Three Elements Necessary to Blog A Memoir

Many writers would like to write or blog a memoir. It’s not that different than writing or blogging a novel, except, of course, you are blogging or writing about your own experiences. That makes your book a work of nonfiction rather than fiction. That said, it must read like fiction to a great extent. It has to have a narrative arc, dialogue, a bit of tension to keep readers turning pages, etc.

In addition, I think memoirs need to have purpose or added benefit for readers. When the reader puts the memoir down, they should have learned something, gained new perspective, gone deeply into their own personal journey through the author’s story, or had their horizons broadened in some significant way. This sets a really great memoir apart from an average one.

If you are blogging a memoir, you are writing about a period in your life–not about your whole life, which would be a biography. A biography could keep you busy blogging for a long time!

Before you begin blogging (or writing) a memoir, take three important steps:

• Choose a significant time period to write about–one that is significant to you and relevant to readers. As mentioned above, this time period must have a story arc and the character (you) must develop in some interesting manner.
• Decide if it the story is marketable–one that has a large enough number of potential readers interested in the subject who will read your blog and later purchase the book. This requires that you look at existing memoirs and similar blogs; there probably aren’t too many other blogged memoirs exactly like yours, but there may be other memoirists blogging their stories. Do your research; compare and contrast. Make sure your story is unique, has a market and is viable.
• Determine if your story offers benefit to readers–some sort of or added value they gain by reading it. The best memoirs touch readers deeply teach them something, or change them in some way. Will yours do this? Make a list of the benefits your book will provide.

If your life experiences and the story you want to write about them have these elements, you are ready to blog your memoir.

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Our Guest Blogger ~ Nina Amir, Inspiration-to-Creation Coach, inspires people to combine their purpose and passion so they Achieve More Inspired Results. She motivates both writers and non-writers to create publishable and published products, careers as authors and to achieve their goals and fulfill their purpose. She blogged her book, How to Blog a Book, Write, Publish and Promote Your Work One Post at a Time (Writer’s Digest Books), in five months. Find out more about her and her blogs at www.ninaamir.com www.copywrightcommunications.com, or www.purespiritcreations.com.