Writers.com

How to Write a Memoir: Examples and a Step-by-Step Guide

Zining Mok  |  January 29, 2024  |  25 Comments

how to write a memoir

If you’ve thought about putting your life to the page, you may have wondered how to write a memoir. We start the road to writing a memoir when we realize that a story in our lives demands to be told. As Maya Angelou once wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

How to write a memoir? At first glance, it looks easy enough—easier, in any case, than writing fiction. After all, there is no need to make up a story or characters, and the protagonist is none other than you.

Still, memoir writing carries its own unique challenges, as well as unique possibilities that only come from telling your own true story. Let’s dive into how to write a memoir by looking closely at the craft of memoir writing, starting with a key question: exactly what is a memoir?

How to Write a Memoir: Contents

What is a Memoir?

  • Memoir vs Autobiography

Memoir Examples

Short memoir examples.

  • How to Write a Memoir: A Step-by-Step Guide

A memoir is a branch of creative nonfiction , a genre defined by the writer Lee Gutkind as “true stories, well told.” The etymology of the word “memoir,” which comes to us from the French, tells us of the human urge to put experience to paper, to remember. Indeed, a memoir is “ something written to be kept in mind .”

A memoir is defined by Lee Gutkind as “true stories, well told.”

For a piece of writing to be called a memoir, it has to be:

  • Nonfictional
  • Based on the raw material of your life and your memories
  • Written from your personal perspective

At this point, memoirs are beginning to sound an awful lot like autobiographies. However, a quick comparison of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love , and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin , for example, tells us that memoirs and autobiographies could not be more distinct.

Next, let’s look at the characteristics of a memoir and what sets memoirs and autobiographies apart. Discussing memoir vs. autobiography will not only reveal crucial insights into the process of writing a memoir, but also help us to refine our answer to the question, “What is a memoir?”

Memoir vs. Autobiography

While both use personal life as writing material, there are five key differences between memoir and autobiography:

1. Structure

Since autobiographies tell the comprehensive story of one’s life, they are more or less chronological. writing a memoir, however, involves carefully curating a list of personal experiences to serve a larger idea or story, such as grief, coming-of-age, and self-discovery. As such, memoirs do not have to unfold in chronological order.

While autobiographies attempt to provide a comprehensive account, memoirs focus only on specific periods in the writer’s life. The difference between autobiographies and memoirs can be likened to that between a CV and a one-page resume, which includes only select experiences.

The difference between autobiographies and memoirs can be likened to that between a CV and a one-page resume, which includes only select experiences.

Autobiographies prioritize events; memoirs prioritize the writer’s personal experience of those events. Experience includes not just the event you might have undergone, but also your feelings, thoughts, and reflections. Memoir’s insistence on experience allows the writer to go beyond the expectations of formal writing. This means that memoirists can also use fiction-writing techniques , such as scene-setting and dialogue , to capture their stories with flair.

4. Philosophy

Another key difference between the two genres stems from the autobiography’s emphasis on facts and the memoir’s reliance on memory. Due to memory’s unreliability, memoirs ask the reader to focus less on facts and more on emotional truth. In addition, memoir writers often work the fallibility of memory into the narrative itself by directly questioning the accuracy of their own memories.

Memoirs ask the reader to focus less on facts and more on emotional truth.

5. Audience

While readers pick up autobiographies to learn about prominent individuals, they read memoirs to experience a story built around specific themes . Memoirs, as such, tend to be more relatable, personal, and intimate. Really, what this means is that memoirs can be written by anybody!

Ready to be inspired yet? Let’s now turn to some memoir examples that have received widespread recognition and captured our imaginations!

If you’re looking to lose yourself in a book, the following memoir examples are great places to begin:

  • The Year of Magical Thinking , which chronicles Joan Didion’s year of mourning her husband’s death, is certainly one of the most powerful books on grief. Written in two short months, Didion’s prose is urgent yet lucid, compelling from the first page to the last. A few years later, the writer would publish Blue Nights , another devastating account of grief, only this time she would be mourning her daughter.
  • Patti Smith’s Just Kids is a classic coming-of-age memoir that follows the author’s move to New York and her romance and friendship with the artist Robert Maplethorpe. In its pages, Smith captures the energy of downtown New York in the late sixties and seventies effortlessly.
  • When Breath Becomes Air begins when Paul Kalanithi, a young neurosurgeon, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Exquisite and poignant, this memoir grapples with some of the most difficult human experiences, including fatherhood, mortality, and the search for meaning.
  • A memoir of relationship abuse, Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House is candid and innovative in form. Machado writes about thorny and turbulent subjects with clarity, even wit. While intensely personal, In the Dream House is also one of most insightful pieces of cultural criticism.
  • Twenty-five years after leaving for Canada, Michael Ondaatje returns to his native Sri Lanka to sort out his family’s past. The result is Running in the Family , the writer’s dazzling attempt to reconstruct fragments of experiences and family legends into a portrait of his parents’ and grandparents’ lives. (Importantly, Running in the Family was sold to readers as a fictional memoir; its explicit acknowledgement of fictionalization prevented it from encountering the kind of backlash that James Frey would receive for fabricating key facts in A Million Little Pieces , which he had sold as a memoir . )
  • Of the many memoirs published in recent years, Tara Westover’s Educated is perhaps one of the most internationally-recognized. A story about the struggle for self-determination, Educated recounts the writer’s childhood in a survivalist family and her subsequent attempts to make a life for herself. All in all, powerful, thought-provoking, and near impossible to put down.

While book-length memoirs are engaging reads, the prospect of writing a whole book can be intimidating. Fortunately, there are plenty of short, essay-length memoir examples that are just as compelling.

While memoirists often write book-length works, you might also consider writing a memoir that’s essay-length. Here are some short memoir examples that tell complete, lived stories, in far fewer words:

  • “ The Book of My Life ” offers a portrait of a professor that the writer, Aleksandar Hemon, once had as a child in communist Sarajevo. This memoir was collected into Hemon’s The Book of My Lives , a collection of essays about the writer’s personal history in wartime Yugoslavia and subsequent move to the US.
  • “The first time I cheated on my husband, my mother had been dead for exactly one week.” So begins Cheryl Strayed’s “ The Love of My Life ,” an essay that the writer eventually expanded into the best-selling memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail .
  • In “ What We Hunger For ,” Roxane Gay weaves personal experience and a discussion of The Hunger Games into a powerful meditation on strength, trauma, and hope. “What We Hunger For” can also be found in Gay’s essay collection, Bad Feminist .
  • A humorous memoir structured around David Sedaris and his family’s memories of pets, “ The Youth in Asia ” is ultimately a story about grief, mortality and loss. This essay is excerpted from the memoir Me Talk Pretty One Day , and a recorded version can be found here .

So far, we’ve 1) answered the question “What is a memoir?” 2) discussed differences between memoirs vs. autobiographies, 3) taken a closer look at book- and essay-length memoir examples. Next, we’ll turn the question of how to write a memoir.

How to Write a Memoir: A-Step-by-Step Guide

1. how to write a memoir: generate memoir ideas.

how to start a memoir? As with anything, starting is the hardest. If you’ve yet to decide what to write about, check out the “ I Remember ” writing prompt. Inspired by Joe Brainard’s memoir I Remember , this prompt is a great way to generate a list of memories. From there, choose one memory that feels the most emotionally charged and begin writing your memoir. It’s that simple! If you’re in need of more prompts, our Facebook group is also a great resource.

2. How to Write a Memoir: Begin drafting

My most effective advice is to resist the urge to start from “the beginning.” Instead, begin with the event that you can’t stop thinking about, or with the detail that, for some reason, just sticks. The key to drafting is gaining momentum . Beginning with an emotionally charged event or detail gives us the drive we need to start writing.

3. How to Write a Memoir: Aim for a “ shitty first draft ”

Now that you have momentum, maintain it. Attempting to perfect your language as you draft makes it difficult to maintain our impulses to write. It can also create self-doubt and writers’ block. Remember that most, if not all, writers, no matter how famous, write shitty first drafts.

Attempting to perfect your language as you draft makes it difficult to maintain our impulses to write.

4. How to Write a Memoir: Set your draft aside

Once you have a first draft, set it aside and fight the urge to read it for at least a week. Stephen King recommends sticking first drafts in your drawer for at least six weeks. This period allows writers to develop the critical distance we need to revise and edit the draft that we’ve worked so hard to write.

5. How to Write a Memoir: Reread your draft

While reading your draft, note what works and what doesn’t, then make a revision plan. While rereading, ask yourself:

  • What’s underdeveloped, and what’s superfluous.
  • Does the structure work?
  • What story are you telling?

6. How to Write a Memoir: Revise your memoir and repeat steps 4 & 5 until satisfied

Every piece of good writing is the product of a series of rigorous revisions. Depending on what kind of writer you are and how you define a draft,” you may need three, seven, or perhaps even ten drafts. There’s no “magic number” of drafts to aim for, so trust your intuition. Many writers say that a story is never, truly done; there only comes a point when they’re finished with it. If you find yourself stuck in the revision process, get a fresh pair of eyes to look at your writing.

7. How to Write a Memoir: Edit, edit, edit!

Once you’re satisfied with the story, begin to edit the finer things (e.g. language, metaphor , and details). Clean up your word choice and omit needless words , and check to make sure you haven’t made any of these common writing mistakes . Be sure to also know the difference between revising and editing —you’ll be doing both. Then, once your memoir is ready, send it out !

Learn How to Write a Memoir at Writers.com

Writing a memoir for the first time can be intimidating. But, keep in mind that anyone can learn how to write a memoir. Trust the value of your own experiences: it’s not about the stories you tell, but how you tell them. Most importantly, don’t give up!

Anyone can learn how to write a memoir.

If you’re looking for additional feedback, as well as additional instruction on how to write a memoir, check out our schedule of nonfiction classes . Now, get started writing your memoir!

25 Comments

' src=

Thank you for this website. It’s very engaging. I have been writing a memoir for over three years, somewhat haphazardly, based on the first half of my life and its encounters with ignorance (religious restrictions, alcohol, and inability to reach out for help). Three cities were involved: Boston as a youngster growing up and going to college, then Washington DC and Chicago North Shore as a married woman with four children. I am satisfied with some chapters and not with others. Editing exposes repetition and hopefully discards boring excess. Reaching for something better is always worth the struggle. I am 90, continue to be a recital pianist, a portrait painter, and a writer. Hubby has been dead for nine years. Together we lept a few of life’s chasms and I still miss him. But so far, my occupations keep my brain working fairly well, especially since I don’t smoke or drink (for the past 50 years).

' src=

Hi Mary Ellen,

It sounds like a fantastic life for a memoir! Thank you for sharing, and best of luck finishing your book. Let us know when it’s published!

Best, The writers.com Team

' src=

Hello Mary Ellen,

I am contacting you because your last name (Lavelle) is my middle name!

Being interested in genealogy I have learned that this was my great grandfathers wife’s name (Mary Lavelle), and that her family emigrated here about 1850 from County Mayo, Ireland. That is also where my fathers family came from.

Is your family background similar?

Hope to hear back from you.

Richard Lavelle Bourke

' src=

Hi Mary Ellen: Have you finished your memoir yet? I just came across your post and am seriously impressed that you are still writing. I discovered it again at age 77 and don’t know what I would do with myself if I couldn’t write. All the best to you!! Sharon [email protected]

' src=

I am up to my eyeballs with a research project and report for a non-profit. And some paid research for an international organization. But as today is my 90th birthday, it is time to retire and write a memoir.

So I would like to join a list to keep track of future courses related to memoir / creative non-fiction writing.

Hi Frederick,

Happy birthday! And happy retirement as well. I’ve added your name and email to our reminder list for memoir courses–when we post one on our calendar, we’ll send you an email.

We’ll be posting more memoir courses in the near future, likely for the months of January and February 2022. We hope to see you in one!

' src=

Very interesting and informative, I am writing memoirs from my long often adventurous and well travelled life, have had one very short story published. Your advice on several topics will be extremely helpful. I write under my schoolboy nickname Barnaby Rudge.

[…] How to Write a Memoir: Examples and a Step-by-Step Guide […]

' src=

I am writing my memoir from my memory when I was 5 years old and now having left my birthplace I left after graduation as a doctor I moved to UK where I have been living. In between I have spent 1 year in Canada during my training year as paediatrician. I also spent nearly 2 years with British Army in the hospital as paediatrician in Germany. I moved back to UK to work as specialist paediatrician in a very busy general hospital outside London for the next 22 years. Then I retired from NHS in 2012. I worked another 5 years in Canada until 2018. I am fully retired now

' src=

I have the whole convoluted story of my loss and horrid aftermath in my head (and heart) but have no clue WHERE, in my story to begin. In the middle of the tragedy? What led up to it? Where my life is now, post-loss, and then write back and forth? Any suggestions?

' src=

My friend Laura who referred me to this site said “Start”! I say to you “Start”!

' src=

Hi Dee, that has been a challenge for me.i dont know where to start?

' src=

What was the most painful? Embarrassing? Delicious? Unexpected? Who helped you? Who hurt you? Pick one story and let that lead you to others.

' src=

I really enjoyed this writing about memoir. I ve just finished my own about my journey out of my city then out of my country to Egypt to study, Never Say Can’t, God Can Do It. Infact memoir writing helps to live the life you are writing about again and to appreciate good people you came across during the journey. Many thanks for sharing what memoir is about.

' src=

I am a survivor of gun violence, having witnessed my adult son being shot 13 times by police in 2014. I have struggled with writing my memoir because I have a grandson who was 18-months old at the time of the tragedy and was also present, as was his biological mother and other family members. We all struggle with PTSD because of this atrocity. My grandson’s biological mother was instrumental in what happened and I am struggling to write the story in such a way as to not cast blame – thus my dilemma in writing the memoir. My grandson was later adopted by a local family in an open adoption and is still a big part of my life. I have considered just writing it and waiting until my grandson is old enough to understand all the family dynamics that were involved. Any advice on how I might handle this challenge in writing would be much appreciated.

' src=

I decided to use a ghost writer, and I’m only part way in the process and it’s worth every penny!

' src=

Hi. I am 44 years old and have had a roller coaster life .. right as a young kid seeing his father struggle to financial hassles, facing legal battles at a young age and then health issues leading to a recent kidney transplant. I have been working on writing a memoir sharing my life story and titled it “A memoir of growth and gratitude” Is it a good idea to write a memoir and share my story with the world?

' src=

Thank you… this was very helpful. I’m writing about the troubling issues of my mental health, and how my life was seriously impacted by that. I am 68 years old.

[…] Writers.com: How to Write a Memoir […]

[…] Writers.com: “How to Write a Memoir” […]

' src=

I am so grateful that I found this site! I am inspired and encouraged to start my memoir because of the site’s content and the brave people that have posted in the comments.

Finding this site is going into my gratitude journey 🙂

We’re grateful you found us too, Nichol! 🙂

' src=

Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the info pertaining to memoirs. I believe am on the right track, am at the editing stage and really have to use an extra pair of eyes. I’m more motivated now to push it out and complete it. Thanks for the tips it was very helpful, I have a little more confidence it seeing the completion.

' src=

Well, I’m super excited to begin my memoir. It’s hard trying to rely on memories alone, but I’m going to give it a shot!

Thanks to everyone who posted comments, all of which have inspired me to get on it.

Best of luck to everyone! Jody V.

' src=

I was thrilled to find this material on How to Write A Memoir. When I briefly told someone about some of my past experiences and how I came to the United States in the company of my younger brother in a program with a curious name, I was encouraged by that person and others to write my life history.

Based on the name of that curious program through which our parents sent us to the United States so we could leave the place of our birth, and be away from potentially difficult situations in our country.

As I began to write my history I took as much time as possible to describe all the different steps that were taken. At this time – I have been working on this project for 5 years and am still moving ahead. The information I received through your material has further encouraged me to move along. I am very pleased to have found this important material. Thank you!

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Memoir coach and author Marion Roach

Welcome to The Memoir Project, the portal to your writing life.

The Twenty Top Tips for Writing Memoir

YOU NEED TO START WRITING MEMOIR and you need to do it today. Let me help you. Here are my 20 top tips for writing memoir. They will take you through a definition of memoir, knowing the difference between memoir and autobiography, how to get started writing memoir, how to write someone else’s story, how to structure a memoir and much more.

And then, because I know you will want more, I have added at the end of this page the 20 top tips from well-published authors, and included excerpts from their recent books. I reached out to these authors and asked them to write these posts just for you. Enjoy.

The Memoir Project’s 20 Top Tips

1. What is Memoir?  Memoir is a three-legged stool, designed specifically to hold up your story. In other words, it has requirements – four, to be precise: your story and three others – and learning them will allow you to write this wondrous form.

2. How to Define Memoir?  One great way to define memoir is to think of the crime procedural. Let me explain.

3. What is the Difference Between Memoir and Autobiography?  Knowing the difference between memoir and autobiography is essential to writing successfully in either genre, and yet it is probably the single most misunderstood aspect of both.

4. What are the Basic Components of a Memoir?  How to write a powerful memoir in three simple steps.

5. What to Read to Learn to Write Memoir. These are the best books on writing I’ve ever read.

6. All Memoir Must Include Transcendence. What goes into a memoir? Many wonderful things, though one of them is transcendence. Something has to shift. To change. To grow.

7. How to Start Writing Every Day.  The greatest challenge to your writing is that you need a writing practice. You are not writing every day. Let’s change that.

8. How To Plan Out A Book.  Here are the five simple steps to planning your memoir.

9. How to Write Someone Else’s Story . Writing someone else’s memoir, or writing someone else into your own, is a huge responsibility. Learn to do it well.

10. How To Structure a Memoir. Memoir structure is based on your argument, which is based on something you know after something you’ve experienced. Let me explain.

11. The Very Best Writing Punch List . What is your writing punch list? Haven’t got one? Try mine.

12. My Single Greatest Piece of Writing Advice is This: Write With Intent . Give up all of those time-wasting writing prompts and useless writing exercises and learn to write with intent. Your writing career will flourish.

13. How To Write Memoir About Family Abuse . Writing memoir in the #MeToo movement has taught us many things. Let’s review them.

14. How To Write Good Characterization in Memoir.  How to describe people in memoir? What are the tricks to getting character right on the page?

15. How to Beat Writer’s Block With Structure . Book structure is the key to never getting stuck in your memoir writing.

16. Who is the Narrator of Your Memoir?  Knowing who narrates a memoir is a huge decision. Let me help you make it.

17. How to Write About Your Relatives in Memoir . How to write about family? Here are some top tips for your memoir writing.

18. How to Write About Your Kids . Writing memoir about kids is tricky. How much do you tell? I am a former parenting columnist for The New York Daily News . Let me guide you through this territory.

19. How to Write Less and Say More . To write good memoir, write sparingly. Here is some guidance.

20. When is a Memoir Finished?  A memoir is finished when you have proved your argument.

And here is your bonus tip:

How to Write an Op-ed . Just what is an op-ed and how do you write one? Are op-eds memoir and if so, just how much memoir goes into an op-ed or online opinion piece? I bet you did not know how much we all want to read your take on today’s issues. Learn now to do so here.

20 Tips from Other Well-Published Authors

As I wrote above, I asked the very best memoir writers in the world for their twenty top tips for writing memoir, and they’ve written them — for you, and included excerpts from their most recent books as examples of how to write memoir. I’ve put them in the order you’ll need them to write memoir of any length. Use them as an at-home course. Share them with friends. Come back to them again and again.

Don’t have time to read them all, and want a quick course in writing memoir? Then, in this order, read 1, 2, 5, 9 & 20 and write on. But write. The world is waiting to read your work.

1. A definition of memoir 2. How to begin a memoir 3. Finding the message in your memoir 4. How to write about an exceptional life experience 5. How to write a first draft 6. How to write about your family 7. How to recall details from your life 8. How to access the details of your life 9. How to write great characterization of yourself and others 10 When to fictionalize a memoir 11. How to tell the truth when writing memoir 12. More on telling the truth when writing memoir 13. How to quiet the voices in your head and write a memoir you’d like to read 14. The truth and consequence of writing memoir 15. How to take a personal topic and make it public 16. What to leave in your memoir 17. Writing from a question you want answered 18. What to share when writing memoir 19. Know your audience when writing memoir 20. How to execute the perfect rewrite

Need more help? Come see me in one of my online classes. The entry-level class,  Memoirama , is a one-night, 90-minute class that is taught twice a month, every month but July and August. Follow that with  Memoirama 2 , and get yourself all set to enroll in the next session  The Master Class . Can’t wait to hear about your work in one – or all – of these online memoir classes.

Share this:

Sitewide search, join me on instagram, mroachsmith.

memoir writing practice

Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy, come meet them.

Last updated on Apr 14, 2023

How to Write a Memoir: Turn Your Personal Story Into a Successful Book

Writing a memoir can be a meaningful way to reflect on your life's journey and share your unique perspective with people around you. But creating a powerful (and marketable) book from your life's memories — one that can be enjoyed by readers across the world — is no easy task. 

In this article, we'll explore the essential ingredients that make up an impactful and commercially viable memoir and provide you with tips to craft your own.

Here’s how to write a memoir in 6 steps: 

1. Figure out who you’re writing for

2. narrow down your memoir’s focus, 3. distill the story into a logline , 4. choose the key moments to share, 5. don’t skimp on the details and dialogue, 6. portray yourself honestly.

Before you take on the challenge of writing a memoir, make sure you have a clear goal and direction by defining the following:

  • What story you’re telling (if you’re telling “the story of your life,” then you may be looking at an autobiography , not a memoir),
  • What the purpose of your memoir is,
  • Which audience you’re writing it for.

Some authors write a memoir as a way to pass on some wisdom, to process certain parts of their lives, or just as a legacy piece for friends and family to look back on shared memories. Others have stronger literary ambitions, hoping to get a publishing deal through a literary agent , or self-publishing it to reach a wide audience. 

Whatever your motivation, we’d recommend approaching it as though you were to publish it. You’ll end up with a book that’s more polished, impactful, and accessible 一 even if it’ll only ever reach your Aunt Jasmine.

🔍 How do you know whether your book idea is marketable? Acclaimed ghostwriter Katy Weitz suggests researching memoir examples from several subcategories to determine whether there’s a readership for a story like yours.

Know your target reader

If you’re not sure where to start it doesn’t hurt to figure out your target audience 一 the age group, gender, and interests of the people you’re writing it for. A memoir targeted at business execs is a very different proposition from one written to appeal to Irish-American baseball fans. 

If you want a little help in asking the right questions to define your audience, download our author market research checklist below. 

FREE RESOURCE

FREE RESOURCE

Market Research Checklist

Find your ultimate target audience with our checklist.

Now that you know who you’re writing for, you need to clearly define which (yummy) slice of your life you want to share with them. 

When writing a memoir, there's always the temptation to cover broad periods of your life, from that time in first grade when Mrs. Taylor laughed at your painting, to your third divorce, and everything in between. But remember, this is not a biography. You should try to choose specific experiences or aspects of your life that form a red thread or a central theme. The narrower the focus, the better your memoir will resonate with others. 

For example, a memoir could be about the time you hiked the Appalachian Trail, became a Jiu-Jitsu master, or volunteered in a refugee camp. Naturally, anecdotes from other parts of your life may intertwine with your main narrative, but there needs to be a focused center to your book.

Not only will a narrower slice of life help you concentrate your efforts, it will also make it easier to shift the focus from your personal story to specific, relatable things you experienced , making it easier for readers to care and take something away from the book.

GET ACCOUNTABILITY

GET ACCOUNTABILITY

Meet writing coaches on Reedsy

Industry insiders can help you hone your craft, finish your draft, and get published.

A broader theme readers can relate to

Unless you’re a celebrity, you can’t expect people to just want to read your memoir 一 you have to give them a reason to carve time out of their busy schedule and sit with your book. People are drawn to stories that they can relate to or that teach them something about themselves and the world. 

So, before you get to writing, identify the broader themes behind your personal experiences and center the book around them. For example, a story about hiking the Appalachian Trail could be a story about spiritual growth. A book about learning Jiu-Jitsu may be about building confidence and overcoming fear. A memoir about working with refugees could be about cultivating empathy and overcoming structural inequality. 

These are themes that people from different ages, gender, and cultures can relate to. They will make your memoir much more universal. Figure out what readers can learn from your experiences, whether that’s something about resilience, trauma, parenting, self-discovery, or other, and center your book around that .    

💡 Listen to 3-time memoir author Paul Bradley Carr explain the importance of nailing your memoir’s focus from the get-go in this advice-packed Reedsy Live.

bzL9GjeO5bY Video Thumb

At this point, you’re probably fired up and stretching your fingers to start writing. But there are a few more steps to take to ensure you’re set up for success. 

Memory lane isn’t a straight path — it’s a winding road with many off-ramps and distractions. So before you start drafting, make a note of where you’re going by encapsulating your memoir in a sentence or two. Ask yourself: if I were to pitch it to a stranger on an elevator, how would I summarize it? The purpose of this exercise is to help you weave the main themes into a clear narrative arc, which is essential to turn your life into a captivating story. 

Here are some example loglines from famous memoirs for inspiration: 

Take some time with your logline and whittle your story down to its purest form. If it helps, start by writing what you think the back cover blurb will be. Then boil it down further and further, until you can finally pitch it in just a few sentences.

The logline is the North Star that will guide you as you start to collect the moments of your life to include in the book. 

Now that you have a direction and some central themes, it’s time to pick the best tales from your buffet of life experiences. It’s natural to look back at your life chronologically and select memories in a linear fashion, but really, what’s important is to pick the most meaningful moments, whether big or small, that propel your memoir forward.

For example, Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime is a collection of stories about growing up as a mixed-raced child in Apartheid South Africa. The book shares how Noah questioned his mother’s religious beliefs, spoke multiple languages to bridge cultural differences, made and sold CDs to escape poverty, and more. Each story is a different window into his world and how it shaped him, but all of them build on the book’s central themes of faith, identity, and resilience.

Look for moments of high emotion

When you’re mining your memory for stories, look for those with moments of high emotion and meaning. Whether it was a funny, sad, or embarrassing memory, the ones that shaped who you are and how you see the world tend to be the most emotionally charged.

To discern the gems from mediocre stories, consider working with a professional editor and take advantage of their editorial wisdom. 

MEET EDITORS

MEET EDITORS

Polish your book with expert help

Sign up, meet 1500+ experienced editors, and find your perfect match.

Now close your eyes, and dig deep into your memories to repaint your stories on the blank page as colorfully (and accurately) as possible. 

To make your memoir deeply engaging, experiment with different storytelling techniques and use sensory details, actions, and dialogue, as opposed to explicitly stating what you did or how you felt. This falls into the classic writing advice of ‘ Show, don’t tell .’

When revisiting your memories, be thorough in your research and try to collect as many details as possible: 

  • Read back your journal entries (if you kept one) to see how you felt in the moment.
  • Get your hands on photos or videos from that period in your life (either digital or analog.)
  • Interview your family members, friends, and other people relevant to your story.
  • Revisit locations and settings from the past that you plan on writing about.
  • Look up anything that can be verified or fact-checked (e.g. dates, social media posts, or world news.)

Once you've collected the raw material, organize these memories in a way that makes sense for you. Being systematic in your research will pay serious dividends when you actually start working on your manuscript.

You’re allowed some creative license with dialogue

One thing that is particularly important to get right is dialogue. Obviously, you don't have to write dialogue exactly as it happened — our memories are fallible after all. However, you do need to accurately capture the essence of what was said (and how). As long as you’re faithful to what happened (or at least honest about how you experienced it) you can take some liberties with the precise wording. 

To write believable dialogue, take inspiration from your favorite writers, or take our free course below for tips. 

FREE COURSE

FREE COURSE

How to Write Believable Dialogue

Master the art of dialogue in 10 five-minute lessons.

😱 Inevitably, when you write about other people there’s always a risk of portraying them in a way they don’t appreciate. As general advice, tell them you’re writing this story, or prepare to lose some relationships. And if you’re really pushing some boundaries, discuss it with your lawyer! 

Next, it’s time to look inwards and flesh out a compelling and relatable protagonist: you!  

The best memoirs read like novels, which means they hinge on the protagonist’s voice and personality 一 their quirks, values, and goals, and how they rise to life’s challenges. Just as in a novel, your memoir needs a relatable protagonist that undergoes some change.

It takes a good dose of courage to portray yourself as a multidimensional character 一 one with both strengths and weaknesses, one who sometimes wins and sometimes loses. 

Do background work on yourself

To infuse a dose of humanity to your own character, you’ll have to do the background work as if you were a character in a novel. Take note of everything from your physical appearance, cultural background, psychological traits, and more. This exercise will help you bring to surface details about your personality that you’d otherwise look over, and depict a much more well-rounded protagonist. To facilitate the process, use our free character development template which will guide you with specific prompts and questions.  

FREE RESOURCE

Reedsy’s Character Development Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

Define your character’s arc

Additionally, it's helpful to define your own character's arc 一 how you’ve matured through the life experiences highlighted in the memoir. There are specific steps you can follow to define your personal hero's journey , but among other questions, you’ll have to answer: 

  • What inciting incident set you on a journey?
  • What were the obstacles you encountered?
  • Which mentors helped you along the way?
  • What were the lessons you needed to learn?
  • How have you changed as a result?

These questions will help you strengthen your memoir’s narrative, hooking the readers in like the best novels do. 

To give an example, Cheryl Strayed's journey in Wild begins after the death of her beloved mother and other family problems, which lead her on a path of self-destruction, culminating in a divorce and addiction to heroin. Having reached the bottom, she decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail for three months in order to find herself. The path is filled with challenges 一 from her hiking inexperience, to losing her boots, to fellow hikers warning her that it's not safe to go on alone. Through resilience (and some help) she is able to overcome her physical and emotional challenges, find forgiveness and rediscover her inner strength. 

Still of Reese Witherspoon in Wild, backpacking the Pacific Coast Trail

Take inspiration from Wild and other memoirs, and deconstruct how your own experiences might fit into these all-important story elements. 

You now have all the ingredients: a specific memoir topic that touches on universal themes (as summarized by your logline), a selection of vivid and relevant memories, and a multidimensional character with an interesting story arc. It’s time to put it all together by outlining the structure of your memoir, which is exactly what we’ll cover in our next post.

15 responses

CourtneySymons says:

11/01/2018 – 15:26

This was exactly the article I needed today! I've just begun a new career path as a ghostwriter and am finding it difficult to find learning resources (conferences, courses, books, networks of ghostwriters, etc.). If any readers have advice on where I should be looking or who I should be talking to, I would be forever grateful! Thanks so much!

M. Thomas Maxwell says:

11/01/2018 – 15:28

I had no intention of writing a book but encouraged by my grandson I embarked on a story telling venture that led to Grandfather's Journal, www.captaintommaxwell.com. It truly is a series of life stories shared with my grandson. Published by Westbow press in 2015 I used many Reedsy tips and am very pleased with the results.I have since encouraged others to consider doing the same. It took over a year and was a pleasant experience.

Don Karp says:

11/01/2018 – 16:06

As a self-published memoir writer, I read this with appreciation. I do not agree with all that's said here. For example, "2. Do Your Research." Of course certain events--those experienced publicly by a large number of people--need to be accurate. But even the word, "memoir," says it's about memory, not accuracy. This is one of the major differences from an autobiography which does require research. I looked up the dictionary definition and got confirmation on this. Perhaps you need to re-examine this and get it right?

↪️ Reedsy replied:

11/01/2018 – 17:00

I would agree that memoirs are indeed based on memory — and in some way that's why historians are often forced to question the reliability of memoirs as a primary source. I would say, however, that modern readers to expect memoirs to be as factually-correct as possible. Editors at publishers will go to great pains to ensure that — or face a public backlash. If you say anything in a memoir that can be disproved by a basic google search will seriously compromise your relationship with a reader. The other benefit with research is that it can do a lot to jog your memories. Unreliable recollections can often be set straight once you remind yourself of certain facts. Thanks for commenting!

↪️ Don Karp replied:

11/01/2018 – 17:28

Thanks for your response. This brings up two points for me. First, what is more powerful, a memory of an experience or the actual experience? Different people interpret the same experience differently. Second, what do you propose to do with the dictionary definition of "memoir?" Since the word is based on memory and not research, perhaps you can suggest some alternate word form?

↪️ The Red Lounge For Writers replied:

05/12/2018 – 08:14

I think looking at the idea of the 'voice of innocence' and the 'voice of experience' could really help with this distinction between fact and memory. As writers of memoir, we are expected to write what we remember. We can do this using the voice of innocence, and use the voice of experience to write about the factual context.

Stu Mountjoy says:

11/01/2018 – 21:48

A group I used to attend, on a Friday, started people off with the basic exercise of writing a story about one thing that happened to you, and I did one about a race at school. I am always impressed by the first page I read of Alan Alder's bio (actor in M*A*S*H TV series) - "Hi I'm Alan Alder, and when I was six, my mother tried to kill my father." - wow.

31/01/2018 – 10:15

Alda's a great writer — "Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself" is such a fantastic name for a memoir too.

Robbie Cheadle says:

31/01/2018 – 04:48

A very useful and interesting post on writing a memoir.

31/01/2018 – 10:14

I'm glad you like it Robbie :)

The Red Lounge For Writers says:

05/12/2018 – 08:10

All great advice. Memoir is probably my favourite genre to read, and some of my favourite books are memoirs. I'm of the opinion that everyone has a story to tell; it's just a matter of figuring out how to do it really well.

James Soil says:

15/07/2019 – 13:16

Thank you very much I just finished my Memoir titled Addicted it will be out this summer after reading this article I feel much better about it I pretty much did what the article says.

Izaura Nicolette says:

04/08/2019 – 04:50

Self-published Author, Izaura Nicolette. 'Within The Mountains: A Mormon Reform School Experience.' Published January, 2019. Seeking legit Publishing House or Agent. I still have not received any royalties due to publishers being fraudulent. I want to speak publicly about my memoir. Hundreds to thousands can back me up. This is a true story. I hold too close to my heart. Hoping to heal by sharing this experience, and opening door for many others.

Magzley says:

08/08/2019 – 02:14

Can I *breathe* life into my story instead?

Cassandra Janzen says:

20/12/2019 – 04:35

Very helpful, thank you!

Comments are currently closed.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

RBE | Foxtrot (Format)

The Ultimate FREE Book-Formatting App

Try Reedsy's Book Editor: the free formatting app used by thousands of authors every day.

Reedsy Marketplace UI

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy, come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

The Complete Guide to Writing a Memoir

Writing your book doesn’t have to be a difficult, complex process..

Writing a memoir can feel like a monumental task, especially when you do it on your own. There’s a whole world of design choices and printing options that you need to navigate before your book finds its audience. Count on Palmetto Publishing to guide you along the way.

Considering writing your memoir? You’re not alone. A recent survey revealed that 62% of people want to write their own memoir someday — and each one of these people has a powerful story to tell.

Some memoirs are dramatic and exciting. Others are powerful in their everyday relatability.

Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes , one of the most famous memoirs ever written, tells the story of a working-class family in Limerick, Ireland. All Creatures Great and Small is about a village veterinarian in rural England.

Whatever you’ve learned and experienced, you can and should share it with the world. But you have to write it first.

This guide will help you get started writing a memoir. It covers what a memoir is and isn’t and gives you step-by-step instructions for getting your story on paper. You’ll also learn about your publishing options so that you can put your memoir in the hands of readers.

But first, let’s talk about why your memoir matters.

What is a Memoir?

A memoir is a personal narrative drawn from your life experiences. It tells the story of who you are, what shaped you, and the lessons you’ve learned. A memoir usually centers on a common theme and may focus on a specific period or challenge in the author’s life.

Memoirs are nonfiction, but the most engaging memoirs read more like novels. They recount events in vivid detail and convey strong emotional messages to the reader.

For example, in his Pulitzer-nominated memoir When Breath Becomes Air, author Paul Kalanithi recalls dealing with a terminal cancer diagnosis as a 36-year-old neurosurgery resident. And in the best-selling memoir Educated , Tara Westover writes of pursuing formal education after a minimally homeschooled childhood.

Some of the most insightful and impactful books ever published are memoirs. And some of the most life-changing true stories can compel even the most jaded reader. Autobiographies can be compelling too, but memoirs are the personal stories that cut to the heart.

Get Started On Your Publishing Journey Today!

Or call us 888 408 8965

Memoir vs. Autobiography: What’s the Difference?

Memoirs and autobiographies are both book-length stories of the writer’s life, but they read very differently.

An autobiography is a factual account of the writer’s life, told from birth to the present with as little left out as possible. It can be deeply emotional and touching, but it’s a chronological narrative.

A memoir has a narrower focus. Instead of telling their entire life’s story, the memoir writer focuses on events that connect to their theme.

For instance, if someone wrote a memoir about immigrating to a new country, they might write about their first holiday in this new country or share something they miss about their homeland. Although they’d have many childhood memories, they’d choose those that emphasize the contrast between their two homes.

The other main difference is a memoir’s emotional message. An autobiography is a history, but a memoir focuses on creating meaning from the past. That meaning is how readers connect to your story.

Perhaps they’ll pick up your book because they connect personally to the subject matter. Maybe they’ll read it to learn more about the human experience. Either way, you, as the writer, need to draw them in and capture their interest.

Writing a Memoir Step-by-Step

You don’t have to be a bestselling author to write a memoir, but you’ll have an easier time writing if you’re purposeful in your approach. You’ll also craft a more successful book.

This step-by-step guide will serve as your road map. Don’t worry about memorizing it — you can always bookmark this page or print it out for future reference. Right now, focus on visualizing your writing journey.

Step 1: Choose Your Theme

Memoir writers who get stuck usually have one thing in common. They sit down with the intent to “share their stories,” but they don’t have a clear focus. They try to say too much and go in too many different directions. This makes for a confusing book — or worse, an unfinished one.

To be well-crafted and engaging, a memoir needs a powerful unifying theme. A theme will give your memoir direction and help you choose the most impactful stories to include.

  • What emotions do I want to spark with my story?
  • What message do I want to convey?
  • What life lessons have I learned that others could benefit from?

Don’t worry if you can’t think of any unique or exciting life experiences. Some memoirs are powerful because they’re relatable to other “ordinary” people.

Maybe you’ve learned a lot from raising your children. Maybe you’ve learned important lessons from the relationships you’ve formed in your lifetime. These themes can make powerful and popular books.

Take the compelling memoir She Matters by Susanna Sonnenberg . This 2013 book focuses on the joy, pain, and power of female friendships. People of any gender can see their friendships in this book’s 304 pages.

That’s what makes it powerful.

Step 2: Make a List of Anecdotes

Memoirs aren’t about listing everything that’s ever happened to you. They’re about conveying a message through relevant and intriguing personal stories. Before you start writing a memoir, you need to choose the stories you want to tell.

Many interesting things have happened to you. Right now, the important ones are those that fit your theme. Look at the theme you’ve chosen and start listing the events in your life that relate. Chronological order doesn’t matter at this stage — you’re simply brainstorming.

Begin with the events you know you want to include. These are probably the experiences that inspired your memoir. If you get stuck, think about why you chose your theme: what happened to teach you that lesson or see that topic as important?

Once you have your “highlight reel,” go back through your life and think about what other experiences you want to share. You might find it more helpful to work forward or backward chronologically. Think about what led you to where you are.

Choose the stories that support your message. For example, if you’re writing a memoir about becoming a doctor after age 30, your notes might include things like “when dad convinced me to major in accounting” and “asked to watch my knee surgery.”

Don’t worry about developing these stories just yet — there will be time for that after you’ve organized your book.

Step 3: Create an Outline

Your anecdotes are the bones of your story. Now, you need to shape them into a skeleton.

An outline is that skeleton. It doesn’t have to follow a particular format or use complete sentences — it exists purely to help you stay focused and on track.

Remember, your goal is to engage readers and hold their interest. Don’t jump forward and back in time too often.

A flashback or flash-forward here and there is fine if it highlights a critical moment. However, stick with a linear narrative for most of the book. Readers will follow your thought process better that way.

As you outline, follow any thoughts that inspire you to go deeper. Maybe you’ll have a new insight about something that happened or recall a memory you didn’t think of earlier. Write it down — you can always edit or remove it later.

Step 4: Write Your Story

Once you have your story organized, start writing. You can begin at the beginning, but it’s not mandatory. If you feel compelled to start with Chapter Four because it’s where you write about a life-changing moment, go with it.

You have your outline to keep you on track, so trust it. This is the time to dive deeply into your story and make it as compelling as possible.

Write Like a Novelist

Novels engage people because they paint detailed pictures. You want readers to connect to your memoir in the same way. So, write it like fiction.

Most importantly, flesh out your “characters” — yes, they’re real people, but the reader doesn’t know them yet. Bring them to life and show the reader their mannerisms, appearance, and way of speaking.

The more vivid you are, the more readers will connect to the people in your story.

Show, Don’t Tell

This may be the most common advice in writing, but it bears repeating, especially for memoir writers. It’s easy to become the narrator of your life, but readers will engage more if they can see the scene unfold.

Instead of telling readers what happened, paint a picture. Imagine you’re watching a movie of your life and describing it. What did you see, hear, and do? Help the reader understand what it was like to live that experience.

Step 5: Read and Edit

After you write the last word, put your manuscript aside for a few weeks. Then come back to it and read it through from beginning to end, just like a reader.

Chances are, you’ll find things you want to change. That’s a normal step on the way to a good book. You might add details to an anecdote, take one out completely, or change where it appears.

Maybe that story about your sixth-grade science fair win doesn’t seem as important anymore. That’s okay — if it strengthens your message, it’s a good edit.

Look at your writing style as well. Does it flow well and incorporate vivid detail? Try to be objective, as difficult as that may be.

Step 6: Have Someone Read It

Having other people read your book is an important step in any book writing process . Authors are limited in how critical they can be of their own work, especially memoir writers. It’s the story of your life, and it’s impossible to read with a truly outside viewpoint.

After you’ve read through your finished book at least once, and ideally more than that, give it to someone else to read. Try to choose someone who isn’t intimately connected to you — no spouses, children, parents, or siblings.

They know your story too well to be stand-ins for strangers.

Instead, give your book to an acquaintance or even a newer friend. Ask them to read it and offer their reactions — what worked, what didn’t, and what was confusing.

Take their feedback to heart and make the appropriate edits, then hand it off to someone else to read. You can even have the same person reread it if they’re willing.

After a few “beta” reads, you’re ready to have a professional look at your work.

Publishing Your Memoir

Once you’re satisfied that your story is ready for the world, your next decision is whether to publish it yourself or find a traditional publisher.

Traditional Publishing

Many memoir writers dream of releasing their books through major publishing houses. Getting a book deal does come with bragging rights, but the reality is that many memoir writers will never have the opportunity.

Memoirs are hard sells for publishers, especially if you’re an unknown author. You might find a publisher who believes in your story, but there’s no guarantee. There’s a good chance the road will be paved with rejections.

How good of a chance do you have? The Fiction Writer’s Mentor says that publishers accept only about 1% to 2% of manuscripts — and that includes manuscripts from proven authors.

If your goal is to share your story with the world, self-publishing is a much stronger option.

Self-Publishing

When you self-publish , you don’t have to start by convincing a stranger to share your story. You can put your work out there and let it speak for itself.

Self-publishing gives you more control over your work; you have the final say on everything from edits to cover design. And once it’s done, you can get it out into the world faster — sometimes within a week.

You also keep more of your profits. Traditional publishers take up to 93% of a book’s royalties, but as a self-published author, you get it all.

How to Self-Publish Your Memoir

Self-publishing doesn’t have to be a solo journey. Palmetto Publishing is here to help with everything your memoir needs, including:

  • Book interior formatting and cover design
  • Book editing
  • Book printing and marketing

As a top publisher, Palmetto offers professional book design services that give your memoir a polished look. From the book title page to the back cover, we’ll make sure it’s something you can be proud of.

We even offer book layout help and a user-friendly book layout guide. By the time you’re ready for book marketing, everything about your memoir looks professional. If you’re interested in writing a memoir, drop us a line — even if you haven’t started writing it yet. We know you have a powerful story inside you, and we’re ready to help you share it.

Start Your Publishing Journey

  • Do you have a manuscript ready?* * Do you have a manuscript ready?* Yes, I'm ready to publish today Yes, I'll be ready to publish in 1 to 3 months Yes, I'll be ready to publish in 3 to 6 months Yes, I’ll be ready to publish in 6 to 12 months No, I do not have a book or manuscript ready
  • What type of book do you plan on publishing? * What type of book do you plan on publishing? Business Biography Inspirational Non-Fiction How-To Autobiography/Memoir Self-Help Children's Spiritual/Religious Fiction Art/Photography Cookbook Other
  • Name * First Last
  • Zip Code * Please enter a number from 00000 to 99999 .

Submitting your information indicates that you have read our privacy policy and give us permission to call, email, and send text messages.

  • Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

KN Literary Arts

Learn how to become the author you were meant to be

  • Self-Publishing
  • Author Spotlight

writing a memoir

Everything You Need to Know About Writing a Memoir

Table of contents, introduction, what types of memoirs are there, preparing to write a memoir, how to choose a theme for your memoir, how to create a memoir outline, publishing your memoir.

Today I’m talking about a captivating, life-changing, beautiful story. Yours . 

It’s a story about the most meaningful parts of your life. The people you’ve met along the way, who each gave you something extraordinary. The life lessons you could only learn through experience. A tale of love and loss, time and place, luck and opportunity. 

It’s a story only you can tell. And yes, you  should tell it.

A well-written memoir can have blockbuster-worthy plot lines, yet it’s so much more than a paperback by the pool. Real-life experience—life, family, trauma, loss, love—are powerful and profound when shared firsthand with others. 

The art of storytelling has been a proven tool throughout human history, one that can be just as powerful for the storyteller as it is for all who listen. It’s practically hard-coded in our DNA.

You’re reading this article, which means there is a fairly good chance you have a personal story that aches to be released. Your first step in writing a memoir is to understand and own your motivations for doing so. If financial gain is at the top of your list, I’d encourage you to discover a stronger driving force. Money is a mercurial muse. Even if you don’t make a dime, writing your memoir could be a deeply rewarding experience—one that may rival the actual story itself. (More on this in a bit.)

Writing your memoir will also be a process, and—if I’m honest—a sometimes painful one. After over 20 years of working with authors, I’ve walked through memoir-writing with the most well-intentioned writers. I’ve witnessed them flying through a manuscript, alight with memory. I’ve watched them take themselves by surprise as writing their story reveals new insight into who they really are and who they’ve become.

I’ve also seen them run headlong into writer’s block as they struggle with too many words, feelings, and outside opinions. I’ve seen them come up empty at the end of their stories because they’ve chased the wrong plotline. I’ve seen them get in their own way, rush the process, and make unfortunate technical mistakes that erase their life’s work with a press of a button or a crash of a server.

And that’s why I’m writing this article. To walk you through the most critical steps of bringing your story to life, from figuring out where to start to finding someone to help you publish (those of you who are further along in this process are welcome to jump ahead). 

After you settle into your true motivations, the next step is to get absolutely clear about what you want to achieve with your story. 

Will it be a personal processing tool for you? Are you hoping to translate your experiences into words of wisdom for others? Are you looking to account for every single detail of your life? (That’s a whole other story—more on that below.)

The Teaching Memoir

Some life lessons leave a legacy. Whether it’s a cautionary tale or an invitation to live life to the fullest, a teaching memoir story weaves in wisdom while challenging and equipping readers to overcome their own obstacles. These books are a type of “ practical nonfiction ” and are some of my favorites. There is something special about empowering your readers to find answers, healing, and even peace—and knowing your life experiences will help them. It’s like you were born to do it.

The Personal Memoir

While some may argue that every story is a teaching experience, if your deepest desire is to focus on retelling your journey during a specific period, a sequence of events, or an overarching theme of your life, you’re writing a personal memoir. Personal memoirs are a powerful invitation to readers to join you on your adventure and experience your unique perspective. You’re simply (read: not always easily!) recounting your experiences as vibrantly as you lived them—to entertain your readers, to move and inspire them, and to honor the life you’ve had.

They may still learn something—but that lesson is theirs, not yours.

The Difference Between a Memoir and an Autobiography

Capturing every detail of your life from birth through the present might be your passion project—but that makes it an autobiography, not a memoir. An autobiography is a biographical summary of your entire life written by the only person with all the intimate details (psst…that’s you). While occasionally anecdotal, this long-spanning story is more fact and detail-driven, preserving your legacy for generations to come.  

On the other hand, a memoir gives a snapshot in time and describes the transformative, meaningful, sometimes amusing experiences of your life—or a larger life theme that was supported by specific, aligned events. 

Knowing the difference between an autobiography and a memoir is important at this stage—and can save you tons of time in the writing and editing process. 

memoir writing practice

What Do the Best Memoirs Have in Common?

I believe all memoirs give us a gift in their own way—which is why I always recommend that aspiring memoir writers read a ton of them! The more you expose yourself to the nuances of personal narrative, the more you can sharpen your storytelling skills and bring your memoir to life.

You’ll find, as I say in the video below, that all great memoirs have a few important things in common—from the techniques used in the writing process to the writing “tricks”  harnessed to engage the reader.

Are you ready to write your transformational story? Find out here.

With your motivations and memoir type solidified, it’s time to get your writing tools together. More than just a notebook or a laptop, real writers (and yes, that’s you!) know there’s hard work ahead. 

The better you prepare and train yourself for this process, the easier—and more satisfying!—it will be. In this section, I’ll show you how to remove common obstacles and build confidence in your writing.

Your Emotional Toolbox

  • Make sure you are ready. Of course, “ready” can mean different things to different writers, but the process to get there is often the same. Ask yourself several questions ( these three are my favorite ) to make sure you’ve equipped yourself for what will happen as you translate the story in your mind into an experience the world can read. Are you ready to be honest? Exposed? Criticized? Recognized? Knowing where you stand is one thing. Keeping your feet on solid ground is another. Memoir writing is a story of its own. It often can’t be rushed, but it can be coaxed along.
  • Deepen your “Why” If you skipped the intro to this article, you missed one of the most important parts of the memoir-writing experience—your motivations. Your “why” is what gives you a voice to all that you’ve experienced. It’s the driving force that breaks through writer’s block and the energy that keeps you at your laptop into the wee morning hours. Perhaps you are journeying toward your own healing , and your memoir is a part of that process. Understanding how writing can help you heal —and help others find healing through your words—will give you firm footing as you put pen to paper. Maybe you are writing your memoir to become a famous author. Perhaps you are a local celebrity looking to expand your reach. You’ll learn as my clients have that going from local to national sensation requires certain qualities that go beyond your story. Is your story born to be a bestseller? Are you ready to be known for it?
  • Move past common road bumps As with anything worth doing, writing a memoir will come with challenges . From fears that go beyond the opinions and feelings of others to failing memories of exactly how it happened, every memoir writer experiences some of the same hurdles. The good news? There are ways around them. Here are 3 road bumps you’ll most likely encounter—and what to do when you hit them .  
  • What will your mother think? “Fear of mom” is a real thing. Hurting those we love by telling how they shaped (and even hurt) us is a reality—and often a (permanent) setback for many authors. You can work through this. If your motivations, heart, and goals are in the right place, your hesitation doesn’t have to halt your memoir momentum. Learn how to tell your story (even if your mom won’t like it ) .

Your Technical Toolbox

  • Make a back-up Nothing sucks the air out of a room like the desperate gasp of an author who lost a manuscript. The time spent pouring out your best deserves a failsafe—even (and especially) if you use a cloud service. This video will walk you through how to back up your manuscript with confidence. For my skimmers and “step-skippers” out there, don’t gloss over this one. Get your backup in place at the very beginning. This goes for all of your research, pictures, videos, and prompts, too.
  • Scrivener Scrivener is the go-to app for writers that takes you from rough draft to final copy. From cork boards and organization tools to the ability to work a section at a time or to view your entire masterpiece, Scrivener provides everything you need for a strong start and even stronger finish. (Find out what I love about Scrivener here .)
  • Recommended books For those of you fact-finders who really like to research a project before you dive in, I get it. It’s overwhelming to write your life’s story, especially if you don’t feel like you understand all the moving parts. I’ve pulled together a list of five books to get you started . You don’t have to read all of them, but if you want more information on how to begin, I encourage you to pick one and crack it open as soon as possible.

