Our memoir writing exercises are different from those found on other sites. We do not provide ready-made writing prompts such as: “Which would be your go-to zoo if you were a captured panda?” or “Three things you will do after you receive a million dollars?” or “You are in the same taxi as X [insert the name of a famous person]. What would you ask or say?”
Titillation is not our goal.
Memoir writing prompts can be entertaining, and when the writing they generate is shared in a group, they can be fun enough, but they are an example of writing from the outside in—which promises a miss—and not from the inside out as we advocate throughout this site.
The habit a writer needs to develop, a sure part of the writer’s life, is to be seeking “what do I really mean to write here?” and “What is most true of me [or my characters] as human beings.”
Memoir writing exercises about “three things you would do if you were abducted in a flying saucer” does not produce the writing-from-inside-out that the best memoirs exhibit.
Instead of writing prompts
We advocate organic memoir writing exercises that are likely to lead to a deepening of your insight rather than to titillation for your entertainment — which is what we think of most memoir writing prompts.
Our premier memoir writing exercise is the Memory List, but as this category demonstrates, there are many other possibilities to hone your skills.
In conclusion
Read the many posts below to see for yourself how the memoir writing exercises we suggest are better than any writing prompt that asks you to write about “It’s the year 2500 and you are…”
Similes and Metaphors: A Deeper Emotional Dive
Memoirs are enhanced by the use of similes and metaphors. Learn to use them easily. (more…)
Writing Feelings into Your Memoir
How to write feelings into your memoir is a rather important topic. Recently on the Forum, David wrote about not accessing the feeling side of his memories, of writing a memoir that, if I am understanding him right, was all details and facts. Below is my response which can serve as a stand alone article, […]
Writing Memoir Is Not Easy
When writing memoir the project typically starts with a burst of energy. “This is going to be a good piece of writing! Help to keep you writing your memoir. (more…)
Memoir Success: Approaching Neverland
Memoir Success Over the years, I have worked with many writers to help them create and shape their memoirs. It’s my pleasure to bring to your attention once again the success of one such writer: Peggy Kennedy from San Ramon, California, for whom I had the pleasure of providing coaching and editing help that led […]
Dare to Share Your Writing
One of the critical steps you can take as a writer is to find ways to share your work with others. Those others might be writers, they might be friends, or they might be family members. Don’t let your hard work sit in a drawer unread. Writing is meant to be read. We write down […]
Memoir Coaching Laser-focuses on Getting Your Memoir Written Faster and Better
How does memoir coaching improve your manuscript? “What does ‘My family was poor mean,” I asked a memoir writing client in a recent coaching session. “Poor?” he asked at the other end of the phone line. “What do you mean what does poor mean? Poor means poor!” “Does poor mean you didn’t have enough to […]
Telling the Hard Truth in Your Memoir–Are You Holding Back?
Your memoir needs to tell the truth about life—yours—and sometimes that requires exposing yourself getting “naked.” Getting to the truth in memoir is not about being cruel but about adding meaning and depth to your life story. (more…)
Instead of A Writing Prompt – Five Tips for Creating a Memory List
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 […]
Use an archetype of your experience to revive your memoir
Can an archetype of your experience refocus your memoir? One begins a memoir with a sense of the uniqueness of the story. “It simply has to be told,” you realize excitedly. “The world needs to hear about this.” Then as you write week after week, month after month, and sometimes year after year, that uniqueness […]