3 Tips for Writers That Want to Write A Memoir
What is a memoir? Have you been wanting to write your own?
A memoir is a record of events written by a person who has intimate knowledge of them. Writing a memoir allows us to share our personal experiences, hero’s journey and life lessons with our readers, but it is no easy task.
Are you finding yourself in the process of writing one, but are stuck somewhere in the middle?
Here are three helpful tips to guide you in your journey of writing your own memoir:
1. Speak from your true self.
I would like to share some advice given to me from a fellow writer: encourage people to speak from their honest place. We both agreed that the best kind of memoir is when the writer is blatantly giving their best and most honest self to the book.
Just be real, no matter how weird you think your writing is. That’s going to be the best stuff you’re ever going to generate. Trust your heart, and trust what you’ve got inside of you. Don’t believe the negative energy that gets generated.
There is a Buddhist-type saying about what the mind does to make us suffer. The mind is very obsessive and is not always constructive. A teacher said to me, “Don’t believe everything your mind says to you.” If you’re looking at what you’re writing, and your mind is jumping in and saying “Oh, that’s nonsense,” don’t believe it.
Treat what is coming out of your mind with real clarity, and then operate from your true self.
2. Be patient.
The exciting ideas aren’t going to come whether you like it or not, just because you want them to come. They’re gonna come when they come. And if you keep working at the writing, you’ll help generate ideas, but you’ve got to be patient.
If you take it slowly, then you see the unfolding of your work. You understand it better. This should not be a race. It’s not just about getting something done, it’s about experiencing a process and trusting that process.
Allowing yourself to slow down and understand the vast amount of ideas that are coming out of your mind is very important.
3. Have a place that is dedicated to writing.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. It could just be a simple table somewhere. The important thing is, when you go to this place, that’s where you’ll be writing.
Having a consistent space and surrounding to work will signal your brain that this is your time to write now. It should be a place that’s dedicated. You don’t check your emails, you don’t watch movies, you don’t have snacks or any other of your daily activities in this area. You just write.
Writing a memoir is a way to leave your legacy through sharing your personal experiences, lessons and hero’s journey with others. Who knows who your memoir might inspire?
What other tips have helped you write your own memoir or book? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you!