30-Minute Writing Exercises

  • Journaling If you want to be really good at something, you have to work at it—and writing is an art that benefits from repeated attempts, prompts, and practice. These powerful journaling ideas will help you become more comfortable—and more effective—at bringing the deepest, darkest, or most meaningful parts of your story to light. If you want to write a compelling memoir, you have to give yourself the gift and space of vulnerability. It’s in this precious space where honest “aha” moments happen and your inner narrative can open up. Journaling provides you a safe place to practice the words that best describe what you are truly trying to say.
  • 100 Moments Exercise One of my favorite writing prompts, the 100 Moments Exercise, is a powerful way to gain insight into your life’s moments and plot twists. Download it here and get started—not just with the prompt, but with your entire memoir. (It’s that motivating!).
  • Writing Your Life Story Exercise In the video below, I walk you through one exercise I recommend to everyone thinking about writing their memoir. Note: This video is about 12 minutes long, but the exercise should take you about a half hour. I promise you won’t regret it. Selecting the scenes for your memoir is one of the most important elements of writing an effective story. 

A theme is a transformative thread that weaves your story together and what allows your readers to connect more deeply with your words and themselves. The stronger and clearer the theme, the more satisfying your memoir will be to write—and read.

As frustrating as it can be for the writer, these transformative themes don’t always make themselves known from the beginning. Sometimes we’re just too close to the details to see the big picture taking shape. 

Get step-by-step tips on finding and choosing a theme.

Taking a step back—and a few steps above—the narrative process is a great way to catch a glimpse of your meaningful moments from a different perspective. You’ve already done this naturally as a part of your evolution and growth as a human—haven’t you seen commonalities, trends, and answers that are so much clearer in hindsight? 

Your goal in uncovering or weaving a  theme is to help your readers make those connections without working so hard to find them. 

Download this FREE 30-minute theme exercise to give your memoir greater purpose, strength, and meaning.  I recommend taking the time to do this work before you sit down to write your story. It will ensure that your memoir is not “just a story”, but an inspirational window into a better life lived.

In addition, here’s an exercise I often recommend to my authors who are struggling to rally their words around a universal theme.

  • List your best life stories. I find it’s best if you write each down on a 3×5 card.
  • Add what you think is the theme (or themes) for each story. How did you arrive from Point A to Point B?
  • Identify how each story relates to the others. Do they share a common character? Feeling? Lesson?
  • Look for repeating themes. Often the theme is the path our life journey has taken. How have the stories you’ve chosen moved you along that path?

You’ve got your “why”, your tools, and your theme—now it’s time to get organized. I always advise my authors to begin with a memoir outline. While it can be tempting for many authors to just “jump in,” this is a recipe for disappointment. Your story deserves a structure.

Many aspiring authors writing a memoir tend to jump right from journaling to storytelling, only to find that a bulk of their words ends up on the editing room floor. Do yourself, your readers, and your editor a favor and start with a plan. You may find, as so many successful writers have, that building an outline is almost as rewarding as writing itself—it’s where your theme takes shape, and it can allow you to deepen the impact with a thoughtful, purposeful approach.  

When it comes to writing a memoir, all details are not equal. Take off your sandals and walk your story in someone else’s shoes. What’s it like from your reader’s perspective? What details do they care most about? What elements and events keep the pages turning?

Basics of an outline

In my experience, if an author doesn’t start with a developed outline, the story will include too many details that slow it down. Keep readers engaged by setting the scenes and building the groundwork for your story’s most pivotal moments. 

Use these secrets of building a memoir outline , and you’ll get the big picture view at the beginning of the writing process. This will allow you to make the hard story cuts before you fall in love with words you used to write them. It will also save you time, energy, and that tell-tale heartache that comes from letting those loose ends go.

Never-fail book outline templates

Writing a best-selling memoir—or even just a gratifying personal story—requires a strong narrative arc and story structure. It cannot be “wung.”  Download three classic book outlines here.

So how do you go about writing a  good outline ? The best advice I can give you is this.

  • Write your memoir in “scenes.” Let us as readers into the narrative by giving us an important visual context.
  • Invite us in. Bring your readers into the experience by making it easy for them to imagine themselves as you.
  • Don’t get tied to time. You don’t have to stick to chronological order. Flashbacks happen—even in real life. An outline can help you determine what order is the most meaningful—how your story unfolds can be different from the order in which it occurred. Learn more secrets here .

Another quick tip I recommend to my clients is using screenwriting techniques, as they are easy to learn (there are a TON out there), and they’ve really honed the craft. Books I like that will help you with this are Story by Robert McKee, The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler, and Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder.

The last consideration as you write your memoir is the question of whether you want to self-publish or seek traditional publishing. There are benefits and drawbacks to both routes—and one may be more available to you than others, depending on your story, your motivations, and your investment comfort in the process.  

What Types of Memoirs Do Traditional Publishers Want?

Three types of memoirs are particularly desirable for bigger publishing houses.

The Celebrity Memoir

Traditional publishers love a celebrity memoir. Why? Because readers love a celebrity memoir. Celebrity sells. When Gabrielle Union sold We’re Going to Need More Wine , people bought it up. 

If you’re a celebrity, the first thing I want to say is thank you for reading this blog! If you’re not (and that’s more likely the case—at least for now!), it’s probably best to explore another category.

The Train Crash Memoir

The triumph or “train crash” memoir tells an almost unbelievable story. Authors of these stories have lived through tragic, devastating, or fantastic circumstances. They transport a reader into experiences they will most likely never know firsthand, all the while relating the narrative to the more universal needs, desires, and challenges most of us face. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah is my favorite example of this type. 

Novel Memoir

Big house publishing firms are also interested in picking up novel memoirs, stories that read like fiction but are grounded and vetted in real-life stories. These memoirs are exceptionally well-written and are often the products of writers who have taken decades to hone the craft of captivating and almost carnal storytelling. A personal favorite of mine is Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott.

Self-Publishing Your Memoir

If your story doesn’t fall into one of those clear categories for traditional publishing, you still have several ways to share your story with the public. Self-publishing is a fantastic option that offers new and established authors benefits that are rarely offered as a part of a bigger book deal.

  • You own your intellectual property.
  • You keep all profit.
  • You maintain control of all aspects and direction of your story.
  • No rejection letters in the mail, deadline stress, or lengthy print process.

With the above said, self-publishing does have associated upfront investments. Professional editing, formatting, designing, proofreading, and marketing come at a cost (around $10k, on average). To pinch pennies here may cost you big—do it all on your own, and you may miss an opportunity (or a mistake) that could change the entire outcome of your efforts.

So, are you ready to write your transformational story ?

You don’t have to answer that with an exclamation point just yet. I’ll be excited if you are more ready—or more certain of your decision—than when you first started reading. Whether or not you use all of my suggested resources or make it to publishing, I want to encourage you to keep writing. Memoirs are one of the best gifts you can give yourself—if others benefit, all the better. Let your writing, your journals, and your ever-growing arsenal of experiences keep reminding you how much life, people, places and events have to offer, teach, and inspire us. 

Live it up. Feel it deep. And write it down.

13 thoughts on “Everything You Need to Know About Writing a Memoir”

Hi Kelly ! Thank you so much for your help and encouragement. I was not happy having to write my memoir following an outline but you were right : it is more readable and clear now.

Kind regards, T. Diane Nguyen

Diane, sometimes the things that are the hardest to do end up being the best to have done!

Wow, Kelly! This is the most comprehensive compilation of everything any aspiring author would want to know about writing a memoir. I love having a single source with so many links for additional information with more detailed aspects. I am writing my first narrative memoir and I am almost halfway through. I read your book before I started, which helped tremendously and yet, I learned even more helpful tips from exploring everything you included in this post. I am ordering the books you recommended next and I’ll be sure to leave a 5 star review on Amazon for your book while I’m there! Thanks again for sharing your wisdom!

Thank YOU for your kind words, and we are so glad to hear that it was helpful. Enjoy the books you ordered (I certainly will appreciate your review too!) and keep me posted on your progress.

Thank You for this information and very important subject How To. You are absolutely Brilliant.

I am so Blessed to receive your emails and your professional help, experience, and encouragement.

Carolyn, you are so welcome!

Thank you for sharing your detailed advice on how to start a Memoir!! I am 62 years old and have lived a life that some people may wonder and want to learn from!! I was born December 6, 1958 to an 18 year old girl and a 34 year old father……. my mother decided to break up with my father, Tom when I was 2 years young….. My sister, Carla was born a year before they broke up!! My mother found out my father was married. She only knew he was a soldier in the U.S. Navy…….

Julia, thanks for sharing, and I am glad you found this helpful. You might also want to check out the kn literary YouTube channel, as there is a lot of information about memoir-writing there as well.

Hi Georgiana!

So glad to hear that you enjoyed this week’s post. That’s a great idea! I will make sure to pass your idea along to the team.

Loved this very well-written <3. Self-help books need to be thought through, and you need to learn a couple of things to come up with a meaningful one. Let this article The Golden Rules of Writing a Self-Help Book help you know the golden rules for writing a self-help book that can change your readers’ lives for the better.

This post was truly worthwhile to read. I wanted to say thank you for the key points you have pointed out as they are enlightening. Check this out –> The Keys to Writing a Powerful Memoir

This post was truly worthwhile to read. I wanted to say thank you for the key points you have pointed out as they are enlightening.

Check this out Going … Going … Thank you so much

I completely agree with what you have written. I hope this post could reach more people as this was truly an interesting post.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Three Classic Book Outlines

memoir writing practice

Detailed writing templates to help you get started laying out your masterpiece.

Plus, you’ll get our newsletter, offering tips, tricks and inspiration for your writing journey!

Authority Self-Publishing

63 Of The Best Memoir Writing Prompts To Stoke Your Ideas

You’re writing a memoir. But you’re not sure what questions or life lessons you want to focus on.

Even if only family members and friends will read the finished book, you want to make it worth their time. 

This isn’t just a whimsical collection of anecdotes from your life.

You want to convey something to your readers that will stay with them. 

And maybe you want your memoir’s impact to serve as your legacy — a testament to how you made a small (or large) difference. 

The collection of memoir questions in this post can help you create a legacy worth sharing.

So, if you don’t already have enough ideas for a memoir, read on. 

A Strong Theme

Overcoming obstacles, emotional storytelling, satisfying ending, examples of good starting sentences for a memoir , 63 memoir writing prompts , what are the primary parts of a memoir.

Though similar to autobiographies, memoirs are less chronological and more impressionable – less historical and more relatable. Resultantly, they’re structured differently. 

With that in mind, let’s look at five elements that tie a memoir together, rendering it more enjoyable.

Biographies are histories that may not hew to a cohesive theme. But memoirs focus on inspiring and enlightening experiences and events.

As such, books in the genre promote a theme or idea that binds the highlighted happenings to an overarching reflection point or lesson.

Many people are super at sniffing out insincerity, and most folks prefer candidness.

So while exact dates and logistical facts may be off in a memoir, being raw and real with emotions, revelations, and relational impacts is vital. To put it colloquially: The best personal accounts let it all hang out. 

People prefer inspiring stories. They want to read about people overcoming obstacles, standing as testaments to the tenacious nature of the human spirit. Why?

Because it engenders hope. If this person was able to achieve “x,” there’s a possibility I could, too. Furthermore, people find it comforting that they’re not the only ones who’ve faced seemingly insurmountable impediments.

Readers crave emotion. And for many of the stoic masses, books, plays, television shows, and films are their primary sources of sentimentality.

Historically, the best-performing memoirs are built on emotional frameworks that resonate with readers. The goal is to touch hearts, not just heads.

In a not-so-small way, memoirs are like romance books: Readers want a “happy” ending. So close strongly. Ensure the finale touches on the book’s central themes and emotional highlights.

End it with a smile and note of encouragement, leaving the audience satisfied and optimistic.

We’ve looked at the elements that make memoirs shine. Now, let’s turn our attention to one of the most important parts of a personal account: the opening sentence.

We’ve scoured some of the most successful, moving memoirs of all time to curate a list of memorable starting sentences. Notice how all of them hint at the theme of the book.

Let’s jump in.

1. “They called him Moishe the Beadle, as if his entire life he had never had a surname.” From Night, a first-hand account of the WWII Holocaust by Elie Wiesel

2. “My mother is scraping a piece of burned toast out of the kitchen window, a crease of annoyance across her forehead.” From Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger, foodie Nigel Slater’s account of culinary events that shaped his life.

3. “Then there was the bad weather.” From A Moveable Feast , Ernest Hemingway’s telling of his years as an young expat in Paris

4. “You know those plants always trying to find the light?” From Over the Top: A Raw Journey of Self-Love by Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s beloved star, Jonathan Van Ness

5. “What are you looking at me for? I didn’t come to stay.” From Maya Angelou’s masterpiece, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings , the story of persevering in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles

6. “I’m on Kauai, in Hawaii, today, August 5, 2005. It’s unbelievably clear and sunny, not a cloud in the sky.” From What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami, a memoir about the fluidity of running and writing

7. “The soil in Leitrim is poor, in places no more than an inch deep. ” From All Will be Well , Irish writer John McGahern’s recounting of his troubled childhood 

8. “The past is beautiful because one never realizes an emotion at the time.” From Educated , Tara Westover’s engrossing account of her path from growing up in an uneducated survivalist family to earning a doctorate in intellectual history from Cambridge University 

9. “I flipped through the CT scan images, the diagnosis obvious.” From When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, the now-deceased doctor’s journey toward mortality after discovering he had terminal cancer

10. “Romantic love is the most important and exciting thing in the entire world.” From Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton, a funny, light-hearted memoir about one woman’s amorous journey from teenager to twentysomething

Use the following questions as memoir writing exercises . Choose those that immediately evoke memories that have stayed with you over the years.

Group them by theme — family, career, beliefs, etc. — and address at least one question a day. 

