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S7 Ep 8 - Freefall: A Divine Comedy
Memoir writing blurs the line between truth and imagination in this revealing conversation with Lily MacKenzie. We explore how creative writing techniques shape both fiction narrative and personal stories, as Lily explains her unique approach: "you lie in the service of the truth." The prolific author, with works published in over 170 venues, teaches writing dialogue, narrative structure, and storytelling techniques at the University of San Francisco's Fromm Institute for older adults. Discover why age matters, and doesn't matter, in the writing community, and what connects memoir to traditional storytelling. Hear an excerpt from Freefall: A Divine Comedy where Tilly, an installation artist approaching 60, confronts her anxieties about aging and finances in San Francisco.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How memoir writing employs storytelling techniques identical to fiction, including writing dialogue that reconstructs past conversations through imagination in writing and memory recreation.
Why traditional narrative structure rules can be broken in favor of fragmented, non-chronological approaches that create compelling conversations between different life stages.
The distinction, or lack thereof, between memoir writing and historical fiction, and how both genres recreate time periods through similar creative writing processes.
How the writing community serves older adults by providing audience, connection, and purpose while preserving family legacies through literary arts.
Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal
Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Memoir writing and the concept of lying in the service of truth with creative writing techniques
03:30 Does age affect readership and character development in novels featuring women over 60
05:51 Why writing community and memoir writing appeal to older demographics seeking legacy preservation
07:07 Exploring narrative structure and making a comparison to historical fiction
10:58 Inspiration behind the Freefall: A Divine Comedy novel about four women writers reuniting in Whistler and Venice
15:09 Reading excerpt from Freefall: A Divine Comedy featuring installation artist Tilly confronting aging and financial anxiety
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Memoir writing succeeds by "lying in the service of truth," using creative writing techniques like scene construction, imagery, and writing dialogue to recreate authentic experiences from imperfect memory recreation.
Narrative structure doesn't require chronological order or traditional story arcs; fragmented approaches can create powerful juxtapositions between life stages, allowing pieces to "talk to each other or clash."
Writing community for older adults serves multiple purposes beyond skill development, creating audiences for each other's stories and fostering connections through shared memoir writing experiences.
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Lily Iona MacKenzie has published poetry, essays, and short stories in over 170 venues. She’s also published four novels: Fling!, Curva Peligrosa, Free Fall: A Divine Comedy, and The Ripening: A Canadian Girl Grows Up, a sequel to Free Fall and two poetry collections: All This and California Dreaming. Shanti Arts Publishing released her hybrid memoir Dreaming Myself into Old Age: One Woman’s Search for Meaning on 9/19/23. She blogs at http://lilyionamackenzie.com and teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco's Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Lily MacKenzie - Website
Lily MacKenzie - LinkedIn
Lily MacKenzie - Facebook
Lily MacKenzie - Business Facebook
Lily MacKenzie - Twitter
Lily MacKenzie - Instagram
Free Fall - A Divine Comedy - Website
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/true-fiction-project/donations
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
View all episodes
By Reenita Hora
4.5
66 ratings
Memoir writing blurs the line between truth and imagination in this revealing conversation with Lily MacKenzie. We explore how creative writing techniques shape both fiction narrative and personal stories, as Lily explains her unique approach: "you lie in the service of the truth." The prolific author, with works published in over 170 venues, teaches writing dialogue, narrative structure, and storytelling techniques at the University of San Francisco's Fromm Institute for older adults. Discover why age matters, and doesn't matter, in the writing community, and what connects memoir to traditional storytelling. Hear an excerpt from Freefall: A Divine Comedy where Tilly, an installation artist approaching 60, confronts her anxieties about aging and finances in San Francisco.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How memoir writing employs storytelling techniques identical to fiction, including writing dialogue that reconstructs past conversations through imagination in writing and memory recreation.
Why traditional narrative structure rules can be broken in favor of fragmented, non-chronological approaches that create compelling conversations between different life stages.
The distinction, or lack thereof, between memoir writing and historical fiction, and how both genres recreate time periods through similar creative writing processes.
How the writing community serves older adults by providing audience, connection, and purpose while preserving family legacies through literary arts.
Subscribe to Reenita’s Storytelling Den on Substack for free at https://substack.com/@reenitahora and to her YouTube channel to watch the video version of this episode! https://www.youtube.com/@reenymal
Check out her website to stay up-to-date on events, book releases and more! https://reenita.com/
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Memoir writing and the concept of lying in the service of truth with creative writing techniques
03:30 Does age affect readership and character development in novels featuring women over 60
05:51 Why writing community and memoir writing appeal to older demographics seeking legacy preservation
07:07 Exploring narrative structure and making a comparison to historical fiction
10:58 Inspiration behind the Freefall: A Divine Comedy novel about four women writers reuniting in Whistler and Venice
15:09 Reading excerpt from Freefall: A Divine Comedy featuring installation artist Tilly confronting aging and financial anxiety
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Memoir writing succeeds by "lying in the service of truth," using creative writing techniques like scene construction, imagery, and writing dialogue to recreate authentic experiences from imperfect memory recreation.
Narrative structure doesn't require chronological order or traditional story arcs; fragmented approaches can create powerful juxtapositions between life stages, allowing pieces to "talk to each other or clash."
Writing community for older adults serves multiple purposes beyond skill development, creating audiences for each other's stories and fostering connections through shared memoir writing experiences.
ABOUT THE GUEST:
Lily Iona MacKenzie has published poetry, essays, and short stories in over 170 venues. She’s also published four novels: Fling!, Curva Peligrosa, Free Fall: A Divine Comedy, and The Ripening: A Canadian Girl Grows Up, a sequel to Free Fall and two poetry collections: All This and California Dreaming. Shanti Arts Publishing released her hybrid memoir Dreaming Myself into Old Age: One Woman’s Search for Meaning on 9/19/23. She blogs at http://lilyionamackenzie.com and teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco's Fromm Institute for Lifelong Learning.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Lily MacKenzie - Website
Lily MacKenzie - LinkedIn
Lily MacKenzie - Facebook
Lily MacKenzie - Business Facebook
Lily MacKenzie - Twitter
Lily MacKenzie - Instagram
Free Fall - A Divine Comedy - Website
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/true-fiction-project/donations
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy