When should I create my memoir?

When should I create my memoir?

As a ghostwriter I am asked this question a lot:

When should I write my memoir?

It's typically followed by a series of additional question/statements such as; 

  • Do I need to be 50 years old as a minimum?
  • And would I need to write another one if I live till I'm 80?
  • I'm not sure how to start, and of course......
  • I don't really have much of a story to tell anyway

So let me tell you very clearly:

There is never a the perfect time to create your memoir.

There is just now. 

I work with people of all ages and help them share their story.

It might cover a part of their life, ie the three years they spent travelling the world, their time spent serving their country, or how coped in the years after their partner passed away. 

These accounts are detailed and build up a world known to few others. While the Beatles songs played in many a bedroom in the 1960's and 70's, the circumstances of each person, the opposition and opportunity were vastly different. How each of us live, love and make our way in the world is know but to a trusted few. 

I also work with people to tell their whole life journey, the things they are proud of and the things they wish they could change. Because every life has elements of both, and to only present one side seems disingenuous to modern readers who understand we all have flaws.Particularly readers who know you and have witnessed those flaws up close and personal.  

Because memoirs are an opportunity to connect, and that requires honesty. 

I am not suggesting entering into a session of self flagellation and unending recriminations. This is equally off-putting. But a memoir is an opportunity to share the reasons for your actions, be they circumstances, culture, fear or love. This helps your reader to glimpse the person you were living in circumstances often very different from their own, and therefore understand who you were and the choices you made. 

Is there a perfect time to create a memoir? I don't think so.

There is just a time when it's too late. 

 

 

 

If you would like more BLOGs like this:

BLOG: 4 signs of effective storytelling

BLOG: Telling a powerful story

BLOG: 5 tips when writing about your family

 

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