Want to write your memoir but no idea where to start?

Kia ora!

Charlotte here, tuning in from Tākaka, Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Do you want to write your memoir but have absolutely no idea where to start?

Firstly, you are so not alone. Many people tell me they have years of information, both in their heads and in paper work, and they simply do not know what to do first.

I have two slightly different ways you could approach this. First, and you can watch me explaining this on a 17 second video here or by clicking on that waving image of me, above and below, there’s this way:

1. Look through all your info so you know what you’ve got there.
2. Do a brainstorm, I like to use good ol’ fashioned pen and paper, of 20 potential chapters of your future book.
3. Organise your information according to those chapters.

To give you an example: Chapter one: early years in Gisborne. Chapter two: First years of school, and so on. Please note that you can change your chapter headings later on if you want to. Next, start noting down the stories that could go under each chapter heading, keep going and going with your ideas, until you have a good list of them written under each chapter heading. This is one way to begin.

And here’s another way to approach it, that I use in the free workshops I’m giving throughout Kiwi libraries right now. They’re really fun. But I digress.

1. Grab yourself that paper and pen and brain storm 20 things that must be in your memoir. You don’t have to stick to that number, more or less is good too.
2. Organise those ideas into potential chapter headings.
3. As above, organise your information according to those chapter headings and add more ideas as they come to mind.

Now you have a road map to follow to write your story. Next, it’s time to put the meat on the bones and start the writing process.

I hope this helps you! Let me know if it does?

Write on.

Charlotte

PS the next five weeks is a great time to enrol in my online course Write Your Memoir because I’m offering a special editing package valued at over $400 to those who do. The proof reading and editing stage always takes much longer than you expect and this will help you as it includes three hours of proofing and an hour of ‘overview editing’ from myself and my team, so if you’ve been thinking of joining now’s a great time to make the most of this opportunity. If you’d like to have a phone chat about it. Email me anytime, and we can book in a time.

PPS your list story will one day become someone’s history, keep writing!