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. There is something special about empowering your readers to find answers, healing, and even peace-and knowing your life experiences will help them. These books are a type of “ practical nonfiction ” and are some of my favorites. 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. 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 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).Īfter you settle into your true motivations, the next step is to get absolutely clear about what you want to achieve with your story. 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.Īnd that’s why I’m writing this article. I’ve seen them come up empty at the end of their stories because they’ve chased the wrong plotline. I’ve also seen them run headlong into writer’s block as they struggle with too many words, feelings, and outside opinions. 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 witnessed them flying through a manuscript, alight with memory. After over 20 years of working with authors, I’ve walked through memoir-writing with the most well-intentioned writers.

Writing your memoir will also be a process, and-if I’m honest-a sometimes painful one. 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. If financial gain is at the top of your list, I’d encourage you to discover a stronger driving force. Your first step in writing a memoir is to understand and own your motivations for doing so. You’re reading this article, which means there is a fairly good chance you have a personal story that aches to be released. 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. Real-life experience-life, family, trauma, loss, love-are powerful and profound when shared firsthand with others. And yes, you should tell it.Ī well-written memoir can have blockbuster-worthy plot lines, yet it’s so much more than a paperback by the pool. A tale of love and loss, time and place, luck and opportunity. The life lessons you could only learn through experience. The people you’ve met along the way, who each gave you something extraordinary. It’s a story about the most meaningful parts of your life. Today I’m talking about a captivating, life-changing, beautiful story.

I write like by memoires