Day 25: Let's Talk Writing The Story of Your Life

Photo by Ashraful Haque Akash on Unsplash

I have never written a memoir—or the story of my life. So, I’m just going to put that out there before we start.

This post is out of my comfort zone. And, honestly, so is writing a memoir.

But there are a ton of people who have and there are so many resources out there, and I’ve helped other people write theirs. So, let’s get started.

WHAT IS A MEMOIR?

A memoir is usually pretty long (at least 50,000 words) and it’s a book in your own words about your own life. Usually there is a lot of emotional truth within the memoir.

And “in your words” means that the story reads like:

• I sat on the couch, wondering what would happen if the zombie hamsters did take over Bar Harbor, Maine.

Rather than:

• Carrie sat on the couch thinking about what would happen if the zombie hamsters did take over Bar Harbor, Maine.

A memoir isn’t usually the moment-by-moment discussion of your 32 years on Earth. It’s more about the yearning and becoming and the big events of a life.

How is this different from an autobiography? An autobiography tends to recount your whole life. A memoir can just take a piece of it.

Under the paywall (Sorry!) is a ton of hints and examples and an exercise and a place to submit a memoir: totally fun things. Come join me.