Become good at writing and learn to write a better memoir.

To create a successful memoir, you need to know something about writing in general and memoir writing in particular.

Being a good fiction writer or poet or essayist is not enough. It is a great start but it is not enough.

You must have read many memoirs and have written in the genre. Your readers will rightfully expect no less from you. You cannot bypass learning to write a better memoir.

1. If you have not done so yet, immerse yourself in a serious program of memoir reading.

Read the memoirs of famous people. These are the memoirs your readers will have read, and they will look for some of the qualities of these books in your memoir. Read the memoirs of not-so-famous people. Your readers will not be famous people, and it is important that you be aware of how good some of these books can be and why they are so. These are models for your writing. Study them to teach yourself how to write a better memoir.

2. Practice reading as a writer to become good at writing.

This is how you study a memoir to learn from it. You ask yourself questions like the following:

• How does the author lead into the story?
• How is the character developed?
• Is the pacing appropriate?
• Has the plot been reinforced with any foreshadowing or suspense?

Whenever you read something you like, ask yourself how the author achieved that effect.

It’s as if you were a detective trying to solve a mystery—the mystery of writing mastery.

3. Read about memoir writing.

While you will develop your own takes on such topics as narrative, point of view, theme, etc., you can jumpstart your knowledge by reading what others have written about these elements. Just as different professions have their vocabulary that helps people to communicate within the field, so do serious writers. You can learn from reading about how to write better memoir.

For starters, visit the Memoir Writer’s Blog and the Memoir Store—both on my website.

4. Write your memoirs—the long and the short of your lifestory.

I advocate writing regularly. This is not a moral issue or separating the good from the bad writers, but it is an issue of taking yourself seriously enough as a writer to commit to a memoir. Even writing a half hour a day will teach you much about how to write a better memoir and will likely add up in a year’s time to a solid first draft.

Short pieces can be posted on your website. This will enhance your sense of your writerly self and may begin to develop a readership.

In conclusion

Your readers will expect no less from you than that you should be good at memoir writing. Your skills and experience will allow you to flourish and become ever more prolific. Being adept in your genre is integral to the success of your endeavor.

Good luck as you write a better memoir.

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