How to improve your memoir’s narrative using psychological sequencing

Do you want your readers to feel like they’re walking in your shoes, experiencing a moment through your eyes? Using a little psychological sequencing in your memoir could be the answer.

So what is this ‘psychological sequencing’ I speak of?

Simply put, psychological sequencing is a way that writers can control what information a reader receives and in what order.

Let’s look at an example from Dr Viktor E. Frankl’s memoir, Man’s Search For Meaning (a truly remarkable book that I highly recommend adding to your book shelves, if it’s not there already):

“The noise of the cannons woke us; the flashes of tracer bullets and gun shots entered the hut. The chief doctor dashed in and ordered us to take cover on the floor. One prisoner jumped on my stomach from the bed above me with his shoes on. That awakened me all right! Then we grasped what was happening: the battle-front had reached us!”

Dr Frankl has chosen to describe what he heard, what he saw, what he felt and the realisation of what it all meant. In that order.

He could, of course, have laid it all out in line one and told the reader that the battle-front had reached them right at the beginning. After all this is a retrospective account; he already knows what was happening. But holding this vital bit of information back momentarily is actually very clever.

You see, in real life, it can often take a moment for our brains to catch up with our senses.

We may see a figure before we realise who it is.

We may smell a scent before we clock where it is coming from.

We may feel a sensation before we work out what is causing it.

He is inviting the reader to re-live that particular moment with him by describing the sensory experiences as he remembers them, including the natural cognitive delay that we often experience when faced with new and unexpected situations.

In fiction writing, we could call this a form of ‘viewpoint manipulation’ − to make sure the reader sees a scene through one particular character’s point of view. In memoir, however, where there really is only one viewpoint (yours), I would argue it can serve a different function: to forge a deeper connection between you and your reader. Psychological sequencing can help your reader become immersed in the scene you are describing. It can help them mentally recreate the moment through your eyes and ears.

Like many good things, a technique like this is best used in moderation, else it will lose its super-power effect. However, if you’re wondering how to add some suspense to a key scene and make your reader feel like they are right there with you, a sprinkling of psychological sequencing could be just the ticket.

Want to know more?
This blog post has been brought to you thanks to work by Professor Mick Short. You can take a deeper dive into psychological sequencing, and many other literary devices, in his books, Exploring the Language of Poem’s, Plays and Prose and Style in Fiction: A Linguistic Introduction to English Fictional Prose.

Cover photo by Mathieu Stern on Unsplash.

Jessica Kate Brown is a freelance book editor based in the UK. She works with self-publishing authors worldwide and specialises in copyediting memoirs, self-help and business books.