Years ago I met a young man who said that he was in the middle of writing his memoirs - he was only nineteen years-old.
I smiled and told him that I wished him good luck with his project while thinking what could he have to write about at so young of an age.
This is where I was wrong.
Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has a point of view about the events, people and things that have shaped their life experiences.
The way many people use to express their life experience is to write their memoirs or an autobiography.
A memoir is somewhat different from an autobiography in that the later is in large part a historical record; a memoir is a personal account of one's life or some aspect of it.
Both do require quite a bit of introspection, self-awareness and hard word to produce.
Here are some tips for those who want to tell their story by writing their own memoir and resources for publishing them when you are done.
Commit Yourself to the Project First, commit yourself to the idea of doing the project.
Don't let excuses stop you from this amazing journey of self discovery.
Also, don't think that because you are the topic others may not wish to read your memoir.
The reader may have common life experiences or derived similar lessons from life.
Beginning to Write the Memoir As a writer I can tell you that there is nothing more daunting than the naked page.
So that the page you write will not remain blank, set aside a convenient time to write and make yourself comfortable.
Have your desktop, laptop or tablet handy as well as your notes and photographs you have that relate to your memories.
Start by writing down a chronological list of the important things that have happened to you during your life.
Then, list those events using date ranges.
Make columns which indicate five year segments of your life.
Next jot down very short sentences about the major events covering the date ranges.
Expand upon the list over a few weeks.
The more you write the more you will jog your memory.
Were any of the events you recalled life altering? Do themes emerge that tie these stories together? Write those down as they may become useful later.
After a few weeks look at the list and decide which stories would be easiest to write about.
If you are still drawing a blank on some the things you are trying to recall you may want to visit some of the places that you recall and/or speak to relatives and friends.
The Actual Writing Write the stories just the way you remember them.
Go over your notes and start narrating in your head stories that relate to the events in your life.
Start at the beginning, the middle, or the end and don't worry about the quality of the writing at first.
There will always be time for making revisions later.
Write about the impressions, thoughts and observations you made at that time.
Be completely candid and remember this is from your point of view.
The important thing is to get your thoughts on paper.
Supplemental Materials for your Memoir Photos are the most important supplemental item to use.
Additionally, genealogical charts, letters, cards, etc are also important when compiling a memoir.
Scan those things as you may wish to add them to your manuscript.
Editing the Manuscript I personally like to edit punctuation first and foremost on the second draft and then make more substantive edits on subsequent drafts.
Remember, your stories should be accurate and readable.
There should be continuity from one sentence to another and from one paragraph to the next.
Overall, you should seek a voice and stick with it all throughout the memoir.
Next, strive to rid your stories of repetition.
As a final step, read your manuscript out loud to others to get impressions.
This may help you to see mistakes you made.
Did they understand what you were saying? Final Steps I would highly recommended after you write your manuscript that you back up your work often perhaps even scanning and putting it onto a CD or flash drive.
Self-Publishing Options There are many options for publishing your memoirs.
Here is a list of companies that will publish your manuscript for a fee.
Author House 1663 Liberty Dr.
, Ste.
200 Bloomington, IN 47403 888-519-5121 Trafford Publishing 2657 Wilfert Rd.
Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 5Z3 250-383-6864 Infinity Publishing 1094 New Dehaven St.
, Ste.
100 W.
Conshohocken, PA 19428 877-BUYBOOK (289-2665) Outskirts Press 10940 S.
Parker Rd - 515 Parker, CO 80134 888-OP-BOOKS ext.
703 BookSurge address N/A Charleston, SC 866-308-6235 Xlibris International Plaza II, Suite 410 Philadelphia, PA 19113 888-795-4274 InstantPublisher P.
O.
Box 340 410 Highway 72 W.
Collierville, TN 38027 800-259-2592 Bookstand Publishing A Division of FastPress Publishing Inc.
7790 Elgleberry St.
, Suite B Gilroy, CA 95020 866-793-9365 Red Lead Press 701 Smithfield St.
, Suite 301 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 800-695-9599 Omega Publications 15826 Cherry Cove Palm Springs, CA 92262 760-202-4878 You can also choose the free route by turning your memoir into an eBook and uploading it to sites like Scribd, Freeebooks and Smashwords.
Good luck and start writing.
