Writing the Memoir Cinematically: Part 3

Using the blue Post-it notes for my backstory allowed me to play with time. Playing with time is risky though, because there are more opportunities for a reader to get lost. Each chapter in Cheryl Strayed's Wild, began and ended on the trail. I tried something similar in  

chapters one and two, driving over the mountains from the beautiful home in Bend, Oregon we had to sell, to our modest rental in the Tualatin Valley. Driving long distance gives the traveler plenty of time for reflection, so that arrangementseems to work.

At this stage of the storytelling, many memoirists simply fill in all necessary backstory for several chapters before picking up the "present" thread and following it to the end. But I opted for a more complicated arrangement. As my life unfolds in Tualatin, events trigger more memories. And sometimes, those memories call up even other memories, calling for a memory inside a memory. Now that's a challenge. 

(Please watch for Part 4, coming soon.)​