Though your personal journals can be a great reference when writing a memoir don’t make the mistake of thinking they’re one in the same. The main distinction between the two is that journal writing is usually written for oneself while praying no one else will lay their eyes on a single page. When writing a memoir, though you are still writing about your intimate experiences, you do so with your reader in mind.
When writing a memoir, a lot of the details suitable for a journal would be considered filler in a memoir for publication. If using your Journal as a resource for your book, use it to glean the major experiences, feelings and events that make your life unique and interesting to a reader. This of course goes for one you wish to publish. If you’re writing it for yourself or for your children and grandchildren, you might still want to edit certain parts, but you have much more leeway.
My suggestion would be to read a few memoirs. See how they are written. See what grabs you and what puts you to sleep. Check out a few from the library. You don’t even have to read the whole book. Browse the table of contents and read bits and pieces of a few chapters.
If preparing to write a memoir seems daunting, there are many ways to start. William Zinsser, the author of How to Write a Memoir, suggests that you go to your desk on Monday morning and write about some event that’s still vivid in your memory. What you write doesn’t have to be long — three pages, five pages — but it should have a beginning and an end. Do the same thing Tuesday morning. Tuesday’s episode doesn’t have to be related to Monday’s episode. Take whatever memory comes calling; your subconscious mind, having been put to work, will start delivering your past. Do this for as long as it takes to collect the parts of your life you’d like to include.
If you are planning to write about your life from birth to the present time, Author Cathy Fulton suggests creating lists. Here are a few of her ideas. 1. Keep an ongoing list of the crucial events that took place in each era of your life. (Births, deaths, marriages, adventures, milestones, etc.) 2. List the friends and enemies you had during each era. Note the special relationships you had. 3. List all the jobs you held. 4. List your educational experiences from each era. (Life experiences count as education) 5. List the historical events and trends that shaped each era and the impact those events had on you. 6. Include all the geographical areas where you lived. 7. Your goals, aspirations, and dreams in each era. 8. The painful things that happened. Broken relationships, hopes dashed, abuse, fears. 9. List your accomplishments in each era. Writing about how you achieved each one is a story.
Let this list be a stimulus for creating one of your own. If you have a hard time remembering events, take a walk down memory lane with your photo albums. Those old photos may be a substantive catalyst. And you can always give yourself creative license where memory fails.
How many pages constitute a memoir? That’s hard to judge. Again, you want to determine if it’s for your family or the public eye. Many published memoirs are between 200 and 300 pages. Consider what you want to include, who it’s for, and then start to write. If you have more than you need for your first book, then you’ll be ahead of the game for your second volume. The main thing is to get started and…
Enjoy!!!
Feel free to email me with any questions or comments.
Jasmyne Consulting - 30 year’s experience - Creative Book Writing Coach/Editor for Memoirs and Novels, helping clients overcome writer’s block to successfully complete and publish their work. She helps writers at all levels including ESL clients. Freelance writing for resumes, proposals business and query letters, blogs, brochures, websites.
