Memoir Guidelines

Do I need a title for my memoirs?

No, you don’t need one, but if you want to title them, that’s fine.

What format should it be in?

The only formatting I am looking for is your name and the class info in MLA at the beginning of the paper. After that, the only formatting I want is for you to somehow make it clear that you are shifting to a new story. You can do this by quadruple spacing between stories or drawing a line.

What font should it be in?

Courier New 10-12 pt. font, or Times New Roman 10-12 pt. font.  Double space the entire paper.

What stories should be in it?

Elementary memory, Junior High memory, High School memory, and College thoughts. The first three should be stories. That last one is ruminations…what are you looking forward to in college? what are you dreading in college? What do you want to get involved in while in college. What new areas would you like to explore? What groups and activities can you see yourself being a part of? What do you need to do to prepare now? What do you need to learn (laundry, keeping a checkbook, managing a credit card, how to prioritize, how to study well…)?

How long should each story be?

Minimum per story is 1 page, so you need to think about whether you need a minimum grade or whether you should try harder…while quality is more important, a good story isn’t necessarily the shorter story (see Life of Pi).

How will my memoirs be assessed?

`1. Ideas and content: Focus on one incident, strong supporting details. An “A” paper will have a very clear main idea/event, stay on topic, be interesting and original, and my supporting details will fit with the main idea.

2. Organization: Logical sequencing, use of transition words, sentences organized into manageable paragraphs. An “A” paper will have ideas that flow, a very strong organization plan, excellent sequencing, well used transitions, and reasonable/clear paragraph breaks.

3. Voice: An “A” paper will show me that you really CARE about this story.

4. Effective Use of Language: Word Choice, Sentence Fluency. An “A” paper will demonstrate accurate word choice, with descriptive and imaginative word choices. It will use figurative language (similes and metaphors, etc.) to make the descriptions more exciting, and the sentences will be varied in structure, Length and style.

5. Conventions: Spelling, Punctuation, Capitals. An “A” paper will show excellent spelling skills, capitalization and punctuation will be well used. Errors will not interfere with the reading of the piece.  Little to no editing, revising, or correcting will be necessary.