Wednesday, May 11, 2022

I want to write the story about my life. Is that a memoir?

When you write your life story, that is an autobiography

When someone else writes your life story, that is a biography

When you write about a portion of your life, that's your memoir.





All memoirs will have some elements in common. 
  •  Memoirs are written in first person, from the point of view of the author. Dialogue is a frequent choice to help the reader understand the setting and emotions within the story.
  •  More than just dates and events, a memoir will share their feelings and emotions about their experiences. When done well, the reader will likely both laugh and cry with empathy for the author.
  •  Often, memoirs will reveal a change or growth of the person during the course of the book, inspiring readers.
  • Memoirs are not a detailed list of events. Rather, they include major life events with the purpose of entertaining, educating, or inspiring the reader. 
  • Memoirs are non-fiction that include the emotions, realism, and inspiration elements readers appreciate from fiction. 


People write their memoirs for a variety of reasons. 
  • Preserving their family history, with personal stories. Many include recipes and photographs.
  • Spiritual growth while working through a traumatic event with insights into how they managed to survive and come out spiritually stronger. 
  • A widely-known public figure, often a political, sports, or television personality, shares about their life. Often, they share about before they became famous along with insights into their life as a celebrity.
  •  An astounding adventure that few have experienced. Often in dangerous or extreme circumstances. Perhaps a survival experience.
  • A collection of episodes in a person's life that held importance and spiritual growth. These are usually connected by a common theme and include Scripture references with a devotion style.
  • Transformational memoirs usually include how their life looked before they made a change and information about how someone else can make a similar change. These include leadership, emotional and physical self-help from personal experience.


Dear writer,
I encourage you to tell your story. We all have events we can recall that led us closer to God. Those stories are valuable and need to be heard. When you make the effort to record them for the coming generations, those blessings you received will be available for posterity. It's important for us to remember and pass that legacy to the generations who follow us.

Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when the LORD said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’ Deuteronomy 4:9,10


Blessings,
Lisa


If you need a starting point, you might consider this book. It is a keepsake guided journal with pages for you to fill out answering questions about your life, your prayers, how you saw God at work in your life. 


If you need more help, please check out the coaching and consulting information and packages I offer. If I can't help you, I will try to find someone who can. 






 
 

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