Everyone in their life has important stories worth sharing, which is why it is such a great idea to write a memoir! Often when we think of a memoir, we believe that it has to be a wild tale of crazy stories. While a memoir can be a series of crazy stories, it can also be with themes that are much simpler. Anyone can write a memoir, including you!
Here are some tips for you if you are interested in writing a memoir!
Choose your theme
A memoir is not every detail from your life, it is a series of stories or one story in particular. Your memoir should have some common themes that follow your stories such as determination, parenthood, friendship, relationships, finding compassion, coping with loss, coming of age, accepting change, or beginning a new life. Your memoir can also be a combination of these themes.
Narrow down your message
Your theme and the stories you tell will relate to the message you want to get across to your readers. Do you want to tell people that no matter what obstacles come your way, we all have the courage to get through them? Or do you want to others that dreams and goals can be achieved with the right amount of effort? Your message could be about the importance of family and loved ones. You could talk about how although the change in your life seemed scary, it all worked out in the end. Before you begin writing your memoir, it is important to know what you want readers to gain after they finish your novel.
Hook readers on your memoir from the very first page
When writing a memoir, you want readers to immediately become involved in your story. Your opening has to catch their attention and pull them in. I know that when I am shopping for books, something I often do is read the first page. When I open a novel and it has a strong hook, I am more likely to purchase that book. By doing this with your memoir, you already have the focus of readers, and they will want to continue reading.
Make your readers feel
There is so much importance in using emotion in your memoir. Make your readers laugh and cry! The reason using emotion is essential is because emotion builds connections between the reader and author. A memoir is a personal story that you will be sharing with complete strangers. You have to build trust with your readers and giving your memoir emotion and letting your readers feel is the perfect way to do this.
Remember that structure is key
A memoir is a non-fiction book, but you should still use the structure of fiction books while writing your memoir. You must make sure you have a solid beginning, middle, and end to your novel that the reader will easily be able to follow. You also have to set yourself up as the main character, create your setting, and write in the central conflict of your novel. The structure of your novel is just as important as the story itself, because the structure is the foundation for what keeps your story moving.
Keep privacy in mind, but be honest
When writing a memoir, a reader is putting trust in you that your stories are honest and true to your life. The amount of detail you want to include about the events of your life is entirely up to you because these stories are personal but be real when you tell these stories.
The stories about your life that you are including in your memoir may also involve other people. The people in these stories are not characters, they are real people, so it is important for the respect of others to be private. When given permission, it is perfectly fine to use the names of people involved in your stories. If you haven’t been given permission, you can change people’s names or use initials.
We all have experienced life events that have provided us with wisdom and strength. These moments are definitely worth writing about. Sharing stories of your life is a personal but rewarding task because as we learn about other people’s experiences, we can put ourselves in their shoes and understand others in our society. The more connections we make, the better people we become.
Let’s read more!