Jan20Written by:Beyond The Trees
1/20/2009 9:53 PM 
Does writing your memoir seem daunting? Perhaps it depends on how you define it...
Have you toyed with the idea of writing your entire life story? Me neither. But Joe Kita’s article, “How to Write Your Memoir” in the January 2009 issue of Reader’s Digest gives tips for starting your memoir and offers brief excerpts from those who’ve taken the plunge. More importantly, Kita reminds us that a memoir is not an autobiography. Writing an autobiography would be like running a marathon – it’s a comprehensive story of your entire life. A memoir is more like jogging a 5K – a scaled down excerpt from your life that still provides a sense of accomplishment. Your memoir could describe an unusual experience you lived through, a travelogue of your journeys, or even a compilation of your favorite recipes mixed with reminiscences and wisdom.
Think you have nothing to say? Kita notes, “…99.9 percent of people lead boring lives. But every single one of them is trying to make some sense out of his or her existence, to find some meaning in the world, and therein lies the value and opportunity of memoir. It’s therapeutic for the writer, and it eventually even helps his or her descendants understand themselves better.”
If you aren’t quite ready to tackle your own story but are inspired to read others’ accounts, visit the blog entry by Maureen Mackey called “10 Great Memoirs to Read”. Her list of books ranges from historical to modern times, from famous personas to regular folks, and from topics like politics to the culinary arts. And who knows? Maybe one day you’ll pull out your notebook (either the paper filled version or the wireless kind) and write, “I remember when…..”
- Jennifer Sauers
Copyright ©2009 Beyond The Trees LLC
Tags: