Method to Memoir
Exploring the Past to Write Memoirs that Resonate
Techniques to uncover deeper truths and create powerful stories from your memories
You pour a cup of coffee or tea and open your laptop or notebook. It’s time to write, and the blank page or screen waits. A memoir essay, you think. But where to begin?
In this article, I’ll guide you through the first steps I often take to craft a memoir essay and how you can turn your vivid memories into compelling stories that resonate with universal truths.
For those of us pulled toward the past, trying to make sense of who we are and how the events of the past intersect with the present to create the person we are today, one of the best places to start is by considering the memories that you most clearly remember.
Begin with a list of your most vivid memories.
So, take some time and write down a brief description of moments that rush to the surface when you think of the past — just a line or a phrase, nothing lengthy. If you’re stuck, begin with the earliest and journey to the present. You’ve got time and space, so maybe aim for one hundred. For example, under early childhood, I might list:
