{"id":3065,"date":"2023-09-08T06:17:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T05:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novlr.org\/?p=3065"},"modified":"2023-09-10T18:17:31","modified_gmt":"2023-09-10T17:17:31","slug":"how-to-write-engaging-non-fiction-memoir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-to-write-engaging-non-fiction-memoir\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write an Engaging Memoir"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A memoir is a first-person account of a writer\u2019s life that usually focuses on particular events or themes. \u2018Memoir’ comes from the French word m\u00e9moire, which means ‘memory’ or ‘reminiscence’. Memoirs are usually factual accounts, but it\u2019s not unusual for a memoirist to embellish the truth in order to tell a more compelling story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Memoir? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Memoirs are typically classified as a subgenre of autobiography though the two terms are often used interchangeably. There is a lot of overlap, but there are some key differences between the two forms of writing you should know about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both autobiography and memoir are first-person accounts of the writer\u2019s life \u2014 the writer is describing their life using \u201cI\u201d and \u201cme\u201d. But where autobiographies usually cover the writer\u2019s entire life, including intricate details about family history and childhood upbringing, memoirs usually address only part of the author\u2019s life, zoning in on one major life event, or focusing on specific experiences, for example, a special place the writer would visit during the winter holiday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Due to the difference in life coverage, autobiographies are usually written by famous or influential people who are telling their life stories due to public interest. Memoirs, on the other hand, can be written by anybody. People tend to read them because they are interested in a particular theme the writer addresses (say motherhood, addiction, or growing up in a specific culture or time) or because of the lyrical and literary style of the writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autobiographies have a stronger emphasis on facts and history, and memoir places greater emphasis on emotional experience and the interior thoughts and journey of the writer. To use some books as examples, Long Walk to Freedom<\/em> by Nelson Mandela is an autobiography \u2014 he was an important person whose personal account of his own life matters because of what he has achieved. Whereas Educated <\/em>by Tara Westover, is a memoir \u2014 she was previously unknown before writing her memoir that revealed what it was like to grow up in a survivalist Mormon family. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why should you write a memoir?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People read memoirs to learn something about their own lives through the experiences of others and to encounter something emotional. You should write a memoir if you’re willing to share your experiences honestly and to keep your reader in mind. Even if you\u2019re writing a memoir for your friends and family, you\u2019re still writing for someone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people believe making a distinction between autobiography and memoir is artificial and puts the focus on the wrong thing. They say it makes the book more about the author rather than the reader. While it can be useful to keep the distinctions in mind, it\u2019s important to remember that any interesting or moving account of someone\u2019s life, whether it tells the whole writer\u2019s life story or just part of it, should be about the emotional experience of that life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things to remember when writing your memoir<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When writing your memoir, you should think about how you can interest your reader from the very first word \u2014 just like with fiction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As everyone has led a different life and has a different way of speaking and writing, all memoirs feel different to read. Some writers will be telling humorous stories of idyllic teenage summers spent drinking behind barns with a nostalgic and light tone, others might be writing about mental health issues they\u2019ve experienced in a raw and unflinching way, some writers may be recounting serious and tragic events using humour, and others might create poetic and lyrical meditations of how the landscapes they grew up in shaped them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever subject you explore, think about what you\u2019d like your style to be and how you can best interest the reader by being your true, honest self. You need to take time to build trust with the reader and to try to draw out emotions in them through the way you choose to tell your story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips for writing a memoir <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re developing a book proposal that classifies as a memoir, there are a few things that you should keep in mind as you write: <\/p>\n\n\n\n