Memory And Imagination Patricia Hampl Summary

Patricia Hampl’s “Memory and Imagination” provides a coherent insight about what a memoir consist of. Hampl begins to explain that a memoir is “a matter of transcription,” meaning that one has the power to present what details they choose to share. As a memoirist, you soon begin to question whether your memory is a reliable source or if your mind filled those empty gaps with desirous details. However, those memories that we simply remember must have been part of a life-changing moment that was not apparent to us at that moment. Although one intended goal could be accuracy, writing a memoir could help one discover what they know compare to the assumption of what happened. One concept that I learned is the importance of what a first draft means to writers. A first draft is like the …show more content…
One bad habit that I constantly commit is to perceive my first draft as if it were my final draft. I often attempt to write my rough draft like my final draft, which has become challenging and time consuming since I expect perfection the first time around. After reading Hampl’s piece, I finally comprehend that the first draft should be just a brainstorm to allow all my ideas and thoughts to flourished through. Therefore, in my memoir, I would not spend so much time deciding whether my memory makes sense or not because I could always go back and edit which slowly unveils the intimacy portion to it. Another approach that I will use for my memoir is to reconnect myself to my personal past by visualizing myself in that moment. I would explore and relive those feelings I had that very moment and allow myself to freely remember what I thought occurred that day without worrying about the accuracy. Like Hampl stated, a memoir should be an “intersection of narration and reflection of storytelling” and I’m eager to discover where my memories would take me to and what I