Gather Information for Your Memoir – The Memoir Network | RSS

You don’t have to remember your lifestory alone.

Denis Ledoux — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 06:45:00 +0000

Since our lives are usually lived in community and our lifestories have evolved with other people in tow, take advantage of this symbiosis to write the best memoir you are capable of by accessing a collective memory of your life’s events. Today, you will organize a lifestory party. (more…)

8 Tips: How to Have a Successful Memoir Interview

Denis Ledoux — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 15:40:50 +0000

A successful memoir interview will add depth to your memoir. While you know much about your story, it is always beneficial to gather information from other sources to fill in the gaps. These sources can be formal research on the net or in a library or it can be reviewing letters and journals or talking […]

History And Memoir Writing

Denis Ledoux — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 15:00:00 +0000

I live in the area (Lewiston, Maine) where my great-grandparents, my grandparents and parents–and now me–spent their lives, and I am also an amateur historian of this region. When I was asked to speak at a library lunchtime program several years ago, I chose a topic similar to Linda Myers’ topic: Lewiston’s Buildings Tell Our […]

Should You Create an Outline or a Memory List for your Memoir?

Denis Ledoux — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 14:00:00 +0000

I do not write a memoir from an outline. Instead I create a Memory List as outlined in Chapter 2 of Turning Memories Into Memoirs. The Memory List helps you to follow the promptings of the unconscious rather than the dictates of the conscious mind as is the case with an outline. (An outline is […]

Facts Are Important in Memoir Writing

Denis Ledoux — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 11:04:00 +0000

Facts are important in memoir writing. The inclusion of dates, addresses, names, and relationships, are one of its special features. Memoir writing cannot, without deleting from its value, omit dates and specific identification of locales, names of individuals and their relationships to one another. Memoir writing is factual writing: hence the importance of facts. A […]

Write a memoir: practical how-to information to ace it.

Denis Ledoux — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 11:07:00 +0000

As you write a memoir, you will find that you need much more information about technique or about style or about research or any number of other topics. Unless you have been writing much over the years, this is likely to be you. Going to the library for information is a necessary next step for […]

Memoir Interviewing: how to prepare for one and carry it off!

The Memoir Network Staff — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 09:59:24 +0000

Memoir interviewing is an integral piece of research. Although you may assume you can depend on your memory when you write your lifestories—memory isn’t always as reliable as you want it to be. Interviews with relevant family members and friends can supplement your memory and broaden the perspective of your memoir. Below are some notes […]

You Need Formal Research

Denis Ledoux — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 10:00:30 +0000

Interviewing family members and friends is clearly a form of research, but interviews alone are usually not enough to give your stories the depth they require. For that, you need formal research. (more…)

Best Interview Practices for Writing a Memoir

Denis Ledoux — Thu, 23 May 2019 10:00:04 +0000

Can you assume you can depend on your memory when you write your lifestories? The problem with this assumption is that memory isn’t always as reliable as you may want it to be! What are the best interview practices to find out if your memory is spot on? (more…)

Instead of A Writing Prompt – Five Tips for Creating a Memory List

Denis Ledoux — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 10:00:19 +0000

People who are writing a memoir will sometimes say, “I want to write my stories but I have forgotten so many details. Is there any way I can get them back? Should I use writing prompts?” There is one tool above all others that makes the experience of life writing successful. That tool is not […]