title: Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir
author:  Lisa Dale Norton 
description: Memoirist and writing teacher Nortons slim but substantive how-to guide begins with an anti-definitionof memoir: its notautobiography, not journalism, and not essay, although it should use, she suggests, the techniques of all three. Nortonends with some plain and incisive advice: the payoff of writing memoir comes not in publication but in uncovering personal truths and in facing the chaos and transformation of creation. The heart of the book deals withthe concept of shimmering images, those that continually rise up in the storytellers memory likephotographs. The image of your mother standing on the beach in her polka-dot swimsuit, for example, or of your brother blowing bubbles on the lawn. Norton believes that such moments remain in ones memory for a reason; they are the keys to unlocking meaning and story and are, therefore,memoirsbuilding blocks.Accessible, funny, and honest, Norton acknowledges the hardwork involved inshapinglife stories, offers practical and inspirational advice, andcelebrates memoir writing as nothing short of essential to the care of the writers soul. --Heather Dewar
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