How to write a memoir

Content

Steps
Method 1 of 3: Consider the storytelling
Method 2 of 3: Create your masterpiece
Method 3 of 3: Sanding work
Tips
Additional articles

Memoirs are an opportunity to put emotions at the forefront and share your experiences with others. If your memories are not written down on paper, innermost emotions can be forgotten. Memoirs validate your life experiences and make your life meaningful. In addition, your memories are invaluable examples for other people to learn from them to enjoy life. Your experiences can become a gift to your children, parents, homeland and the whole world. Only you can tell the story of your life, by the example of which other people will become richer spiritually.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Consider the storytelling

1 Start narrowing the scope of your story. In fact, an interesting memoir is not a story about your life; it is a description of the period of time when you had genuine emotions, a genuine experience. Try to narrow the story of your life by paying attention to any one period of time or event. At the end of the day, you will have to refrain from long rhetoric. If you manage to describe an event or time period in a quality manner, you can reach out to the hearts of any age audience. Start thinking about memorable events in your life:
- What can't you deny?
- What have you left in the past?
- What did you do that went beyond your understanding?
- Do you regret something that you didn't manage to accomplish?
- What side of your personality are you proud of?
- When did you suddenly feel compassion?
- What was too much in your life?
- When did you know you were in trouble?
2 Find old photos, diaries, and objects of nostalgia. They will help you remember experiences you might write about. If you have the opportunity to visit places of memorable events, revive those memories.
- If you cannot immediately recall all the events, this does not mean that they should not be remembered. Memoirs involve the exploration of one's personality. You are not just a human being. Your personality is the places you have visited; the people and things you love.
3 Let your emotions be released. Writing a memoir is an event when emotions should prevail over reason. If the emotions are frightening, absurd, painful, or terrifying, that's for the best. Emotionally liberation will help you live in the present and write with passion; appropriate and clear.
- If thinking brings you a lot of suffering, you don't need to immediately shut yourself off from the outside world. If you stop, your story becomes boring and you end up bouncing around. Move mentally to the place where you would not want to be. Reflection is what you need to know in order to write about a particular event.
- Listen to music that can allegorically take you back in time or change your mood. Anything that touches your soul and makes your mind live for a certain moment can shed light on past events.
4 Experience the possibilities of psychotherapy. Such a technique will not only give you the opportunity to organize your mental activity for an hour or two, but will also allow your opus to become harmonious and creative. The essence of therapy is not itself. Memoirs don't have to end logically; you need to share your memories with other people in order to give a piece of yourself.
- It is quite normal to feel mild insanity. Memories are sure to revive old emotions and you will relive those memories. All you need to do is write down your experiences on paper and clear your soul. Maybe soon you will even find that history is written like clockwork, and an ending that never even crossed your mind looms right in front of you.

Method 2 of 3: Create your masterpiece

1 Be honest. Few have been able to raise good doctors out of their children. Few have spent their best years in Africa treating blind tigers. If your life seems boring on paper, try to take this fact as another challenge to yourself. You are no more boring than the first hundred people you meet on the street. You are just not looking there. You may find the idea attractive, but you don't need to lie. Your readers deserve the best, as do you, but you need to be honest to do that.
- When we remember something, we often remember what feelings we experienced, rather than about the time when the feelings passed. Is this a logical assumption? You don't have to completely and completely trust your memory - ask other people about the course of events. You need an open-minded view of things. In addition, you have the power of the pen in your hands, but you do not need to abuse it.
- It is always very pleasant to read a book by an author who sharply and skillfully condemns the hypocrisy and illusions of the world around him, but we trust the writer who is critical of himself, does not rise above others and defends himself from scrutiny. Describe events honestly, but also evaluate your actions.
- If the reader feels that the author is lying to himself, using his creation for propaganda purposes, or rudely imposing his view of the world, his reaction will be extremely negative. If the reader will feelthat you are honest, you will get approval.
2 Your story must have a beginning and an end. Be direct. There is no need to rush and get confused. Think about the beginning and end of your story before you write it. If your twin sister stole your toy thermos on March 14, 1989, and you finally saw her children in September 2010, so be it. This is the story of your life. You need to fill in all the gaps.
- Remember: this story is entirely yours.What happened may sound crazy and mundane, but if you force yourself to write your life story, your readers will react differently to it.
3 Use factual. Among other things, the memoirs are based on truth. Dates, times, names, people, coincidence of events are important here. Even the smallest details matter. The last thing you should do is lie a little to brighten up the reality. Chances are, you want to change people's names or names to avoid confusion, but if you do that, you are disowning the truth from the beginning.
- Confirm what can be confirmed and make up what can be made up. The time has come to understand who you really are. Your mindset for memories will affect your emotional state every time you remember something. We'll have to put your emotions in order. So strain your gray matter and come to terms with it. Your brains are working outside of time constraints.

Method 3 of 3: Sanding work

1 Review your work. Does it say what you decided to say? Maybe something is missing? Are there unanswered questions? Is the main idea clear? Does it come from you?
- Good memoirs should be entertaining. They do not need to be entertaining, but they should include zest... What will the reader get from your memories? Why should he forget about all his problems and start thinking about your troubles?
- Check not only semantic errors. Also check for grammatical errors, spelling, and punctuation. The computer cannot fix all errors. If you have a close friend or family member who is good at this, ask for help.
2 Cross out the unnecessary. Not everything written is worth its weight in gold. After a pause, start working on critical analysis and deletion of unnecessary things. Remove all unnecessary and duplicates.
- You don't have to remember every moment of your being. If some event does not fit into the general narrative, there is no need to even mention it. Mention only what will lead you to your final goal, without deviating from the main path.
3 Let a few people read your work. After you have reviewed the work as many times as possible, let your closest friends read your memoirs so that they appreciate your efforts. In their comments, you will see certain patterns and directions for further revision. Don't be shy - find a professional editor if you need to.
- If your friends don't like your creation (or they don't like it), be careful. You can't hurt another person's feelings by exposing them in a negative light (or not taking them into account at all). You don't need to force the person to read your memoirs. All you end up with is a negative reaction to what is happening.
- Constructive criticism is vital to your storytelling. Sometimes you may not notice the nuances that others see, so their comments will help improve your work.

Tips

Interesting memoirs are verbally rich: they contain metaphors, comparisons, descriptions, dialogues and emotions. These shapes will help bring your memories to life.
Be kind to yourself. Making a memoir is a very intimate, painful journey through time.
Memoirs differ from autobiography in that they focus on certain events in a person's life. Memoirs by genre are more like a novel. As a rule, the language of memoirs is richer. They include only relevant information - no need to share your whole life story.
Memoirs should consist of an introduction, a middle and an ending. There must also be a problem, a conflict and a solution.