Memoir Basics 3: Adding feelings, judgments, and explanations

Judgements

He had the thing working

Judgments, of course, can be about people as well. This judgment, however, has a qualifier.

Within ten minutes, he had the thing working. Dad was a wizard back then.

Teen Angst? Naaah... Ned VizziniSource

Did you notice it? By using the qualifier, ‘back then’, you can assume Vizzini doesn’t have the same opinion about his Dad nowadays. Two judgments for the price of one!

Let’s try to mimic the same pattern in these examples.

After many bumps, crashes, and swear words in the darkness, we arrived at the house. We weren’t very subtle in those days.

I gave Ms Finch some excuse about eating something dodgy for lunch. I was a terrible liar, even then.

Your turn

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