Writing Edge

We all know what memoirs are, those tales of the trials and tribulations that make up someone’s life, but did you ever think of writing one about yourself? I’m sure most people think their life isn’t anything special so who’d want to read about it? While on the surface that might indeed be a true statement, if you dig a little further, I’m sure you’ll see there were obstacles that were overcome. This is the stuff that’s the foundation of a memoir. A memoir isn’t about one’s entire life, but about a portion of it. A biography or autobiography is where the whole life is discussed. So, what then do you write about in a memoir, and who is the audience? Simply put, if there is some aspect of your life that’s relatable to others, such as losing a child, fighting a debilitating disease, succeeding against all odds, you’ll find an audience who’ll be inspired by your words. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’ll be easy to write and sell a memoir. The topic of the memoir must be handled in such a way that it draws in the reader. And you don’t have to be a celebrity to sell a memoir, it doesn’t hurt of course, but it’s not necessary. These days, agents and publishers seem to like a memoir handled in the creative non-fiction method. This means that while it’s non-fiction, you write it in scenes with dialogue so that it appears like fiction. It’s an interesting and very engaging way to write and has become very popular. This has become a genre in itself and when you look at many agents, you’ll see a lot of them also represent memoir. If you’ve ever thought or have had people tell you that you ought to write a memoir, maybe it’s time to seriously consider it. Get busy and write!