For each question, write freely for around 300 to 400 words. You can always edit it later to tighten it up or add more content. 

1. What is your earliest memory?

2. What have your parents told you about your birth that was unusual?

3. How well did you get along with your siblings, if you have any?

4. Which parent were you closest to growing up and why?

5. What parent or parental figure had the biggest influence on you growing up?

6. What is your happiest childhood memory?

7. What is your saddest or most painful childhood memory?

8. Did you have good parents? How did they show their love for you?

9. What words of theirs from your childhood do you remember most, and why?

10. What do you remember most about your parents’ relationship? 

11. Were your parents together, or did they live apart? Did they get along? 

12. How has your relationship with your parents affected your own love relationships?

13. Who or what did you want to be when you grew up? 

14. What shows or movies influenced you most during your childhood?

15. What were your favorite books to read, and how did they influence you?

16. If you grew up in a religious household, how did you see “God”? 

17. How did you think “God” saw you? Who influenced those beliefs?

18. Describe your spiritual journey from adolescence to the present?

19. Who was your first best friend? How did you become friends? 

20. Who was your favorite teacher in elementary school, and why?

21. Did you fit in with any social group or clique in school? Describe your social life?

22. What were your biggest learning challenges in school (academic or social)? 

23. Who was your first crush, and what drew you to them? How long did it last?

24. What was your favorite subject in school, and what did you love about it?

25. What do you wish you would have learned more about growing up?

26. What did you learn about yourself in high school? What was your biggest mistake?

27. What seemed normal to you growing up that now strikes you as messed up?

28. How old were you when you first moved away from home?

29. Who gave you your first kiss? And what do you remember most about it?

30. Who was your first love ? What do you remember most about them?

31. Was there ever a time in your life when you realized you weren’t straight? 

32. Describe a memorable argument you had with one of your parents? How did it end?

33. Have you lost a parent? How did it happen, and how did their death affect you?

34. What was your first real job? What do you remember most about it?

memoir writing practice

35. How did you spend the money you earned with that job? 

36. At what moment in your life did you feel most loved? 

37. At what moment in your life did you feel most alone?

38. What do you remember most about your high school graduation? Did it matter?

39. What’s something you’ve done that you never thought you would do?

40. What has been the greatest challenge of your life up to this point?

41. What did you learn in college that has had a powerful influence on you?

42. How has your family’s financial situation growing up influenced you?

43. How has someone’s harsh criticism of you led you to an important realization? 

44. Do you consider yourself a “good person”? Why or why not?

45. Who was the first person who considered you worth standing up for?

46. If you have children, whom did you trust with them when they were babies?

47. Did you have pets growing up? Did you feel close or attached to any of them?

More Related Articles

66 Horror Writing Prompts That Are Freaky As Hell

15 Common Grammar Mistakes That Kill Your Writing Credibility

61 Fantasy Writing Prompts To Stoke Your Creativity

48. Describe someone from your past whom you’d love to see again. 

49. Do you have a lost love? If yes, describe them, how you met, and how you lost them. 

50. Describe a moment when you made a fool of yourself and what it cost you. 

51. What is something you learned later in life that you wish you’d learned as a child?

52. How do you want others to see you? What words come to mind? 

53. What do you still believe now that you believed even as a child or as a teenager?

54. What do you no longer believe that you did believe as a child or teenager?

55. When have you alienated people by being vocal about your beliefs? 

56. Are you as vocal about your beliefs as you were when you were a young adult ?

57. Are you haunted by the consequences of beliefs you’ve since abandoned? 

58. How have your political beliefs changed since you were a teenager? 

59. Have you ever joined a protest for a cause you believe in? Would you still? 

60. How has technology shaped your life for the past 10 years? 

61.Has your chosen career made you happy — or cost you and your family too much?

62. What comes to mind if someone asks you what you’re good at? Why does it matter?

63. How is your family unique? What makes you proudest when you think about them?

How will you use these memoir writing prompts?

These memoir topics should get ideas flooding into your mind. All you have to do, then, is let them out onto the page. The more you write, the easier it will be to choose the primary focus for your memoir. And the more fun you’ll have writing it. 

That’s not to say it’ll be easy to create a powerful memoir. It won’t be. But the more clarity you have about its overall mission, the more easily the words will flow. 

Enjoy these memoir writing exercises. And apply the same clarity of focus during the editing process. Your readers will thank you. 

Best Memoir writing Prompts

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

  • Close {{message}}

Enrollment system is currently unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please try again later.

Micro Memoir: Writing Your Life in 200 Words or Less

If you haven’t been published before, try your hand at micro memoir—the hottest new category in publishing. Micro memoirs are very short standalone pieces, often exploring a moment in time, drawn from personal experience. The best micro memoirs combine truth-telling with narrative tension and are specific, not general. Whether you are a blogger or an aspiring one, whether you are a memoirist, want to get published for the first time or are a widely published author looking to update your skills, you will leave this class with six ready-to-publish micro memoir CNF pieces. We will review published examples of micro-memoir (in The New York Times Tiny Love Stories (100 words), Metropolitan Diary , River Teeth’s Tiny Beautiful Things , and more) to see why they entertained, resonated with or compelled the reader, and practice creative nonfiction writing techniques like listing, using description and detail, the six-word memoir exercise, and free association. You will also learn valuable advice on crafting your work, while gaining insight and advice via recorded video interviews from editors working in the micro memoir space. Students will write at least six creative nonfiction pieces geared to specific publications and receive feedback from classmates and the instructor. At the end of the class, students will be invited to participate in a live online reading session, where they can share what they’ve written. This course is delivered in an online, self-paced (asynchronous) format. The instructor interacts with students and facilitates group discussions within NYU’s online learning platform. There are weekly deadlines for lesson and assignment completion.

More details

You'll Walk Away with

  • Six creative non-fiction micro memoir pieces.
  • Knowledge of the growing micro memoir publishing market and where to submit your micro memoir
  • Memoirists and aspiring memoirists
  • Writers and aspiring writers of all levels
  • The curious and creative

Course Details

Course number.

WRIT1-CE9067

Continuing Education Units (CEU)

Our Programs

memoir writing practice

Publish Your Nonfiction Book

The 5-part comprehensive path from blank page to published author, and everything in between.

memoir writing practice

Author Accelerator

memoir writing practice

Publish Your Fiction Book

Author accelerator fiction.

memoir writing practice

Market Your Book

The comprehensive path from published book to consistently climbing book sales.

memoir writing practice

Author Accelerator Elite

Our most exclusive writing, publishing, and marketing program featuring done-for-you editing and marketing services to grow your impact and book sales.

Free Tools & Resources

Free Copy of Published

The proven path from blank page to 10,000 copies sold.

Publishing Path Assessment

Discover which path will be the best for you to succeed in your author goals.

Nonfiction Outline Template

25 pages of pre-formatted material structured to industry standards.

Weekly Live Trainings

Fiction outline template, author dna assessment.

Find out Which Famous Author You Are!

Companies Assessment

Discover which type of company can help you publish!

Character Worksheet

Make your characters feel REAL!

Learn About

Children's Book

Non-fiction.

How to Get An ISBN Number

A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing

How Much Do Self-Published Authors Make on Amazon?

Book Template: 9 Free Layouts

How to Write a Book in 12 Steps

The 15 Best Book Writing Software Tools

75+ Memoir Writing Prompts to Inspire Your Next Book

POSTED ON Sep 10, 2023

Sarah Rexford

Written by Sarah Rexford

Are you learning how to write a memoir and looking for some inspiration? Memoir writing prompts are a great writing aid and can be a creativity boost when you need it most. Not only can prompts open your mind to new memoir ideas you might not have considered otherwise, but you can even mix and match prompts for a unique twist.

Today, we're sharing 75+ done-for-you memoir writing prompts AND our free writing prompts generator that you can use to create 1000s more prompts to support your writing journey.

New Call-To-Action

This post with memoir writing prompts includes:

What are memoir writing prompts.

As the name suggests, memoir writing prompts are creative prompts or questions designed to inspire you, as an author, to reflect on and write about your most vulnerable and impactful personal experiences, memories, and life stories.

These prompts – and our memoir writing prompts generator are the perfect starting point for your book. Whether you're outlining your memoir or still deciding which memories to include, you're sure to leave this writing exercise with plenty of pages full of book-worthy ideas.

Writing Prompt Generator for Book Ideas

I want to write..., your book prompt:.

Don't like it?

Generate Another

Want to receive personalized tips on how to sell more books right in your inbox?

Other things you can do for memoir writing inspiration include reading other books such as the best celebrity memoirs to get a look at other memoir examples , challenging yourself to write a Six-Word Memoir (another great writing exercise!), and even reading autobiographies. Though the latter is a different book genre, memoirs are still autobiographical in nature, and reading the best autobiographies will illustrate how others have chosen to write about their lives.

What are good topics for a memoir?

Anything! If you experienced something that had a profound impact on your life, health, beliefs, or loved ones, it's likely a story worth telling.

Bestselling memoir ideas are limitless. However, some of the most common themes covered include:

  • Personal growth
  • Family and relationships
  • Navigating personal identity
  • Experiencing a different culture
  • Mental health
  • Spirituality and faith

The memoir writing prompts below will cover these themes and more!

75+ memoir writing prompts you can use today

1. Share how the people you spend the most time with shape and influence your life on a day-to-day basis.

2. Explain the lessons your childhood pet taught you about caring for others.

3. Write about a traumatic experience in your life and how you overcame it.

4. Share how you approach your mental health and why this matters to you.

5. Write about the impact having siblings, or being an only child, had on you growing up.

6. Teach others how you made it through a big regret and how they can too.

7. Pretend to write an adventure book opening by sharing the highs and lows involved in reaching where you are today.

8. Write about the importance of pouring into others. 

9. Choose your most influential mentors and share the three lessons they taught you. 

10. Write about how your favorite moments have inspired you to keep going.

11. Share your favorite childhood memory and why it stands out to you.

12. Teach the bigger lesson learning to drive taught you. 

13. Describe a moment you messed up and how you responded.

14. Write about how your hometown has influenced your worldview.

15. Did you love or dislike school as a child? Why?

16. What books have most influenced you?

17. What themes most influenced your childhood?

18. How did you make friends as a teenager, and what does this reveal about you?

19. Share a moment you thought all was lost and how you pressed on.

20. What emotion do holidays evoke for you?

21. What do you deeply believe, and how does this impact your daily life?

22. Share lessons you wish you’d known in your twenties.

23. Write about a time you felt meaningless and what helped you find hope.

24. What is your favorite travel location and why?

25. Who is the most unique person you’ve met?

26. When did you realize you had grown up?

27. What has taught you the most about yourself and those in your community?

28. How has your growing independence or interdependence shaped you?

29. Write about why you feel you must write your memoir.

30. Who most inspires you and why?

31. Explain a time you felt your most confident. 

32. If you had to relive one year of your life, which one would it be and why?

33. Talk about a time you felt better than someone and what you learned about the worth of others.

34. Describe what lengths you would go for the person you most love (consider the relationship tropes that show up in your own life).

35. Write about how you balance hope with difficulty. 

36. When did someone give you a second chance, and how did it make you feel?

37. Write about the most influential people in your life and how they helped shape who you are.

38. Dive into your greatest hopes for your future.

39. What historical event most shaped how you live today?

40. From your experience, explain how to move forward.

41. If you had to live in a new city, where would you choose and why?

42. Describe your ideal friend. 

43. Define your view of success.

44. Discuss who you aspire to be like.

45. Write about what you learned from starting fresh.

46. What was the moment you most wished you could start over, and why?

47. How has your childhood influenced today’s decisions? 

48. Write about a success you had early in life and what it taught you about humility.

49. What’s a big choice you made that, if you hadn’t, you’d greatly regret?

50. If you could share one lesson with the childhood version of you, what would it be and why?

51. Write about a time you hurt someone and what it taught you about forgiveness.

52. What makes you most afraid, and what can readers learn from you about facing fear?

53. Dive into where you see yourself in five years and if your past plays a role in your future.

54. What did you think would make you happy, and upon achieving/obtaining it, how did you feel?

55. Write about a difficult relationship you had and how you worked through it.

56. What leadership techniques did you learn from those who raised you, and are you thankful you learned them or working to learn healthier ones?

57. What did your biggest loss teach you about love?

58. What drives your daily choices, fear, bravery, or something else, and why?

59. If you had to switch lives with one person, what would they learn from your decisions?

60. Write about the town you grew up in and how it’s shaped your perspective on life.

61. What is the earliest memory you have, and why do you think it stuck with you?

62. Define where you thought you’d be in life today, where you are, and how you feel about it.

63. Reflect on how your lifestyle today speaks to your childhood.

64. Invite readers into your thought process for one of your biggest life decisions. 

65. Write about one of your biggest regrets, and teach others going through the same thing how to deal with it.

66. Discuss what movies have most influenced your life and why.

67. Start a gratitude journal and write about the happiest time in your life and what that moment taught you.

68. Talk about a conversation you were nervous to have and how you approached it.

69. What prompts you to get out of bed and begin your day every morning?

70. Elaborate on your post-high school life trajectory. What would you do differently, and what would you keep the same?

71. What situation devastated you, and how can your resilience bring hope to others in similar places? 

72. Describe one of your most proud moments and how this memory impacts you today. 

73. What is one aspect you wish you could change about yourself, and how can others learn from this?

74. What historical moment did you experience that others could learn from?

75. Describe a scary event that helped you grow.

76. Write about your favorite vacation memory.

77. Write about the greatest lesson you ever learned and how others can learn from your journey.

How to use memoir writing prompts for your book

Writing a memoir is a deeply personal experience.

