5 Tools To Help You Write A Powerful Memoir
How easy do you find remembering? Do you struggle to think about the past? Do you find events hard to remember? Or can you see your past with clarity?
Writing a memoir is no easy task, it is a process of uncovering memories and finding your story. This can’t be rushed. Whilst you might know the topic and theme of your memoir you need to explore more about who you are and how you’ve gotten to this point. You need to go on a journey of remembering to ensure you are collating the appropriate elements of the story.
How Do You Uncover Memories?
Writing a memoir is an act of preservation, of careful recollection and loving memory. You’ve got to search and be active in the process of remembering. Writing leads to remembering. You’ve got to put the work in.
There isn’t a quick fix unfortunately, it’s really important to remember not to rush. Try and allocate some time each week to write and you’ll soon find the memories start to come back.
We forget so much of our lives, but part of the joy of writing a memoir is the journey of remembering. This should be a fun journey, even if parts of it are sad and long. Your life matters, spend time exploring it.
The tools below can help you on your journey of remembering.
5 Tools For Remembering For Your Memoir
These tools will help you build up the stories and content of your memoir. Once you start using these tools to help you write and uncover memories, you’ll have pages and pages of content. You might even find different themes emerge and you’ve got enough stories to write two memoirs!
1 – Research
Research is a great way to recall memories. There are lots of different ways you can research, it doesn’t have to be boring. It should be fun. You could explore old photographs or even research your family tree. See what memories this sort of research uncovers.
2 – Setting
When we look at the word setting it allows us to explore where events took place, and this opens the door for memory. Think about the setting of your memoir. Will it be based in one town? In one country? Could you visit an old home or place of work to help uncover memories? If you can’t visit these places even looking on Google Earth can help bring back memories.
3 – Characters
Think about the characters who are central to your story, how have they affected your life? By looking at the characters in your memoir, you can uncover new memories. The people in your life helped shape who you are. Your memoir, just like your life, isn't just about you. It's made up of a cast full of characters. They can help you unlock memories. Spend some time deciding who you are going to include and write about them.
4 – Develop a writing habit
A regular writing routine will help your brain know there is a schedule to offload your ideas and memories. Our brains like to close loops. When we start a memory or when we ‘catch ‘ a few words, our brain will work to close this loop and find the full story so It can complete the memory. This is often called the Zeigarnik Effect. When we leave a task or a memory unfinished, we can allow our brains to keep working on the details. The desire to complete the ‘task’ helps it stick in our memory. This is why forcing yourself to start stories at a set time each week will help you uncover more and more details.
5 - Use all your senses
Small details matter and they will make your memoir interesting, using all five senses can help unlock different memories and add this specific detail. Try thinking about the smells, sights and sounds from your past and allow this to help you remember.
There are so many different ways you can look back and remember your life. Using these tools will help you uncover memories and provide you with the material you need to write your memoir.
"Our task, then, is to decide where, in each story, the integrity – the honest heart of the story rests, while at the same time giving due respect to the events as we remember them." – Judith Barrington, Writing The Memoir
If you’d like to find out more information about writing your memoir and you’d like some more specific support, then book your place on our Memories to Memoir course. We talk in detail about how to start your memoir journey and structure your story.
You have a story to tell. It’s time to bring it to the page. Our Memories to Memoirs course is perfect for those looking to start documenting their life through written stories. This introductory online course will give you an insight into life writing and you’ll be bursting with ideas ready to start your memoir.
This is an online course delivered live via Zoom.
