Memories are not linear. Memories live inside of a giant pool within our minds and when the time seems right our mind pluck a certain event or emotion out of the pool that some out relates into our current situations. To me this is what makes writing a memoir so difficult, especially ones that span an entire life. The fluidity of our minds, the jumping from past to present, from one thought to the next even when they seem sometimes unrelated is difficult to put down into a book. It is hard for a writer to write about his or her own life without projecting their thoughts of today onto an event of the past. How does one write about a highly emotional event at age 15 when they are now 30 and have a different perspective. The fluidity of a person is also what can make these accounts so special. Parts of me from 10 years ago are still existent in me now, some of the same beliefs and thoughts and feelings. Now looking back onto the past, parts of the present me are thrust upon those memories and now coexist. Being able to move through those different emotions and events within ourselves creates the ability for us to share these moments to the best of our ability through memoirs. A memoir is a true recount of a person's life as when they wrote the memoir.
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby and his journey through paralysis due to a massive stroke. Bauby goes from being the editor of Elle Magazine to a victim of locked-in syndrome, a prisoner in his own body. Bauby writes this book through communicated through blinking his left eye to indicate letters or words to another writing his words down. The story follows Bauby through his struggle of learning to communicate, accept his disability, his conflicting emotions, and daily events in his paralyzed state.
"The delectable moment when I sink into the tub is quickly followed by nostalgia for the protracted immersions that were the joy of my previous life. Armed with a cup of tea or a Scotch, a good book or a pile of newspapers, I would soak for hours, maneuvering the taps with my toes. Rarely do I feel my condition so cruelly as when I am recalling such pleasures. Luckily I have no time for gloomy thoughts. Already they are wheeling me back, shivering, to my room, on a gurney as comfortable as a bed of nails. I must be fully dressed by ten-thirty and ready to go to the rehabilitation center. Having turned down the hideous jogging suit provided by the hospital, I am now attired as I was in my student days. Like the bath, my old clothes could easily bring back poignant, painful memories. But I see in the clothing a symbol of continuing life. And proof that I still want to be myself. If I must drool, I may as well drool on cashmere," (Bauby 12)
Throughout the text you learn how Bauby accepts his state and realizes that there is more to life than the high roller lifestyle he was used to. The reader, along with Bauby, learns that life cannot be taken for granted, you never know what may come so enjoy the things you have.
The reading experience of a memoir would absolutely be changed if it was seen that the writer embellished parts of the novel. This specific novel has also been portrayed in a movie, which has a little more forgiveness for embellishments. In a movie we expect some lines to be blurred in order to create a compelling visual representation of events. In a memoir a reader expects the true story and to find out that some of those lines have been blurred seems to be a much bigger offense. For example, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey was originally marketed as a memoir where Frey tells his story of being an addict and his experience in a rehab center trying to get clean. The book itself is fantastic, however the events were untrue. The scandal of marketing something as a true story only for readers to find out different left a bad taste in reader's mouths. The book is no less captivating but is now looked down upon for its claims of truth.
To translate Bauby's struggles into a blog I think would be a mistake. Something inside of me tells me that a book has a greater influence and reach, something about a book feels more official. Many people don't see blogs as real writing and to have such an incredible story looked down upon simple for its platform doesn't sit right with me. The story in itself however I don't see having a problem being transferred onto a blog. Many of the chapters in Bauby's book are daily accounts anyway and could be written as blogs. Ultimately Bauby's process of writing the book would be the same.
http://thedisabilitybooks.org/pdf/the-diving-bell-and-the-butterfly.pdf
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