Memoir vs. Autobiography: What’s the Difference?

Memoir and autobiography are often used synonymously. These two nonfiction genres are very similar, so it’s easy to get them confused. They’re both the story of someone’s life written by that person, and they both use the pronouns “I” and “me” since they’re written in the first person. They’re both true stories from the author’s life. But there are some key differences.

What is a memoir?

Memoir comes from the French word mémoire, which means memory. A memoir is a nonfiction but subjective collection of narratives in which the author remembers experiences, emotions, and events from a certain period in their life. Memoirs focus on intimately conveying their perception of these memories in a way that is emotionally truthful but isn’t fact-checked.

How is a memoir structured?

There isn’t one right way to structure a memoir. Memoir authors can experiment with how they order the events they’re recounting, whether they write in the past or present tense, use a linear narrative, or divide their memoir into sections.

While a memoir is a flexible genre, it should include these things:

• A specific theme
• Something the author overcame
• First-person writing style
• Supporting details and events from the past and the people who were present
• Storytelling basics like plot and setting
• Honesty

Memoirs typically fall into one of these structures:

Flashbacks: The author jumps back and forth between the past and present to provide a backstory

Chronological: The author writes about their experiences in the order in which they happened.

Themed: The author includes only memories that fall into one specific theme.

Overcoming: The author focuses on one struggle and how it affected their life.

What is an autobiography?

An autobiography is a nonfiction account of someone’s life that they wrote themselves. Usually, an autobiography covers the author’s entire life up to the point of writing in chronological order and is sometimes (though not always) drafted in the later years of the author’s life. The events recounted in autobiographies are factual and fact-checked. They’re often used as resources by historians.

Many autobiographies are written by people who have some claim to fame who write about their journey to becoming famous. The author might be a politician, change-maker, business figure, professional athlete, or celebrity. But anyone can write an autobiography.

The etymology of the word autobiography is made up of three Greek root words: “auto,” meaning self; “bio,” meaning life; and “graph” meaning write.

How is an autobiography structured?

Traditionally, autobiographies have been written chronologically. But nowadays, there are two common structures for autobiographies. Each of these structures follows traditional storytelling principles. These two structures are standard across the publishing industry.

Most autobiographies follow a chronological structure like this:

• Foundation: childhood experiences, family members, community, home life, school, friendships, family traditions
• Adversity: pivotal moments that lead to life achievements
• Conclusion: lessons learned after overcoming or embracing adversity
• Some autobiographies follow a structure that the writer Joseph Campbell called “the hero’s journey,” which includes these elements:
• Adversity: a life crisis or pivotal moment that was a catalyst for the life they lead today
• Foundation: childhood experiences, family traditions, community, school, friendship, and home life
• Conclusion: how they overcame adversity and the lessons they learned along the way

“The hero’s journey” format can be used to grab a reader’s attention. It provokes curiosity and a desire for resolution in the reader that compels them to keep reading.