Why Write a Memoir?
Since childhood I’ve loved reading memoirs and biographies. My passion began when my mother would take me for weekly trips to the local public library. I handed my library card the lady behind the counter as I held a stack of biographies reaching all the way up to my chin. I could keep the books for two weeks, and then return to get a whole new pile. In the library, I loved reading real-life stories about real people, and my passion continues until today.
Reading stories about real people helps us understand how real people live their lives. In reading their stories we are given ideas of not only how to navigate our own lives, but also how to write the story of our own lives.
The difference between a biography and a memoir is that a biography is written in third person by someone else. An autobiography is closer in style to the relatively new term, “memoir,” but an autobiography is written about an entire life, whereas a memoir is about a slice of life. A memoir has a theme or focus. A memoir is also different because the narrative includes reflection — sort of looking back and examining on our lives with our current perspective.
There are many reasons people might be inspired to write a memoir. Often, it is because of a burning need to do so. Most memoirists feel that they have a story that only they can tell. Others might have secrets to share, or maybe…
