Before you start writing your memoir, there’s one crucial decision to make that will shape everything else: your premise.

A premise is more than just the summary of your story. It’s the "big idea" that holds your memoir together—the through line that keeps you focused, your readers engaged, and you...

If you’ve ever scribbled thoughts into a notebook after a long day or jotted down a vivid dream before it faded, you’ve already begun the practice that many memoir writers swear by: journaling. I’ve been writing in journals most of my life. As an adult, journaling has been one of the most practical ...

Writing about your faith for the first time can feel like standing on the edge of something tender and holy. You have a story—a moment of awakening, a stretch of wilderness, a quiet transformation—and something in you wants to put words to it. Maybe it’s for your journal. Maybe for your memoir. Or m...

When you sit down to write your memoir, you’re not just telling a story—you’re inviting readers into your life. How you frame that invitation matters, and two critical choices will shape how your story is experienced: verb tense and point of view (POV). These decisions may seem small, but they profo...

Writing a memoir is about more than recounting memories; it’s about bringing readers into your world and letting them experience your pivotal moments firsthand. Many memoir writers struggle with “showing” rather than “telling” their most powerful memories. This requires a careful balance of authenti...

Memoir writing is more than recounting events; it’s about uncovering the deeper truths of how those events shaped you. As memoirists, we dig through the raw material of our lives, not just to relive the past, but to understand it, learn from it, and share our hard-won wisdom with others.

Marion Roa...

Writers often underestimate the number of drafts they’ll need to write, edit, and rewrite to get them from their first draft to a fully formed manuscript. In Part 1 of this blog post, I offered a snapshot of what to expect for your first and second drafts, and the key objectives of these phases in t...

Writers commonly underestimate the effort required to complete a book. You get inspired to write about your life, then sit down and start pecking at the keys, letting your passion and vision of a published bestseller drive your word count.

Then reality sets in. You stare at the screen wondering wha...

A premise is the foundational idea or central theme that drives your memoir—a single sentence that captures the essence of the story you want to tell. Your premise serves as the guiding light that shapes the narrative, ensuring coherence and focus throughout the writing process.

Crafting a clear an...

My brother and his wife bought the childhood home where my five siblings and I grew up. Whenever I visit, I feel a flood of memories. I can visualize life in our modest-sized house with eight people crammed around the dinner table, vying for space in front of the basement TV, battling over whose tur...

Many people worry they don't have enough time to write a memoir. Life is busy and finding time to write can be challenging. However, writing a memoir doesn't have to be a full-time job. Even if you only have a few minutes each day, you can make progress by setting a daily writing goal and sticking t...

Writing a memoir is hard work, especially if you're struggling to remember some of the most pivotal moments in your life. If you’re having a hard time accessing key memories and sensory details of past events, writing prompts can help unlock the past and deepen your memoir writing.

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