Senior Living News

Get Clear on What a Memoir Is

Autobiographies and memoirs are similar — they both document the author's stories from their perspective. However, the scope and focus are usually different. Autobiographies typically cover the author's entire life, while a memoir focuses on a specific period or theme from your life. For example, you might write a memoir about your childhood or early adult years. Writing about a specific theme might mean your memoir details your travel adventures or your journey to your dream career.

Choose a Focus for the Memoir

Now it's time for you to narrow down the focus of your memoir. Think back on your life to decide what you want to capture the most. Is there a challenge you overcame or a particularly meaningful period in your life? Consider what's important to you and what you want to document to pass down to family members. Memoirs often center around defining moments. You can write multiple memoirs, each with a different focus, so don't worry about limiting the focus. Writing memoirs could become an engaging retirement hobby for you.

Set Goals

Setting goals for your memoir helps you take action and create a document that makes you happy. Some specific goals or details about the project to establish include:

• Creating a purpose. Decide on your motivation and purpose for the memoir, which might be to process your emotions, record your memories or share your story with your family.
• Establishing a timeline. Think about how long you want the project to take. Creating a general project timeline helps motivate you to work on the memoir consistently.
• Developing a schedule. From there, you can develop a schedule that breaks down the writing process into smaller steps.
• Deciding on the finished product. How will you know your memoir is finished? Consider the length and what you want to do with the finished story. For example, you might print and bind copies for certain family members.

Get Into a Routine

Set up a space in your home at LifeStream at Sun City where you can be productive. You might set up a desk or use your dining table as a work space for writing your memoir. Choose a set time each day or week to use for writing. You might also use music and other elements to set the tone and increase your productivity.

Create an Outline

With an outline in place, you have an idea of the structure and the information you need to tell the story. Decide which major elements you want to include to create the framework for your memoir. This step helps you refine the time period you want to talk about in your story. A chronological order is natural and easy to recreate. However, you can also jump back and forth to create more suspense or tell your story in a more creative way.

You can always change your outline later. Start with a structure that makes sense for now, and revisit it as you write your story. Adjust the structure as you get into the process.

Recall the Details

Here are some tips when you're brainstorming the details of your life:

• Include the positive and negative. Including all aspects of your story, even the mistakes you make and difficulties you face, gives a true depiction of your experiences. It shows anyone who reads it that you don't have to be perfect and that life has ups and downs.
• Ask yourself interview questions. If you wanted to learn more about someone else's life, what questions would you ask them? Ask yourself those same questions to spark your memories and draw out more details.
• Write down everything. As you're recalling the details, include everything, even if it's not directly related to the time period or theme. You might find a way to include those memories, or they could spark additional details that fit the narrative.
• Immerse yourself in the situation. Closing your eyes and visualizing the experience helps you recall the little elements of the story. Think about the location and events leading up to the situation. Try to engage all your senses to recreate the event in your mind.
• Talk with other people who were there. It's normal to have fuzzy memories of events that took place years or decades ago. People also remember events from their perspective, but hearing from someone else could give you a different take on what happened.
• Research the situation. Another way to ensure your details are accurate is to fact-check yourself with research. Maybe you remember your reaction to a particular world event, but you can't remember the exact date it happened. Perhaps you know the date, but you don't remember the weather or other details from that date. Researching online often reveals clues that help fill in the gaps or enrich the details of your story.

With the details in place, you're ready to craft your story. Include as much detail and imagery as possible in your writing.

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