How to Write A Memoir:

… How should I write my memoir?

We hear that question a lot. 

The answer is: Any way you want to. Just do it.

In his book On Writing Well author William Zinsser said:

“One of the saddest sentences I know is I wish I would have asked my mother about that. Or my father. Or my grandmother. Or grandfather”…

There are many different ways to write your life story memoir and many different books on the subject (Zinsser himself devotes an entire chapter—Chapter 24—to that).

There is no right or wrong way to do it, as long as you do.

My wife, Teri, and I have been helping others to write their life stories for a long time, and we’ve learned a few tricks, such as:

#1. Answer Some Life Story Questions:

You should think about what you want to write about.

Your story can be about your entire life (possibly in chronological order) or about just a certain time period of life (perhaps raising your family, your career, being involved in a war, or any other significant to you or life altering period).

Creating a series of life story questions is also a good way to focus on what you want to write about.

The answers to those questions can become the primary focus and content of your final life story memoir book.

(That is exactly what The Life Writer App does)!

#2. Don’t Record Just the Facts:

Life story facts are important and often times amazing. I don’t know how many times we’ve heard: “…I didn’t know you did that!” from someone looking over another person’s memoir.

Facts about life are certainly needed, but we’ve also found that including your thoughts and feelings about WHY you did the things you did, and what you’ve learned during life can be equally as important and make your story a true gem.

Because that insight is your own.

The readers of your memoir book – and especially your family/friends – want to know what you thought and how you felt!

Please consider including those insights in your life story memoir book along with the facts.

#3. Write in Your Own Voice:

When my wife I began writing life stories for others, we would typically ask the subject of the life story many questions.

We would record their answers and later download (and shape) that content into a smooth flowing narrative, which was eventually put into their life story book.

That process typically worked out well, but on a few occasions a customer might say: “…Do I really talk like that? I don’t like the way I sound (!)”

We have even had a few customers go back and re-write much of their life story, using “The King’s English” with better grammar to make their story read “better”.

Which is totally fine, of course.

But, we suggest that the readers of your life story memoir would like it better if your book was written just the way you normally talk. 

That way, they will actually hear your voice when they read your memoir also.

The result doesn’t get any better! People love that.

#4. Include Valuable Old Photos:

They say a photo is worth a million words; that is true.

But a photo with the story behind the photo is worth a billion words.

(Okay, maybe not THAT many, but certainly WAY MORE than without the story)! 🙂

For example: I have an old photo of my parents the weekend they met (at Wasaga Beach on vacation, in Canada).

They met by accident—after being squeezed into the back seat of a car carrying a group of youngsters into town for a “beverage run.”

(Beer).

Learning the story behind that photo makes it so much more valuable!

I opened this blog with a William Zinsser quote, and I’m going to close it with one also:

“Your first job is to get your (life) story down as you remember it—now. Memories too often die with their owner, and time too often surprises us by running out.”

Please consider his great advice.

Do it now, any way you can, while you can.

You and your family will be very glad you did!

How to Write A Memoir (!)