There’s a saying: “We are the sum of our experiences.” It’s poetic, profound, and — let’s face it — true. But what happens to those experiences when they’re not recorded? They fade. Like an old photograph left in the sun, they blur until they’re almost unrecognisable.
Writing a memoir is like developing those snapshots in a darkroom, preserving the moments that made us.
But where do we start?
Often, we feel the pressure to chronicle every year, every season, every mundane Monday. While those moments are great to capture, there is another way. Instead, zoom in on the moments that changed you — the crossroads, the triumphs, the heartbreaks. These are also stories worth telling.
Take a moment. Think about your life. What stands out? Maybe it’s the time you moved to a new city and learned to navigate the chaos of it.
Or perhaps it’s the quiet strength you found when everything fell apart. For me, it was going through bankruptcy. I had to move myself and my three children away from everything we knew. We moved to a new (and cheaper) area to live. Those moments shaped me, and they deserve their own spotlight.
Memoir writing doesn’t require poetic prose or grand adventures. It asks only for honesty.
Write about the awkwardness of first love, the sting of a childhood disappointment, or the bittersweetness of waving goodbye. These moments resonate because they’re real, and in their realness, they hold power.
Remember, you don’t need to write for an audience. Write for yourself first. Be vulnerable, be open, and let your words reflect the person you were in that moment. It’s in the process of writing that clarity often emerges.
As you shape your stories, you’ll start to see the threads that connect them. The lessons that underlie them, and the unique narrative that only you can tell.
The intention here is simple: preserve the milestones of your life so they’re not lost.
The message? You matter. Your experiences matter. Capture them before they slip away.
If you need help make use of my free eBook on Memoir writing called Memory To Memoir.
