Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Why And How To Write A Memoir

By Carissa Glenn


Most people liked to be heard and hope to be remembered once they pass away. So a common way to be remembered is to have it written down. It is becoming more popular for people to learn how to write a memoir, and here are some tips for those interested.

It is important to know why one wants to write this. For some, it may be a way to leave a legacy for the next generations in the family. But for others, it may be a form of healing for oneself. And yet, for others it might be because they feel they have all this knowledge and wisdom that needs to be shared. Once there is a purpose of writing this, it will serve as the motivation and can help when in a rut.

Now the writer needs to think about what time period they want to cover. Perhaps there was an event that was life transforming, a childhood that was very different to the way children are raised now, or a relationship with a very influential person. There are many different types of memoirs out there that cover very different aspects of the person's life. Think about what events or time periods in life have been the most transforming or the most important, and go from there.

So getting to that point may be difficult. Start by taking a piece of paper and breaking down the past. Make a personal time line that has all the years from birth to present written out and write down any major and memorable events that have happened. Then take a look and see which time period was the most transforming. Maybe it was that backpacking trip through Asia back in college, or maybe it was the birth of a child.

Now try and find what the theme and message of the memoir is. If writing about a tragic accident that took the lives of loved ones, the theme might be the importance of healing oneself. Or maybe for athletes that have made it big, their theme would be, reach for the stars. This theme may take time to figure out and may become more apparent with time while writing the memoir. Once it is identified though, try and have the information in the book support this theme.

The next step is when the fun begins. Writing. For those that are just starting out, it might work best to set aside a half an hour a day for writing. And then over time, increase the time if possible. It is important though to start with baby steps and gradually increase rather than start with an unattainable goal and get discouraged.

For those that actually do not enjoy typing, or have a hard time of transferring their thoughts and memories to paper, there are alternative methods on getting this memoir written. Go and buy or borrow a tape recorder or video camera and see if that is a better way of capturing the stories. Then find a ghostwriter that could transcribe the recordings and write and edit them. This is not for everyone, but could be a good alternative.

Learning how to write a memoir is a huge task, but it will reap invaluable rewards. Just remember that this is about personal experiences and it needs to feel and be honest and entertaining for both the writers and readers sake. It is about sharing a unique perspective and experience that no one else has had. Take the time to write down these memories and continue writing it out. It will take time and patience, but it will be worth it in the end.




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