By: Marilyn L. Davis

“A story has its purpose and its path. It must be told correctly for it to be understood.” ~Marcus Sedgwick

We live chronologically. We factor time in  1-2-3 order. We like our ducks in a row. We know the ABC’s, and as such, our brains are programmed to track stories in a linear fashion more easily. However, a linear story can either take our readers on the journey where there’s activity, interest, and lessons along the way, or  turn them into the adult version of a typical five-year-old clamoring, “Are we there yet?!”

After choosing the scope of the memoir, the starting point and the natural conclusion, the next decision any writer has to make is how to get from point A to the end. Too many writers assume that A to B to C is boring, so jazz it up with memories of an earlier…