I smiled and told him that I wished him good luck with his project while thinking what could he have to write about at so young of an age.
This is where I was wrong.
Everyone has a story to tell and everyone has a point of view about the events, people and things that have shaped their life experiences.
The way many people use to express their life experience is to write their memoirs or an autobiography.
A memoir is somewhat different from an autobiography in that the later is in large part a historical record; a memoir is a personal account of one's life or some aspect of it.
Both do require quite a bit of introspection, self-awareness and hard word to produce.
Here are some tips for those who want to tell their story by writing their own memoir and resources for publishing them when you are done.
Commit Yourself to the Project First, commit yourself to the idea of doing the project.
Don't let excuses stop you from this amazing journey of self discovery.
Also, don't think that because you are the topic others may not wish to read your memoir.
The reader may have common life experiences or derived similar lessons from life.
Beginning to Write the Memoir As a writer I can tell you that there is nothing more daunting than the naked page.
So that the page you write will not remain blank, set aside a convenient time to write and make yourself comfortable.
Have your desktop, laptop or tablet handy as well as your notes and photographs you have that relate to your memories.
Start by writing down a chronological list of the important things that have happened to you during your life.
Then, list those events using date ranges.
Make columns which indicate five year segments of your life.
Next jot down very short sentences about the major events covering the date ranges.
Expand upon the list over a few weeks.
The more you write the more you will jog your memory.
Were any of the events you recalled life altering? Do themes emerge that tie these stories together? Write those down as they may become useful later.
After a few weeks look at the list and decide which stories would be easiest to write about.
If you are still drawing a blank on some the things you are trying to recall you may want to visit some of the places that you recall and/or speak to relatives and friends.
The Actual Writing Write the stories just the way you remember them.
Go over your notes and start narrating in your head stories that relate to the events in your life.
Start at the beginning, the middle, or the end and don't worry about the quality of the writing at first.
There will always be time for making revisions later.
Write about the impressions, thoughts and observations you made at that time.
Be completely candid and remember this is from your point of view.
The important thing is to get your thoughts on paper.
Supplemental Materials for your Memoir Photos are the most important supplemental item to use.
Additionally, genealogical charts, letters, cards, etc are also important when compiling a memoir.
Scan those things as you may wish to add them to your manuscript.
Editing the Manuscript I personally like to edit punctuation first and foremost on the second draft and then make more substantive edits on subsequent drafts.
Remember, your stories should be accurate and readable.
There should be continuity from one sentence to another and from one paragraph to the next.
Overall, you should seek a voice and stick with it all throughout the memoir.
Next, strive to rid your stories of repetition.
As a final step, read your manuscript out loud to others to get impressions.
This may help you to see mistakes you made.
Did they understand what you were saying? Final Steps I would highly recommended after you write your manuscript that you back up your work often perhaps even scanning and putting it onto a CD or flash drive.
Self-Publishing Options There are many options for publishing your memoirs.
Here is a list of companies that will publish your manuscript for a fee.
Author House 1663 Liberty Dr.
, Ste.
200 Bloomington, IN 47403 888-519-5121 Trafford Publishing 2657 Wilfert Rd.
Victoria, BC, Canada V9B 5Z3 250-383-6864 Infinity Publishing 1094 New Dehaven St.
, Ste.
100 W.
Conshohocken, PA 19428 877-BUYBOOK (289-2665) Outskirts Press 10940 S.
Parker Rd - 515 Parker, CO 80134 888-OP-BOOKS ext.
703 BookSurge address N/A Charleston, SC 866-308-6235 Xlibris International Plaza II, Suite 410 Philadelphia, PA 19113 888-795-4274 InstantPublisher P.
O.
Box 340 410 Highway 72 W.
Collierville, TN 38027 800-259-2592 Bookstand Publishing A Division of FastPress Publishing Inc.
7790 Elgleberry St.
, Suite B Gilroy, CA 95020 866-793-9365 Red Lead Press 701 Smithfield St.
, Suite 301 Pittsburgh, PA 15222 800-695-9599 Omega Publications 15826 Cherry Cove Palm Springs, CA 92262 760-202-4878 You can also choose the free route by turning your memoir into an eBook and uploading it to sites like Scribd, Freeebooks and Smashwords.
Good luck and start writing.
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