Episode 30: The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer

Memoir deep dive #5

Here's what I learned from The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer:

- Repetition can have a lyrical effect, which makes your writing read almost like a poem. It's also a fun tool when writing as a drunk person, because drunk people repeat themselves.

- Analogies are a descriptive way to be more specific and visual, and avoid cliches. You don't need to force analogies. Try to think of it this way: What does this really remind me of?

- Alliteration is a subtle way to make your writing sing. Also, when you have alliteration with two contrasting, polar opposite words, it creates a real punch.

- There's no space between the word and the em dash—like this.

- Don't look up writing rules on the internet! Instead, read the writing of people you admire, and write like them (Ex. Moehringer rarely uses commas).

- Foreshadowing creates suspense and asks a question. Later, it answers that question.

- Callbacks are a relevant reference to something that took place earlier in the narrative. Different from foreshadowing, they feel like a pat on the back, or like an inside joke, like we know what’s going on because we were here from the beginning.

- Write about the moments when nothing actually happened—the missed opportunities when I wish I said something or reacted differently. What did I wish I had said? What was I feeling at the time?

- Here's something fun: Write a quote of someone talking to me about someone else, but it feels like they're talking about me. Instead of reacting, have the person continue to react to my facial expression. Ex. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

- "Don't strain for the perfect sentence. There's no such thing." When you try to craft a perfect sentence, you don't allow your voice to shine through.

- Share my bad writing ideas throughout the book. It's fun to see the process!