In my last blog post, we looked at some of the basics of writing a memoir – what qualifies as a memoir and what sort of thing to include. In this week’s blog post, we will continue with this theme, looking at how to actually get started with the writing process and some tips to make your book better. However, we will start by quickly reviewing what a memoir is and what is included. Essentially, a memoir is a narrative version of your life, showing lessons you have learnt and having a particular theme. Maybe it focuses on a self-help message, or maybe it’s a more humorous book focusing on funny anecdotes. No matter how you present it, the key thing is to make it engaging for your audience so they will keep reading.
Introduction
The most important thing to remember when writing your memoir is that you want to hook your readers from the start and keep them wanting more. To achieve this, you will want to have a strong introduction that sets the tone for your memoir and helps you to find and keep the right audience. If readers pick up your book in a shop or read a sample online, it is likely that they will only read the introduction. Make sure you impress them with this, as it essentially becomes a selling pitch directly to your potential readers. It is a great opportunity to show off your style of writing and establish the overall theme of your book.
Be Open
The best way to keep your readers engaged is to write from the heart and make it relatable. The more you can get your readers to relate to you right from the start, the more enjoyable they will find your memoir. Think about what sort of tone you want to strike with your readers – is it conversational? Informative? Uplifting? You want to avoid talking down to your readers or seeming condescending. Try to imagine you are speaking to a friend and you should be able to connect with your readers. This will make your story more real to them and ensure they care about the outcome of your story.
Show, Don’t Tell
You may have heard the old writing advice to show, not tell. Well, this applies to a memoir too, making sure you keep your readers engaged. In essence, this advice means that you should avoid long stretches of description that tell the reader all they should know about the entire situation. Instead, trust that your readers will be able to interpret more from the information you do give them. By doing so, they will be more closely connected to your memoir and the people in it. In turn, this will keep them interested in your book and make them want to keep reading, more than if you had just directly told them all of the background information and your thoughts.
So, how do you make sure you are showing not telling? Start by paying attention to what words you are using in your writing. Words like “heard” and “felt” indicate that you are telling more than showing. For example, instead of saying that you heard the door open, you could say that the door slowly creaked open. A good way of establishing how both you and other people are feeling is to describe the body language, rather than just listing emotions. For example, rather than telling your readers that someone is nervous, show them the lip biting and restlessness. This should be much more effective at drawing your reader into your narrative.
Remember Your Message
Most memoirs have some sort of theme that they try to convey to the reader. This could be an important message about a topic close to your heart or some self-help tips about how to get the most out of your time. Think about which of your life experiences strongly reflect this and make sure you have these in your book. Although you can include some experiences that aren’t directly related to your message, it is best to try to keep on track as much as possible and integrate your theme into your memoir. It may help to briefly discuss your theme in your introduction so that your readers will understand the overall tone of your book and approach it with this in mind.
Be Flexible
Although you want your book to focus on a single theme and keep readers invested in the story of your life, it is also important to have some room for flexibility in your memoir. Not every anecdote needs to be strictly in line with your overall memoir – sometimes it is fine, or even beneficial, to stray from your main narrative. When you first start writing your memoir, you will probably have an outline of the path your narrative will follow. Make sure this includes all the major, relevant experiences, but don’t be afraid to add a few less relevant ones. These can end up making you more relatable and keep readers interested.
Wrapping Up
I hope that this helps you to get your memoir underway. In my next blog post, we will be looking at whether you should relaunch your self-published book, so come back in two weeks for that!
Want help proofreading your work? Contact Carmine Proofreading for a friendly, professional service from a qualified proofreader.
Email: CarmineProofreading@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarmineProofed
Carmine Proofreading 