Weighing the Truth in Memoir: Literary Hub

As writers, we find ourselves in an evolving relationship with our own stories. I didn’t set off to write a memoir, certainly not to write about intimate moments of my young family’s life. Yet, often a book takes on a life of its own. I had planned to write about my trips around the globe, solo hiking a volcano in Costa Rica, ski touring in the Arctic, and bringing my young children to places like New Zealand, Easter Island, and Malta. But, in the end, these adventures became the backdrop of an unexpected, parallel journey, one in which I rediscovered myself amidst the entanglements of marriage and motherhood.

When my book, Lights to Guide Me Home, morphed into a full-length memoir, I discovered myself in the throes of a process I didn’t expect — one in which I needed to consider the impact of telling my story. Telling my truth. Upon the book’s publication, I had the opportunity to write a piece for Literary Hub in which I explored the topic of memoir and the fine art of weighing our truth.

In it, I ask:

Is there a goldilocks zone in memoir writing, I wonder—that point at which we trust our readers will connect with our words and withstand the weight of truth and vulnerability we’ve allowed for ourselves?

You can read the full piece at Full Disclosure: Meghan J. Ward on Marriage, Motherhood and Weighing the Truth in Memoir.