Before You Write Your Memoir... - podcast

Writing a memoir is more than just telling your life story. It takes careful consideration and planning. Jill Marsal, a literary agent, reviews some key memoir writing tips and factors to consider before you write your memoir, including what kind of information it should contain. Ask yourself, “What about this memoir is going to make somebody who doesn’t know me buy the book?” A memoir has to tell your story, but it also has to speak to issues that are bigger than the lives of you and your family. It has to have universal themes that people identify with. To be successful, a memoir has to make the reader laugh, cry, and connect with your story. It’s also important not to get too caught up in the mundane. Focus on what’s special and what’s driving the story that makes it something people want to read. Before you include any particular detail, you need to make sure it’s enhancing a character or advancing the plot. If you’re writing a memoir, you need to think about the same things novelists think about. In order to be commercially successful, you need readers to get swept away by the story and caught up in the lives of the people you’re writing about, just like a novel.