The idea for my paper first began when Dr. Burton wanted us to start thinking about things that brought us awe. I had been reading a lot of memoirs lately, and had just recently taken some classes on non-fiction writing, so this type of writing was definitely on my mind. I started by writing posts like this about experiences in my own life where I experiences awe simply with basic life experience. Also, the fact that we were required to be keeping Wonder Journals got me thinking about the connection between writing out our life experience and living it.
As we delved more into the theory behind awe, I began thinking of life more in terms similar to the ideas presented in this post. I also started to realize that memoirs have always brought me a special type of awe because of the fact that they are about real life. I loved reading about the power of the human spirit and the nuances of human connection. I realized that one of the main reasons I read memoir was to inspire me of ways to redeem my own life in similar ways to the way authors of memoirs redeemed theirs. Looking back on my life, I sensed a trend of being more interested in reading memoirs during times of struggle in my life. They gave me hope that if obstacles of this size could be overcome, then my obstacles, which were much smaller in comparison, could be overcome as well.
Meanwhile, while all of this self-reflection was going on, my work in class continued. We made a list of the ten books that caused us to experience awe and I wrote a specific blog post on a special experience I had with a certain piece of literature in regard to awe. Each of these assignments caused me to realize that life and literature are inextricably linked, and that this link is most pronounced within memoir.
I started my idea for my paper based on the idea that the ordinary is the launching pad for awe and that this is the formula under which memoir operates. People don't like something and so they change it (ex: Eat, Pray, Love or Wild). However, the more help I received and the more I discussed my topic with others in the class, the more my perception of the real purpose of memoir evolved. My conferences with Dr. Burton were particularly helpful because he opened my eyes into just how deep the connection between memoir and awe could go. Dr. Burton helped me to realize that memoir is so much more than just taking off on a trip around the world because you hate your job and then writing a book about it. Memoir is a special kind of miracle in itself in which we can reshape and relive our own history.
At the beginning of the semester, I checked out a ton of memoirs and books on writing memoirs from the library. The more I delved into the sources, the more the ideas started to run wild. Assignments like the annotated bibliography were helpful in narrowing down the importance of each source.
As my paper progressed and I began pumping out drafts and narrowing down potential audiences and then doing it again, my paper slowly started to take shape and I began zeroing in on the redemptive power of memoir over life and the ordinary. This idea became the basic thesis of my paper. I also received social proof from Lisa Roylance, a fellow English student who took a 495 class focused solely on memoir last semester, and read her paper and looked into many of her sources. Talking to her and reading her paper was a tremendous help.
Finally, after a long journey, I finished my paper and posted the final version and I feel like I should give credit to so many more people than myself on this final version. I've learned that it really does take a village to raise a paper. A good one, anyway. I only hope that my paper does justice to all of the amazing feedback, literature, and ideas I took in from the people that surround me.
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