No one can tell your story for you. But, you can use tools to improve your writing , explore different themes in books , and inspire you to share your memories in new ways. Whether you found a few memoir writing prompts from the list above or you want to use our memoir writing prompt generator, here are our tips for using prompts in your writing.

  • Choose a prompt: Select a memoir writing prompt that resonates with you or relates to the theme or aspect of your life you want to explore in your memoir. If you are using the prompts generator, input your book genre and share a few more details about yourself to get a list of unlimited prompts.
  • Reflect: Take some time to think about the prompt and how it connects to your experiences. Consider the emotions, memories, and lessons associated with it.
  • Write freely: Start writing. Give yourself permission to not think about grammar, structure, or editing . Let your thoughts flow and capture every last memory and feeling that comes up.
  • Expand upon the learning moments: Revisit your work after the initial writing session. Hone in on the moments that you learned something – the moments that others would benefit from reading and learning about.
  • Omit the deeply personal things: Remember that memoir writing can be therapeutic, but the purpose is to entertain or teach. You will have strangers reading these details, so make sure you don't overshare or make claims against someone else.
  • Repeat: Use different memoir writing prompts to explore various aspects of your life. Over time, you can weave these pieces together into a cohesive narrative.

Further reading

Not finished? I've compiled a list of blogs that we've written specifically to help authors like you write better memoirs.

  • How to Write a Memoir That People Will Read
  • Memoir Writing Do’s and Don’ts
  • Autobiography vs Memoir: Which One Should You Write?
  • How to Write a Memoir Outline
  • 15 Best Book Writing Software Options in 2023
  • I’m Glad My Mom Died: A Review of the Unflinching Jennette McCurdy Memoir
  • The 18 Most Memorable Moments in the Prince Harry Memoir

memoir writing practice

FREE EBOOK & AUDIOBOOK

The proven path from blank page to 10,000 copies sold

Related posts

Business, Non-Fiction

How to Get More Patients With a Book & Brand

The six-word memoir: an exercise on short, powerful stories, memoir vs biography: spotting the genre differences.

WRITE, READ, LIVE

BrendaSmitJames

Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Practice Explained

  • April 21, 2021

This is how I use Natalie Goldberg’s writing practice in my life as a writer.

Notebook with pencil for the writer's life

I started with Natalie Goldberg’s writing practice after I bought her book, Wild Mind, Living the Writer's Life .

I had previously been introduced to her writing practice in her bestseller, Writing Down the Bones . But it was after reading Wild Mind that I decided to introduce this writing practice to strengthen my writing. Before I explain how I am using Natalie Goldberg’s writing practice in my life as a writer, I think we need to first clarify the term writing practice .

Writing Practice is often used to refer to any exercise or routine a writer uses to enrich her writing life. In which case, she could choose to have a writing practice that includes journaling, note-taking, meditation, or even taking a regular walk. It can be any practice that forms and helps her to establish her life as a writer. I like to use the term writing practice to specifically refer to a writing exercise that a writer does before starting her writing day. This is the way that Natalie Goldberg uses the term too.

A good writing practice is foundational to a writer's life. It disciplines our writing life, it warms up the writing muse, and it helps to get our ego out the way. Here is how I have incorporated Natalie Goldberg’s writing practice into my writing life.

  • It is a timed session

I set the timer on my cellphone for 10 to 15 minutes. Natalie Goldberg recommends 10 minutes minimum. She mentions that you can do a longer session and that you can break it up: do 10 minutes, take a break, and do another 10 minutes. I do 10 to 15 minutes in one sitting. I find that is enough for me. I do not think that it matters how long we do it for. Rather, it is more important that we do it, and as regularly as possible.

  • Focus on writing a scene or a memory

Natalie Goldberg recommends that we write about something specific. This writing practice is neither power journaling nor journaling. I confused the three for the longest time.

Journaling is a deep dive into your inner thoughts whereas power journaling is free flow writing and stream of consciousness writing. With power journaling you would start writing and keep writing for the full 10 minutes without a care of where it goes. There is some overlap with Natalie Goldberg’s writing practice as it involves constant writing for the allotted time and being open to wherever your writing takes you. But the starting point is intentional, and a focus of the writing practice is to practice a particular element of writing such as dialogue, setting or characterisation.

To do that choose an intro for whatever you are going to write about. Natalie Goldberg suggests short intros such as I remember, I need, or I see. As a memoir writer, I have found I like to use a phrase like when I was six . It is easy enough to change the age and to draw on a memory of another age for my next writing practice. I have found that this phrase helps with memoir writing as it will often bring a strong memory to mind more so than the statements Natalie Goldberg suggests.

Here is an example. In my writing practice I wrote, ‘when I was 6, we got a puppy’. Which we did, and then I wrote all I could remember about a particular image or memory related to that puppy, starting with the day we got him. In another session I wrote about the memory of the day he was run over on the street and we had to leave him to die alone, wrapped in his blanket, in the laundry sink.

Once you have that image this is what we do next:

  • Keep that pen moving

I mean it, keep your pen moving. You are not going to stop. You are not going to pause to scratch your head. You are not going to chew on your pen and wonder what the next thing is you want to say. Nor are you going to break the flow and look out the window. You are going to keep that pen writing.

The purpose of starting the practice with a short statement, such as I remember, is that every time you do pause or falter, you start again with that first statement. There is no reason to pause because if you do stumble you know exactly what you are going to say next.

  • Move the editor out of the way

The purpose of keeping the pen moving, according to Natalie Goldberg, is to move the editor to the sideline and to leave the creator writing. The creator gets to write, and the editor exits the room. The problem with the editor is that she starts to speak while we are writing and she says thinks like, “oh, can you say that?” – “should you say that?” – “does that make sense?” or even “is that grammatically correct?”. This is not a good move. We want the editor far away so that we can keep on writing. By keeping the pen moving the editor has no time to chime in.

  • Say it whichever which way you want

Use the opening statement or phrase to get you going and then write whatever you want. Feel free to express yourself or to describe your memory anyway you please. Do not let the editor tell you that you cannot say it that way or that you cannot use that word or that ladies do not speak in that fashion. You are going to write it anyway you darn well please. This is no place for your public perfect persona, no miss prim-and-proper, no anything like that. Simply express yourself the way you want to say it.

According to Natalie Goldberg, the reason for this is to give expression to our inner voice. You may find that you start saying something you never expected to say, or something gets written that surprises you. This, as far as Natalie Goldberg is concerned, is an integral part of a writing practice.

To achieve this freedom in writing, I have had to realize that grammar, punctuation, technicalities of writing, elements of style, and whether I have expressed a complete thought or not, simply do not matter. Period. Sometimes I write a thought that does not follow the other thought well at all. It is a bit like a child who starts coloring in and colors outside the lines. That flies in the face of my perfectionism which is the whole idea. I have even turned my journal upside down and written in it back to front.

You get the picture.

The focus is to free the authentic voice. Give yourself permission to write badly. The technicalities of writing and editing come later.

  • Be as specific as possible

Picture it and write it as clearly as you can. Add in the detail. Add in the colour of the blanket the puppy was wrapped in. Novelist, John Gardner, in his book On Becoming a Novelist said that ‘detail is the lifeblood of fiction’. I think it is the lifeblood of all good writing and your writing practice is a good place to practice just that.

Do not simply take it from me. I recommend that you get one of Natalie Goldberg’s books to guide you. If you are going to choose only one, make it Writing Down the Bones. It is a classic and a good place to start to develop your writing practice and to hone your life as a writer.

Click here  to watch my video on this topic on my YouTube channel, Brenda Smit-James Write Your Story .

You can find links to my  t hree most recent blog posts right here .

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed using http://brendasmitjames.myshopify.com/blogs/all-about-memoir.atom.

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Google
  • Share on Pinterest

Hi Brenda, this was very helpful. I think one of the things that has always “put me off” writing, is the technical element. Having to follow rules and follow protocols. I know they are vital and I have put off learning them or giving them any attention. BUT, this blog has been very helpful. Its gentle and easy to understand and do. So as an introduction to following some “rules” this is fabulous! Thank you!

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

Why Write a Memoir?

Why Write a Memoir?

  • Share this:

Guest post by Laura Waterman

If we write to gain an understanding of ourselves, memoir is the form in which such writing can take place. 

In my memoir, Calling Wild Places Home , I devoted an essay to how making one phone call changed my life.  This, at the time, I couldn’t have seen.  I was much too wrapped up in my daily life to see how becoming a rock climber—and everything that came from that—evolved from a relatively casual decision to pick up the telephone and call to register for the Appalachian Mountain Club’s program for beginner rock climbers.

Memoir writing can be about those pivotal events that lead you into a greater understanding of your life. 

But here’s the catch.  Here’s the great thing about memoir.  What made me make that call?   Here’s where the real work begins.  For me, I had recently returned from a months-long trip and found myself unable to pick up my old life in the city again.  I was looking for a way out, though I was hardly aware of this.  At that point, just getting out of the city on weekends sounded good to me.  And then what happened?  That’s how we memoirists start, as we say, “peeling the onion.” 

In writing memoir we are given the chance to engage with ourselves at a deep level.  We can take a “backward glance,” as Edith Wharton titled her autobiography.  This great writer was not writing a memoir, but I’ll use her evocative phrase to serve as a stepping-off point for memoir writers.  I’ve come to think of memoir writing as a “backward glance,” plus .  For me the plus means this backward glance can become a scrutiny, a microscopic examination, an exercise in a form that has the power to change our lives.  Writing memoir puts us on the path to focus on events that have, for better or worse, shaped us.  Through writing memoir, we gain an understanding of the mechanics of how that shaping happened.  We gain self-knowledge.  We learn who we are. 

Of course, we will never discover ourselves completely because we are always being changed by the daily experience of our living.  We are like the onion:  another fold is beneath the one just peeled.  You can keep on peeling until a tiny invisible center is left.  That could be peeled too, if you had the tools for it. 

Memoir writing gives us those tools.   The hardest part is to begin. 

The interesting thing about this peeling—of the onion, of your own inner core of emotions and often tangled thoughts—is that with every layer peeled you gain.  Memoir writing is pure gain.  It’s highly personal.  You are confronting your past.  By doing so you risk evoking thoughts, or scenes, that can cause pain.  But if you stick with it, the pain eases.  It’s not gone.  It’s just waiting for you to return, with pen and paper in hand, to keep peeling.  It might feel never ending, but every revision gets you closer, deeper into an understanding.    

Yes!  That “backward glance plus ” can turn into hard work.  Scary work.  When we touch these memories they can burn our fingers.  You shy back, pull away.  You bury those pages in a deep dark drawer.  But, ah!  You can’t help yourself.  Despite your stinging fingers you’re compelled to pick up your work again.  You might battle back and forth, but at some point you get caught up in what you’re discovering.  It feels true.  And the other side of that is, you’ll know when it’s not true.  You’ll feel yourself cringe, when you read over your work, if you’re lying to yourself.  Or even if you’re just skimming the surface.  And that is because you’re dealing with emotions, and emotions never lie.  Memory cannot be trusted, but the emotions contained in the memory don’t change.  Emotions can be complex and confusing, but they speak the truth.   There is an emotional truth to events that we disregard at our peril, and it is the grist in the memoirist’s mill. 

With my first memoir, Losing the Garden , I wrote five or six drafts that went no deeper than the first two or three peels of that onion.  What made me find the courage to continue?  The subject was my husband’s choice to take his own life.  I was finding that to continue on with mine I needed to find out who I was, particularly why I morally supported his decision.  Now I was on the right path—true and honest.  It took a good half dozen more drafts. 

This new memoir, Calling Wild Places Home , is another attempt at a scrutinizing “backward glance” from twenty plus years after my husband’s death.  There is always more to discover.  With the passage of time we learn about how past events can affect and change us.  That’s the glory of writing memoir!  We’ve hit our stride when we commit to the form that can not only bring healing but joy as well.  Have I come to the end?  Have I finished the job?  Oh, no!  We are always growing and changing.  Our emotions, if we let them, will be our true guide, our lodestone. 

We are writing to explain ourselves to ourselves.  I believe that even if we choose not to publish our work, an act of sharing takes place:  we have become more human—more ourselves—in the course of gaining self-understanding.

Laura Waterman  is the author of  Losing the Garden: The Story of a Marriage  and  Starvation Shore: A Novel . With her husband, Guy Waterman, she maintained the Franconia Ridge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire for almost two decades and was awarded the American Alpine Club's 2012 David R. Brower Award for outstanding service in mountain conservation. Together, she and Guy wrote numerous articles and books on the outdoors, including  The Green Guide to Low-Impact Hiking and Camping ;  Wilderness Ethics: Preserving the Spirit of Wildness ;  Yankee Rock & Ice: A History of Climbing in the Northeastern United States ; and  A Fine Kind of Madness: Mountain Adventures Tall and True . In 2019, SUNY Press published the thirtieth-anniversary edition of their book  Forest and Crag: A History of Hiking, Trail Blazing, and Adventure in the Northeast Mountains . Laura lives in Vermont.

