The time has finally come for you to share your story with the world. Perhaps you have known it all along and have finally gotten to the point where the tale just needs to be told. Or maybe you have thought about it for the past couple of years and are finally getting around to making it happen.
Whatever your specific scenario, here are seven tips to get you started in the right direction.
- Accept your story. How can you tell your tale unless you are okay with it? If there are parts of your journey that you do not like and feel embarrassed about sharing, that is perfectly okay. Yet, at the same time, you need to process those difficult elements because they have shaped and changed you and made you who you are today. Another thing to remember is that accepting your story does not mean you have to be bitter about the hard parts. Embrace yourself and embrace your story, and when you have reached that point, you can be thankful for it.
- Find your critical moments. Your memoir does not need to tell every single detail of your entire life. Instead, you should focus on the high and low points that you want to be remembered by. It may be especially helpful to think about your life according to a couple of keywords and phrases to craft your story. For example, perhaps part of your life included an intense 10-year journey that began with you working as a dishwasher at a restaurant and ended up as you being the CEO of a successful start-up business. Your keywords and phrases may include “resilient and hardworking entrepreneur” or “humble and opportunity-driven leader.” With that as your backdrop, you can begin filling in the details from your entire life and connecting the dots to how certain key moments helped you become the person you are today.
- Start with your memories. The word memoir comes from a Latin word relating to a person’s memories and personal thoughts. The things that you share and write about should be less focused on facts and figures and more geared toward your own thoughts and feelings about how everything transpired. It takes more effort to dig deep and discover secrets about yourself that you might have not even known about. Yet, the process is definitely worth it!
- Create an outline. Some people are naturally organized and easily work with an outline. Others are not so much and tend to be more haphazard. Whatever your style, use an outline to help you stay focused and on track. Start by thinking along the pattern of your life’s journey or the particular adventure that you are hoping to share. How did it all begin? What key points happened along the way? How did it conclude? Write all of those things down and number them to form your own outline.
- Begin to write. Start anywhere in your outline–at the end, in the middle, or toward the beginning. Our memories come at random times and even in unexpected ways. The important thing is that you start to write those things down. Even if it means scribbling a list of things that you want to include at some point and are not quite sure how to get it down on paper yet. Once you start that, then keep on writing until you have a rough draft!
- Organize and edit. Once you have your basic story down on paper, it is time to take a step back, take a look at your outline and your rough draft together, and evaluate if anything can be reorganized in a way that makes more sense. Your memories do not have to stay in chronological order, but they should flow together naturally. As you shape your chapters according to your revised outline and begin the editing process on your content, take the time you need to process any specific memories and appreciate the journey that you have traveled over the years!
- Let your draft rest. Give yourself some time away from your memoir–however much time you need. The time to pick it up again is soon, but in the meantime, take some time away to read some good books, go for a beautiful walk, and recharge your writing and editing skills. The best is yet to come!
Does that help you along your journey? If so, then I would love to hear about your own experience and take a peek at your recently published book! I am always on the lookout for new and exciting reading material. If you think you might want more specific help in writing your memoir, feel free to contact me at any time! I am happy to be of service, whether to ghostwrite your story for you, provide consultation as a writing coach, or assist in the editing process. Check out my current rates and contact me today.
