• woman's hands typing on a laptop keyboard with reading glasses and a vase of flowers in foreground; how long does it take to write a memoir

    How Long Does it Take to Write a Memoir?

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    Every writer works a little different and has individual time commitments, but here are some general time guidelines to help you estimate how long it may take you to write a memoir. On average, it takes six to 18 months to write the first draft of a memoir. This timeline, however, can vary based on how much time you devote to your project, the length of your story, and your writing skills. In this article we’re also discussing five helpful tips to write your memoir and how to revise your work before sending it to an editor. 5 Steps to…

  • woman standing in a corn field with hay rolls, how to write a memoir

    How to Write a Memoir: Your Personal Story Is Powerful

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    We all experience life in different ways. We come from different backgrounds. We make different decisions. We choose different paths, careers, friends, and more. Those choices give us each unique life experiences that are only ours. That automatically makes your life story powerful! A powerful life story is often what urges people to write a memoir. They know that have a unique story to share, and they hope family and friends, as well as others will learn from their experiences. In this article, we’re covering how to take your personal story to write a memoir. Decide Who You’re Writing For Before…

  • In order for a story to stay in your memoir it needs to do one of two things: Provide a deeper understanding, Advance the story forward...

    Choosing Stories for Your Memoir: 8 Questions to Ask Yourself

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    Memoirs are the easiest to write because you have already lived the material, but they are also the most challenging to write because you have to find the balance between what stories you share and what information needs to be left out. Writing a memoir doesn’t mean you have to include every aspect of your life from birth to your current status in life. Instead, great memoir writers know to pick and choose the best, most important stories to include. Oftentimes, memoir writers focus too much on their personal catharsis and less on the end-user: the reader. In order for…

  • The Making of a Memoir Part 3: It’s All About Structure

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    This is the third and final post in a series all about writing your memoir. You can find helpful tips in the first post about getting started and the second post about brainstorming. Tangling with structure is about as common a writing problem as you can get. However, when you are writing about your own life it can be even trickier. You are looking at sets of events from the inside, all too close to see them with any different perspective. A single event can be told from lots of angles, but your job is to pluck events that defined…