(A Note to Memoir Writers Who Doubt Their Worth)
If you’ve ever sat down to write your life story and suddenly thought, “Who would want to read this?,” you’re not alone. In fact, that single question has stopped more memoirs from being written than writer’s block ever could.
We tend to believe our lives have to be extraordinary to be worth telling. That we must have climbed Everest, survived a house fire, or discovered enlightenment in a monastery before our stories matter. But the truth is, readers aren’t looking for perfection or grandeur, they’re looking for connection. Your story doesn’t need to be sensational; it needs to be true.
When you share your experience with honesty, you give readers something rare, a mirror. They see themselves reflected in your struggles, your questions, your small and big successes. They recognize their own humanity in yours. That’s the power of memoir! It transforms the personal into the universal.
The details of your life: your setting, your circumstances, your relationships, are unique, but the emotions behind them are shared by everyone. Grief, love, hope, shame, resilience are the threads that bind us together. When you write from the heart, those threads reach out to your reader and weave a bond that can last long after they close the book.
So instead of asking, “Who would want to read my story?”
Ask, “Who might need to hear it?”
Someone out there is facing what you’ve faced. Someone is waiting for your words to remind them they’re not alone.
Tell your story not because it’s perfect, but because it’s yours.
And that makes it worth reading.
It’s never too soon to begin. Don’t let it be too late. Enjoy the Process. It’s most rewarding.
Enjoy!
Jasmyne
