Do you have a story in you? I am not talking about a 90,000-word work of fiction here. We all have a story in us waiting to be told. Memoirs are selling like hot cakes today. You do not have to be a celebrity to write a memoir. Do you wonder if anyone cares to listen to your story? Yes, so long as you present a true and compelling account of your personal story, people will read your work. A memoir, unlike an autobiography is account of personal experience or memory that is based on a specific theme or time in your life.

Why write a memoir?

You probably wonder why a full-length memoir when you can simply write a personal experience essay. A memoir is a longer piece of work that can be structured into related chapters to cover a lot of ground. A significant story of your life, a story of survival of an illness, relationship struggles, reaching out to family and friends are some reasons to write a memoir. It works as therapy to walk feelings through your head and find a resolution.

Characteristics of a memoir

A memoir unlike an autobiography focuses on a specific theme or series of events in your life or a specific period in your life. The narrative carries your voice while recording events, characters and symbolism. The learning of the memoirist in retrospect is the highlight of a memoir. Unlike fiction, a memoir has a personal touch in the way events are reconstructed; their impact and significance recorded. A memoir often has an emotional appeal.

Writing a memoir & some ideas

Prior to writing a memoir, brainstorm and list out all significant events in your life. Recall all those events that have had a profound positive or negative impact on you.  Speak to family and friends for ideas. Jog your memory for events, people, locations, conversations and settings and write it all down. Your family and friends can help fill the details. Start writing your story – in your own voice. Remember a memoir is a true story; do not embellish it like a piece of fiction. The focus here is on the story itself and not so much on the technical details of the story. A memoir reveals the lessons learnt by the memoirist and maybe even the path forward. It need not necessarily find solutions to a problem; but should carry a meaning and a contemplation of that meaning. You can think of self-publishing your memoir or approaching a publisher who works with this genre. You can even consider a series of essays in print or online magazines.

Memoirs can cover a wide variety of themes or time periods in life. Some examples include writing about surviving a difficult illness, raising dogs, writing letters, motherhood, friendship, relationship/ struggles, choice of profession and awards. Refer to your “diary” or journal for topic inspiration

Think of memoir writing as a simple story of day-to-day things made as interesting as a novel.

- Vidya Prabhakar