You have decided that it’s time to record the story of your life, to create a memoir. You might begin by asking yourself, “What kind of memoir do I want to create?”
We have found that our clients often benefit by recognizing the difference between a memoir and an autobiography. An autobiography is much more formal, a complete, factual account of your life and times. A memoir recalls only the elements of your life that you find most interesting or important. In a memoir you focus on your memories of those times and the feelings or emotions associated with them. Most people with stories to tell find themselves more comfortable telling them in a memoir.
There are many different types of memoirs. When most of our clients begin to think about telling their stories, they think of a chronological memoir. In this type of memoir you relate stories that occurred from your childhood to the present time. In telling these stories you can share the emotions that accompanied them and the wisdom or insight you gained from them.
The chronological approach is often the first one to occur to you, but don’t be too quick to adopt it. You may find yourself working your way through a lot of relatively uninteresting material before you get to the real reason you wanted to record your memoir in the first place.
You may find that what you really want to do is simply create a story collection. You may have stories that have long been cherished in your family that you want to pass on to future generations. That’s a legitimate way to organize a memoir.
Maybe you want to highlight a specific chapter of your life. In this type of memoir you select a specific period or theme in your life and tell stories which recall it. You might choose the highlights of your career, memories of raising your children, experiences as a military veteran, a time when you overcame illness or adversity, remembrance of a personal achievement of which you are particularly proud, or the adventures you have had traveling the world. All of these are grist for the memoirist’s mill.
You might also want to create a memoir as a tribute to a loved one or an important influence in your life. This type of memoir recalls your memories of that person. It is often a celebration which honors the person and shows your love or appreciation for them.
Finally, your goal may be to record and transmit your personal ethical, religious or cultural values. In this type of memoir, called an ethical will, you use stories drawn from your experiences to answer, “What do I want future generations to remember about my beliefs or my family’s beliefs?” This type of memoir is a collection of instructions for life, personal or religious values and family stories that you seek to pass on to children or grandchildren.
So as you begin to create your own memoir, think about the kind of stories you want to tell. Knowing your goal at the outset will make it both quicker and easier to create a memoir of which you’ll be proud.
