loved this recommendation! As a psychologist who studies narrative identity, I found this distinction profoundly resonant. In 1890, William James, one of the founders of American psychology, made a distinction between what he called "The I" and "The Me." The Me is the protagonist of our life story, the main character. Stuff happens to The Me and The Me responds to that stuff in different ways. In contrast, The I is the narrator of the story, the part of ourselves responsible for imposing a story line onto the mess of our experience. Fundamentally, The I is responsible for selfing. I read your recommendation through this lens, ensuring that you don't ignore The I when writing about The Me.
How did I miss this one? Just saw this a month later. Great tips as always. I want to do the exercise as soon as I reach a laptop and a free hour, but it will be a while
This also brings to mind movies like “Stand by Me” that are narrated by the adult at the same time we’re experiencing his story as a young man. Interesting to contemplate.
Thank you so much for this Meghan. Do you by any chance have any excamples using present tense first person voice? I’m writing in present tense so the reader is right there with me and I will sometimes use ‘Later, I will come to realise’ or ask questions that suggest I will find the answer later. But perhaps it’s a bad idea to use present tense for a memoire?
Such a great question, Madelleine! You're right to think present tense somewhat obviates the possibilities of the palimpsest voice, which is one reason that I personally rarely use it: for me, reflection is the main thing I'm interested in, as a writer. But the present is really good at creating immediacy: I did use it briefly in The Long Goodbye to narrate my mother's death, shifting from a simple past to present to convey the ongoing immediacy of that loss and the intensity of those last moments. You could play, as you are, with the "I will come to realize," but part of what you're navigating here is the trade off of the two tenses...you probably won't get quite the same reflective benefits in the present tense casting forward, but you do keep that immediacy.
I love this idea of palimpsest voice. It reminds me of Sue Silverman's voice of innocence and experience. https://brevitymag.com/craft-essays/innocence-experience/
Thank you for introducing me to this essay!
I love the specificity of this advice. Thank you!
hope it helps!
Thank you for this detailed examination of narrative voice - it has given me a new idea of how to approach a short story I’ve been struggling with for quite a while. I recently”layered over” the narrator looking back to the unsettling events of the short story many years later. I’ll take a look now at how exactly I’ve integrated this wiser voice.
Glad it helped!
Thank you for the specific examples. I tend to do it paragraph by paragraph, I realize now reflecting on what you’re sharing and I’m going to try weaving it together next time.
yes, paragraph by paragraph can work in a limited dose but is hard to sustain...
I am delighted to learn there is an explanation for a problem I have had writing memoir, and better yet, some tools to solve! When telling a personal story in a post, I have been struggling with tenses during what I can now see as part of de the shifts between character me and writer me. Aha--there is a reason to use both. I would also be all tangled up in when "I" could be used without causing confusion. It makes me want to rewrite those parts of several posts. Thank you Meghan, I'm looking forward next weeks nugget.
Thanks, Leslie!
I loved this recommendation! As a psychologist who studies narrative identity, I found this distinction profoundly resonant. In 1890, William James, one of the founders of American psychology, made a distinction between what he called "The I" and "The Me." The Me is the protagonist of our life story, the main character. Stuff happens to The Me and The Me responds to that stuff in different ways. In contrast, The I is the narrator of the story, the part of ourselves responsible for imposing a story line onto the mess of our experience. Fundamentally, The I is responsible for selfing. I read your recommendation through this lens, ensuring that you don't ignore The I when writing about The Me.
Hi Jonathan! I love this - such a helpful frame for thinking about the palimpsest self that we all are, and need to get onto the page. Thank you!
How did I miss this one? Just saw this a month later. Great tips as always. I want to do the exercise as soon as I reach a laptop and a free hour, but it will be a while