Graphic novel writing is really something I have very little knowledge on but still find to be a great medium of writing. I think that it is extremely effective in writing a memoir as shown in Blankets by Craig Thompson and Pyongyang by Guy Delisle. In fact when really looking at it, graphic novels may be a better medium for writing memoirs because of what illustrations can offer the author.
Thompson and Delisle both used the graphics as an opportunity to transfer back and forth from the characters minds and the actual happenings around them. It seems as though the visuals that the illustrations offer make it easy for the writer to capture not just what the character is thinking or doing but also how they are seeing things. Since we live in such a visually stimulated world, these illustrations really give use new insight into a persons mind.
Another thing about graphic novels is how the author uses writing. Language is transformed because they don’t have to invest as much in describing a scene. This is particularly clear in Thompsons writing because he uses illustrations to set the scene and writing to just describe it briefly. For example, he writes “patches of white were swallowed up the till of the field” which is accompanied by an illustration. The picture set the scene and the language aided in capturing the characters emotion. By doing this Thompson showed what the character saw and then how he saw it. This technique really is a huge advantage that graphic artists have.
Overall, graphic novels really offer completely different literary techniques than other forms of writing. It gives the author not just the opportunity to describe a scene but also to show a scene. In terms of writing a memoir, this opens up the authors ability to show the scene and then capture the characters interpretation of it. This tool in itself is what make graphic novels and good means of writing a memoir.
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