Essentials of Memoir Writing: What to Write
The most difficult Activity May Be Deciding which Details to Include
Sep 7, 2008
Once the idea of writing your memoir has sprouted, how does one know or decide what to write about? Henry David Thoreau advised, “Direct your eye right inward, and you’ll find a thousand regions in your mind yet undiscovered. Travel them and be expert in home-cosmography.” Here's some ideas.
Romance
Adult children may delight in knowing the details (maybe not ALL the details) of your courtship and marriage, particularly if your meeting, engagement or marriage was unusual in some way.
Adventure
Many people have splendid adventures or arduous ordeals in their lives. Perhaps you’ve made life choices that have taken you down a path less traveled which would make a good memoir.
Often one’s career lends itself to unusual stories. Being a pilot, serving in the military, being a missionary, teaching in a challenging environment, having a career in medicine, being a fireman, policeman, even serving jail time, etc. can provide grist for a great memoir. Even so, being married to someone who has an unusual career can make a tantalizing memoir also.
Some people’s travels make wonderful memoirs, such as Robin Graham’s Dove, Helen Olson’s Sailing Elysium, or Graham MacIntosh's Into a Desert Place. These types of books not only appeal to family, but if they are well done they are easily sold to a niche market.
Survival
People who have near-death experiences or struggles with life threatening diseases have a wealth of information to share with others. Often people find that their values and perspectives about life change when they are faced with death or debilitating illness. What was important one day seems inconsequential the next.
Whether one has battled cancer, stroke or another catastrophic illness, or your struggle was with a child or spouse who faced monumental obstacles, your story can benefit others. Telling of these struggles can be instructive and helpful and perhaps give others the courage to prevail in their own struggles.
Childhoods
Tales of childhood can also make an engaging memoir, whether the tales be one’s own or about the birth and raising of a child.
Moments
Even an isolated moment, or one solitary experience, can be appropriate for a memoir, such as JoAnne Dodgson's Gifts of the Grandmother.
Once chosen, one’s topic will take on a life of its own. For further assistance, there are many books and manuals about to help guide one on this memoir journey. Most books, however, are generic in nature and will not address your needs if you already know specifically what it is you want to write about.
Some writers talk about “sweating blood” and "writer's bloc" in the creative process. You should not have to go to this extreme. If you're having difficulty with your project, perhaps you need to try another event to chronicle, or you need to set your work aside for a bit for some thinking time.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez is quoted as saying, "One of the most difficult things is the first paragraph. I have spent many months on a first paragraph, and once I get it, the rest just comes out very easily."
Writing your memoir will help bring clarity and closure to the particular event that you’re chronicling. It turns out that often one doesn’t really know what one thinks about something until one sees what one writes.
