ABSTRACT
Memoirs are the most intimate of literary forms, revealing the lived experience and inner world of their writers, as they offer themselves with beguiling candor to their readers. The act of writing is solitary and introspective, undertaken with a multitude of idiosyncratic practices. There are overt links to the 'other' in some modes of writing, particularly nonfiction, but it can be argued that various forms, like fiction writing, are covertly relational. Discussion of ethics in writing is often polarizing. There is a notion encompassing the ruthlessness of writing: that everything and everyone is potential material. That anything less is self-censorship. Writing into psychic wounds carries its own personal ethical and care labyrinth, but very often these works are an un-silencing of survivor testimony, important for empowering individuals and aiding in healing. Courses teaching the skills and techniques of memoir writing are in demand at universities and beyond.
