Creative Nonfiction Blog by Brenda Gaines Hunter

Heroes: Basic Research Outline

Heroes

Interview Questions

• What makes a hero?

• Why is that character special?

• How did you get interested in that character/comic/cartoon?

• What do you like about that character?

• Authors: How did you come by your character?

• Why is it important for your hero to have the traits s/he does?

• Is it a story of good vs. evil?

• Can anyone be a hero?

• Why do we need heroes?

• Are heroes culturally relevant? Varied?

• What makes a hero?

• Is there a difference between doing something heroic and being a hero?

• How do we decide if someone is a hero? Gandhi, King, Garvey, Lincoln, Robert E. Lee?

Memoir Style Guide (seminal)

Tenses

1st Person Present Tense: Recalling events in which I am present as a child. Scenes.

1st Person Past Tense: My adult recall.

2nd Person Past Tense: Events in which I am not present, but have been related to me.

Basic Outline: "This is How it Ends"

Using an outline while writing can be helpful. However, remember that you don't need a working outline to begin writing your memoir. When I first started writing "This is How it Ends,” I was unclear about what the story was about, but as I kept writing the “plot” started to emerge. I use the word “plot” very loosely here. Yes, it has a plot, but my use of plot just means main story. So go ahead and start writing. An outline for your story will emerge.