#138 Making Memoir Peculiar—and Propulsive Featuring Dinty W. Moore

What gives memoir its momentum—and its magic and what if the structure you’re resisting is exactly what your writing needs?

Before we dive in…✨New TEDx Talk! I share a deeply personal story—and the actionable lessons I teach at NYU and in Writing That Gets Noticed—in my TEDx Talk: How to Get Noticed in Your Writing and Beyond Please watch to the end (that’s what counts!), and if it resonates, I’d be so grateful for a comment on the TEDx YouTube page. 🎥 Watch, comment, and share: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpcWmjpzSIQ

Back to my illustrious guest...In this episode, I talk with celebrated writer, author, and teacher Dinty W. Moore about why the peculiar often makes the most powerful material. We explore how to shape scenes that move, lean into voice and vulnerability, and write with the kind of tension that keeps readers turning pages. Plus, Dinty shares craft insights, revision tips, and the surprising ingredient every great memoir needs.

As the founding editor of Brevity, the journal that helped define flash nonfiction, Dinty shares his honest take on voice, structure, and how to write toward truth—even when memory is imperfect.

Dinty W. Moore is author of the memoirs Between Panic & Desire and To Hell With It, and the writing guides Crafting the Personal Essay and The Mindful Writer, among other books. He has published essays and stories in Harper’s, The New York Times Magazine, Georgia Review, Kenyon Review, Short Reads, and elsewhere. He is founding editor of Brevity, the journal of flash nonfiction.

In this episode:

• How Brevity began and why it still matters [2:37]

• Dinty’s philosophy on truth, memory, and writing nonfiction [7:53]

• The mistake many memoirists make with voice—and how to fix it [10:56]

• Why structure often emerges after the writing [12:31]

• How to excavate childhood memories with sensory detail [18:30]

• The connection between humor and grief in storytelling [24:50]

• What he’s learned from years of revising, publishing, and teaching[26:31]

 

Connect with Dinty

Website: https://dintywmoore.com

Facebook: https://facebook.com/dintymoore

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dintywmoore.bsky.social

Connect with Brevity

X: https://twitter.com/brevitymag

 

Mentioned in This Episode

Cheryl Strayed’s episode #38

https://estelleserasmus.com/38-cheryl-strayed-on-writing-and-tiny-beautiful-things

Maggie Smith’s episode #81

 https://estelleserasmus.com/81-the-art-of-shaping-a-compelling-story-featuring-maggie-smith/

About Estelle:
Estelle Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author of Writing That Gets Noticed (named a “Best Book for Writers” by Poets & Writers), and host of Freelance Writing Direct—2025