For many people, memoir writing is a great way to begin, or to get writing again, since the raw material is so readily available. It is the mixture of people, places and events that have caused us to be who we have become.
Even though the material is in your head, sitting and trying to write your memories down may not be as easy as you expect. Here are some ideas to jump start the process, and then help you develop the ideas that come from the initial exercise.
Start by making a quick list of the people and events that seem important to you, and you feel have helped to shape your life. Don’t stress about this, you can add to the list as ideas come up, it is just a starting point for your memoir writing.
On a fresh page, create two headings, “I used to be” and “Now I am.” From your first list, start to put your memories into the two categories, filling in the second area appropriately. For example, if you wrote in the ‘now’ section, “I work in a continuing care center,” your statement for the first section could be, ‘I loved to visit older relatives because they told great stories.’ It is a system of cause and effect, and will become the basis of your writing.
It may take several days to add and edit your memories, and to recall what or who caused a change, either positive or negative, in your life. Once you have one memory that has special energy for you, start to work out how you will tell that story. Think about what the mood of the story will be. Is it dramatic, reflective, or maybe funny? Consider whether it will have an obvious or a surprise conclusion.
When you have written out the first memory, put it aside and take the time to write out several more stories. The length of each is unimportant, just write what you recall noticing and feeling, and describe the people who were involved in making the memory.
When you have five or six stories written go back and look at them again. Who are the people who appear most frequently? Would someone who doesn’t know these people have a good sense of who they are, or they just a name and role? Try editing your memories so that frequently recurring characters get some ‘flesh’, so the reader grows in their understanding of them and their motivations as they read the stories.
The next step is to go back and make each story easier for the reader to identify with. What were the time or cultural events that appeared in your stories? Can you do a little research and get important facts about the larger picture that impacts your story? Weave this information in to your memory so your reader can understand and relate to your situation.
Keep adding stories based on your lists of memories and what caused them. Edit them to make the characters more real. Now tell a little more about yourself so the reader has a better idea of when these stories took place, what is important to you, and what you fundamentally believe so they can better understand why these memories matter.
With about ten memories neatly developed, you now have a memoir – you’ve written a book! Add an introduction about who you are now, and from your better knowledge of how your past has shaped you, drop in clues you’ve unearthed to whet the reader’s appetite! You might also want to add a conclusion to summarize the important things you have learned, and want to share with your readers.
Now be brave. Share your writing with someone else. If the stories are about your childhood and you want your grandchildren to learn more about that time, show it to them. Ask them what else they would like to know about you, and see if there are memories you hadn’t included that now seem relevant.
If your memoir is for a wider audience, find a writers’ group in your area. Look on MeetUp.com and join – or start – a group where writers can read and assist one another. Try not to be defensive about your work, and if you feel a comment or suggestion is helpful, integrate it into your memoir writing. Above all, enjoy writing out your memories. However you choose to write, you can edit your thoughts as long as you want. Nothing you commit to paper is permanent until it is published, so be brave and explore ideas and memories as honestly as you can.
