If you are thinking of writing a memoir of your very own, you should know that there are a myriad of things you should take account of. This is especially true if you are just starting out as a writer. Being a beginner you would understandably not know where to begin and the process could get confusing fairly quickly. And seeing as memoir writing requires you to write about your experiences as honestly as possible, you will need a set plan on how to write properly.
And seeing as memoir writing requires you to write about your experiences as honestly as possible, you will need a set plan on how to write properly. Here are 5 highly effective memoir writing tips for beginner writers. Be as honest as possible. If there is one thing you should remember when writing your memoir, it is to be as honest as. People read memoirs for very specific reasons. If you are a new author, it's likely that whoever is purchasing your memoir is just being introduced to you. Writing a memoir can take months (if not years) of your life. To cut down on your chances of disappointment down the road, you need to know what you’re writing, and for whom. First, make sure you’re completely clear about what a memoir is, and how it differs from an autobiography. To write a memoir designed to satisfy and engage readers, strive to meet the following expectations: A sympathetic main character: A reader’s sympathy and interest doesn’t come for free. You have to earn it. Vividly depicted scenes: A vividly depicted scene has strong imagery that. How to Write a Memoir Step 1. Settle On Your Theme. Your unstated theme must be, “You’re not alone. That’s what appeals to readers. Select Your Anecdotes. The best memoirs let readers see themselves in your story so they can identify with your. Outline Your Book.
Here are 5 highly effective memoir writing tips for
beginner writers.
1. Be as honest as possible
If there is one thing you should remember when writing your memoir, it is to be as honest as possible. This is because your readers are giving you the benefit of the doubt. They believe that what you tell them is the truth. They believe that the events that state in your memoir really happened. You can use monikers or change some of the character’s names if you want to preserve their identities. But as for the events and the effect that they have on your life, you should be as truthful as possible.
2. Have a set theme
Aside from being as honest as possible, it is important that your memoir follows a set overall theme. It could be progress, redemption, regret or forgiveness. It can technically be anything you can think of. For example, you are writing a memoir on your childhood. And because you are looking back on your past, the theme of your memoir could be about nostalgia. All in all, it always helps to have a set theme, because it brings all of the memories and recollections together.
3. Choose a specific memory to write about
When you write your memoir, it always helps that you choose a specific set of memories to write about. For example, you are writing about your early teenage years. So the specific memory should encapsulate the entirety of your early years as a teenager. This memory could be the first time you fell in love, first instances of your puberty or the first time you kissed someone.
4. Infuse emotion into your writing
Seeing as memoires take a great deal of introspection to write, it always pays to infuse emotion into your writing. This is because the more emotion you put into your writing, the more likely it will capture your reader’s attentions. It will also make your writing a lot more relatable and can even earn the empathy of your readers. Just make sure that you don’t make your writing too emotional. Because it might come out as cloying or oversentimental.
5. Show your growth as person
It is very important that you show your growth as a person, throughout the entire memoir. Remember that the main reason why your readers even read your memoir, is that they want to know how you evolved as a person. They want to see how the trials and tribulations shaped your perceptions on life. And if you fail to do this, it might annoy your readers, and they will deem your work as irrelevant or pointless. Overall, it always pays to show your growth as a person.
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If you have been struggling with mental illness for a while like I have, you probably have heard repeatedly that you should write down your feelings. I did this. I did this when I started purging every day before school at age 10. I have three huge storage boxes of journals.
Did it help?
I’m not sure. I was completely alone in my deteriorating world. My friends didn’t understand, and my parents offered me Bible verses instead of an appointment with a good therapist. I locked myself in my room for most of my teenage years and sometimes my only source of comfort was a blank page.
Fast-forward and I am 43, a mom of three and still struggling with anxiety and depression. I have been medicated for the past 10 years and go to therapy weekly. I am in charge of my own mental health and you know what I do for comfort on a Sunday when I feel that debilitating anxiety creeping into my gut? I write. And what did I do when we locked our doors a year ago to quarantine while people around us were dying? I sat on the corner of my bed and wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote.
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I always knew I was going to write a memoir, tell my story so others could see it, could see me. I tried to write it years ago, but the story had not cured. It was not ready, probably because I was not ready. But, when COVID-19 came and we were all in this mess, the boat, wondering if any of us would survive, I finally wrote my memoir.
I started at the beginning. I started by talking about how much fear I had in the house with my mother who was so vacant, only to find out later she had undiagnosed borderline personality disorder (BPD). I always thought she just found me disgusting. I wrote about the evangelical church I went to every week and the exorcisms and the speaking in tongues. And I wrote about the private, Christian school where they paddled my friends, duct-taped our mouths shut and tied us to the chairs if we got up too often.
All these things contributed to feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of self-harm. When I had my daughter, I found new courage. I put up healthy boundaries with my mother who was still trying to insert her will into my life. Yelling at her in the middle of my yard was the climax of my story — the point in which I said, “No more.” After that moment, I knew I had to fight for my health like my life depended on it. And it did. I had two more children, a husband and a life to fight for.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m not still struggling, waking up frozen or crying on the bathroom floor when I’m triggered, but I have gotten up and fought before, and I know I will again. Writing a memoir, my story, has released me from the prison. I feel like I have landed on the shores of the promised land; I have survived. The writing itself offered me clarity. The publishing and offering to friends is to show my vulnerability and quest for connection. But, most of all, it is holding a solid object, words describing my side of the story without interruption. For so much of my life, I felt misunderstood.
Now, I stand in the light and say, this is how it was for me. My memoir is not reactionary, it is just my truth. I feel as though I can take in a breath for the first time in my life. I don’t have to live as the shy, fearful girl. I can live in the freedom I built for myself.
Writing A Memoir Outline
“Starving: A Memoir” by Christen Bensten is now available on Amazon.
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