Books Mentioned In This Post

memoir writing practice

Calling Wild Places Home

A Memoir in Essays

memoir writing practice

Expanding the Public Service View

Writing Workshops: Creative Writing: Memoir Writing

 Are you interested in learning how to write a memoir, but don't know where to start? Well look no further! Take your skills to new heights with our Creative Writing Workshop! Learn  the structure of a memoir, elements, and also read examples and excerpts of memoirs. We will also work on creating our own  short memoirs.

 Memoir Writing

  • Audience: Adults

Ronit-Plank-Logo

February words of support for your memoir writing practice

  • Ronit Feinglass Plank
  • February 9, 2024

memoir writing practice

Having trouble fending off your memoir doubts?  Worried your memoir is “navel-gazing”? 

In the best possible ways memoir is not just about you..

When I first began drafting what would become my memoir  When She Comes Back  one of my biggest hurdles was thinking of my story as worth telling or necessary. The world is often such a heartbreaking place that contemplating our own distress can feel overwhelming and less crucial by comparison. Back before I embarked on this memoir life I often asked myself why I should add my voice to the myriad books already written. But these many years later I have answers I didn’t then. Here are a few I want to share with you.

Memoir for empathy

Engaging our emotional curiosity while writing memoir even without the promise of concrete answers or closure keeps us open and searching and alive. The more emotional room we make to understand the behavior of others as well as our own, the more emotional room we have available to us. There’s no limit to the compassion in the world and memoir has an expansive effect. When we read and write memoir we tap into curiosity and our capacity for empathy grows.

Memoir for survival

Memoirists have lived through illness, the death of a loved one, adverse childhood experiences, the failure of a marriage, the discovery of the most dangerous family secrets, the loss of homeland. Then they do the hard work of reckoning on the page for the reader, excavating their patterns and relationships to better understand what these events have meant and how they have forever transformed the memoirist. When we read and write memoir we uncover past injuries, discover clues in our behavior, and learn more about what matters to us. Facing the most difficult truths about ourselves we become stronger; we can begin to heal. To read and write memoir is to bear witness to how we survive.

Memoir for readers

Adult nonfiction has been the  most popular book category  based on unit sales for many years and within that category on Amazon the most popular genre is currently  Memoir & Autobiography.   Readers care about people and are interested in their narratives whether they are famous or not. They want to read real stories by writers they can relate to. When readers encounter memoir they see that they are not alone, might be inspired try to better understand the loved ones with whom they have conflict, find the courage they need to change their lives. Writing memoir is not only for the memoirist, it is a generous, brave act.

This is the first of many Memoir Moments that I’ll be sending you. Feel free to share Memoir Moments with writers and readers who you think would appreciate memoir inspiration and craft advice and if someone sent this to you, you can subscribe  here  and get future installments directly to your inbox.

Upcoming event!

I’m excited for this upcoming book event at Third Place Books in Seattle, at Seward Park on 2/27/24 at 7:00! I’ll be in conversation with Suzette Mullen whose new book is The Only Way Through is Out, a coming-out and coming-of-age story, as well as a call to action for every person who is longing to live authentically but is afraid of the cost.

The event is free and here is more information: https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/event/suzette-mullen

On Let’s Talk Memoir

memoir writing practice

-Eileen Vorbach Collins is on the show this week for a conversation about putting child loss into words, reflection, change and growth in memoir, and when she knew her book Love in the Archives was ready. Listen here.

  Coming up!

-Rosa Lowinger joins me for a conversation about her new memoir about growing up in Cuba, her career in art restoration, and her new memoir Dwell Time.

-Jane Wong joins me for a conversation about her new bracing and poetic memoir Meet Me Tonight in Atlantic City.

Recent appearance

memoir writing practice

I’ve got lots more fun stuff coming up including a Memoir-Ask-Me-Anything announcement in March. Stay tuned!

Thank you for being here. XO, Ronit

ABOUT RONIT

memoir writing practice

Sign up here for podcast episodes and book news delivered to your inbox!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

THANKS FOR READING!

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

I’m thrilled to announce my memoir When She Comes Back (Motina Books 2021) is now available for purchase. 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠 is a coming-of-age memoir set in the 70s and 80s about losing my mother to a guru in India, giving up power, growing up too fast, and what happens when the person your life revolves around can’t stay.

memoir writing practice

Learn more about Ronit Plank’s story here . 

memoir writing practice

Get the audiobook of my memoir When She Comes Back when you sign up for Memoir Moments, my monthly newsletter.

The Write Practice

Get the 10 Best Tools for Memoir Writers

What are the BEST tools to write and edit a memoir? Download the list of our favorite tools for memoir writers here. It's FREE.

The Write Practice | Copyright 2020

IMAGES

  1. How to Write a Memoir

    memoir writing practice

  2. How To Write A Memoir

    memoir writing practice

  3. Memoir Writing 101: How to Use Journaling to Tell Your Story

    memoir writing practice

  4. 63 Memoir Writing Prompts With Examples

    memoir writing practice

  5. How To Write Memoir

    memoir writing practice

  6. How to Write a Memoir with 13 Key Elements All Memoirs Need

    memoir writing practice

VIDEO

  1. Memoir

  2. Tips for Writing Memoir from On Writing Well by William Zinsser #writing #storytelling #memoir

  3. Synopsis Writing Tips for Memoir

COMMENTS

  1. How to Write a Memoir: Examples and a Step-by-Step Guide

    A memoir is defined by Lee Gutkind as "true stories, well told.". For a piece of writing to be called a memoir, it has to be: Based on the raw material of your life and your memories. Written from your personal perspective. At this point, memoirs are beginning to sound an awful lot like autobiographies.

  2. Write a Great Memoir: How to Start (and Actually ...

    " When you're getting started writing a memoir, don't just start writing about the first thing you remember. Tweet this If you want to finish your memoir, and even more, write a good memoir, just starting with the first memory you can think of will make things much harder for you. Instead, get started with a memoir plan. What's a memoir plan?

  3. The Twenty Top Tips for Writing Memoir

    6. All Memoir Must Include Transcendence. What goes into a memoir? Many wonderful things, though one of them is transcendence. Something has to shift. To change. To grow. 7. How to Start Writing Every Day. The greatest challenge to your writing is that you need a writing practice. You are not writing every day. Let's change that. 8.

  4. How to Write a Memoir: Turn Your Personal Story Into a ...

    1. Figure out who you're writing for 2. Narrow down your memoir's focus 3. Distill the story into a logline 4. Choose the key moments to share 5. Don't skimp on the details and dialogue 6. Portray yourself honestly 🎒Turn your personal life stories into a successful memoir in 6 steps! Click to tweet! 1. Figure out who you're writing for

  5. Change the World With Your Memoir: Jeff Goins' 3 ...

    Memoir Rule #1: It Must Be Interesting The biggest mistake you can make in telling your story is to tell it all. To expose every detail and explain every aspect of what happened. To tell us every word everyone said. The problem is our stories are rarely as interesting as we think.

  6. How to Write a Memoir: 7 Ways to Tell a Powerful Story

    1. Narrow Your Focus 2. Include More than Just Your Story 3. Tell the Truth 4. Put Your Readers in Your Shoes 5. Employ Elements of Fiction to Bring Your Story to Life 6. Create an Emotional Journey 7. Showcase Your Personal Growth Memoir Examples as Inspiration Examples of Memoirs that Use an Effective Structure Examples of Thematic Memoirs

  7. How to Write Your Memoir in 6 Simple Steps (With Examples)

    Jump To Section What Is a Memoir? A memoir is a nonfiction book that presents a firsthand retelling of a period in an author's own life. It does not document the memoirist's entire life story but rather a selected era or a specific multi-era journey.

  8. 6 Tips for Writing a Memoir

    6 Tips for Writing a Memoir. Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Sep 3, 2021 • 3 min read. Everyone is the main character in their own story, and since the advent of writing, people have had the urge to write about their own life experience. Today, we call these first-personal accounts "memoirs.". Everyone is the main character in their ...

  9. The Complete Guide to Writing a Memoir

    Step 6: Have Someone Read It. Having other people read your book is an important step in any book writing process. Authors are limited in how critical they can be of their own work, especially memoir writers. It's the story of your life, and it's impossible to read with a truly outside viewpoint.

  10. 19 Tips on Writing Memoir from The Memoir Project ...

    1. A memoir is not an autobiography. An autobiography is a book-length depiction of one's entire life. A memoir depicts a specific aspect of that life. 2. Pay attention to detail. I want to know all about the smell of bacon frying, and how the bullet hole was put in the kitchen tile. 3. Use your own voice. Don't pretend to be someone you are not. "

  11. Everything You Need to Know About Writing a Memoir

    15 Jan Everything You Need to Know About Writing a Memoir Table of Contents Introduction What Types of Memoirs Are There? Preparing to Write a Memoir How to Choose a Theme for Your Memoir How to Create a Memoir Outline Publishing Your Memoir Introduction Today I'm talking about a captivating, life-changing, beautiful story. Yours.

  12. 63 Memoir Writing Prompts With Examples

    From What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami, a memoir about the fluidity of running and writing. 7. "The soil in Leitrim is poor, in places no more than an inch deep. " From All Will be Well, Irish writer John McGahern's recounting of his troubled childhood. 8.

  13. 3 Writing Practices To Make You A Better Memoir Writer

    Apr 18 Written By Rhiannon Richardson Ready to take the leap and write about your life? Memoir writing is a personal and devoted practice unlike any other nonfiction. It commands a certain self-awareness and willingness to engage with your past that can make the task itself daunting.

  14. Micro Memoir: Writing Your Life in 200 Words or Less

    We will review published examples of micro-memoir (in The New York Times Tiny Love Stories (100 words), Metropolitan Diary, River Teeth's Tiny Beautiful Things, and more) to see why they entertained, resonated with or compelled the reader, and practice creative nonfiction writing techniques like listing, using description and detail, the six ...

  15. How to Start Writing a Memoir: 10 Tips for Starting Your Memoir

    Written by MasterClass Last updated: Aug 30, 2021 • 4 min read Writing a memoir based on your own experience requires a good overarching story, but in order to make an impression on the reader from page one, it's important to craft an especially strong opening. When you write a memoir, begin with a dramatic hook that makes the reader want more.

  16. Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir

    Natalie Goldberg. 51 books1,113 followers. Natalie Goldberg lived in Brooklyn until she was six, when her family moved out to Farmingdale, Long Island, where her father owned the bar the Aero Tavern. From a young age, Goldberg was mad for books and reading, and especially loved Carson McCullers's The Ballad of the Sad Cafe , which she read in ...

  17. These Memoir Writing Exercises Will Max Your Potential

    By Denis Ledoux on January 18, 2024 Since memoirs appeal to the heart rather than to the mind of the reader—one might say, it is developmentally important to create a reading experience that addresses the reader's emotions. One effective way of doing this is to use images. The images I want to present today are similes and metaphors.

  18. 10 Memoir Writing Prompts to Get Your Life Story Started

    1. Afraid " Memoir writing prompt: What is one moment where you were afraid to do something but did it anyway? Tell the story. Tweet this 2. Area of Expertise Make a list of every area of expertise you have, e.g. writing, playing an instrument, the history of 18th century French history, etc.

  19. 75+ Memoir Writing Prompts to Inspire Your Next Book

    75+ memoir writing prompts you can use today. 1. Share how the people you spend the most time with shape and influence your life on a day-to-day basis. 2. Explain the lessons your childhood pet taught you about caring for others. 3. Write about a traumatic experience in your life and how you overcame it. 4. Share how you approach your mental ...

  20. Natalie Goldberg's Writing Practice Explained

    Here is how I have incorporated Natalie Goldberg's writing practice into my writing life. It is a timed session. I set the timer on my cellphone for 10 to 15 minutes. Natalie Goldberg recommends 10 minutes minimum. She mentions that you can do a longer session and that you can break it up: do 10 minutes, take a break, and do another 10 minutes.

  21. Why Write a Memoir?

    Through writing memoir, we gain an understanding of the mechanics of how that shaping happened. We gain self-knowledge. We learn who we are. Of course, we will never discover ourselves completely because we are always being changed by the daily experience of our living. We are like the onion: another fold is beneath the one just peeled.

  22. 10 Tools Every Memoir Writer Needs

    10 Tools Every Memoir Writer Needs Start your memoir right. Get the memoir plan, a proven 10-step process to write and finish your memoir. CLICK TO GET THE GUIDE Âť To write a great memoir you need the best tools. Get the guide with the memoir writing software used by professional writers.

  23. Creative Writing: Memoir Writing

    Writing Workshops: Creative Writing: Memoir Writing. Date and Time. Tuesday, February 13, 2024, 5 - 6:30 PM; Tuesday, February 20, 2024, 5 - 6:30 PM; Location. Community Room. Parkchester Library. Event Details Are you interested in learning how to write a memoir, but don't know where to start?

  24. February words of support for your memoir writing practice

    Memoir for empathy. Engaging our emotional curiosity while writing memoir even without the promise of concrete answers or closure keeps us open and searching and alive. The more emotional room we make to understand the behavior of others as well as our own, the more emotional room we have available to us. There's no limit to the compassion in ...

  25. 10 Tools Every Memoir Writer Needs

    10 Tools Every Memoir Writer Needs Get the 10 Best Tools for Memoir Writers What are the BEST tools to write and edit a memoir? Download the list of our favorite tools for memoir writers here. It's FREE. CLICK TO GET THE GUIDE Âť To write a great memoir you need the best tools.