Kia ora from Tākaka, Golden Bay. I have two eight years tearing around my front lawn using big words that you wouldn’t think eight year olds would know, and a huge, needy dog lounging beside me.
Today I want to talk about introductions.
You will probably include people in your story – they may be members of your family, or friends, colleagues – and there’s one really important thing you need to do the first time you mention a new person.
Take the time to introduce them properly so we know who on earth you’re talking about.
Write their first and last names, tell your reader who exactly they are to you, and perhaps even throw in some context. Personally, I like a bit of context, as you’ll soon see.
Once you’ve done that, you can just start referring to them by their first name.
Here’s an entirely fictional example I’m making up for you on the spot (because I can, and it’s fun):
‘My mother, Hilda Marianne Johnson, grew up in Wellington. Hilda loved to sing and said people nick-named her Canary.’
As a journalist, whenever I mentioned someone the first time, I would start with their job title or role, and then write their first and last name. Here’s an example:
‘Marketing and project lead for PledgeMe Charlotte Squire said she was “delighted to wake up and discover two thousand people had pledged on the ethical banana campaign.”’
I actually do have that job, though the ethical banana campaign hasn’t happened yet.
But in memoir writing we don’t need to be so formal. So we can introduce the very fictional Uncle Dave like this:
‘Dave Harry is my uncle. He was born in Glasgow and growing up I could only understand two words for every sentence he spoke. He smoked a pipe and his favourite food was fish. He still wears the same plaid hat that I remember him wearing when I was a child, though these days I tower over him and look down on that worn hat. Uncle Dave was always my favourite uncle because he took me fishing often.’
So now that you’ve met Hilda, Charlotte and Dave, hopefully you have a better idea of how to introduce people in your own story.
Have fun with it!
Charlotte
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PS If you’d like support with those first introductions, you have 14 days to join my online course (it’s very simple to use) Write Your Memoir to get a free bonus editing service from my team valued at over $400. Write Your Memoir is a road map for anyone writing their story that I’ve packed 20+ years of knowledge into. It costs far less than working one on one with me and I offer a payment plan. Sign up or find out more here.
Charlotte Squire 