In any order

Kia ora!

How are you?

We had our monthly memoir writers ‘connection session’ last Saturday and one writer said she was making progress, though writing it ‘out of order’, because that worked for her. And she reminded me of the power of doing it that way. She’s going to finish that story of hers, because she’s happily writing it her way. I hope you will too.

People often ask me if they have to write their memoir, life story or family history from beginning to end. And my answer is: nope! I’ve borrowed today’s message from a blog I wrote about this subject in 2023. You can write your story in any order.

You could start mid-point, like one of my memoir students is: one snowy day in a Kiwi national park, when she and her friends thought they were going to die from frost bite.

You could start today, then shoot back to your earliest memories.

You could start waaaay back with your earliest known ancestor, then zip us back to present, then back to your early married years.

It’s up to you.

The really important thing is that you take your reader by the hand and guide them along the pathway of your story. Make sure they don’t get lost.

And even more important: keep at it, whether you’re researching or writing. Keep going. One day you’ll be so glad you did.

One more thing, I have a request for you. Would you like to email a photo of yourself in your youth, along with a photo of you today? I’d love to share them with our memoir community, if you’d be willing to share? There’s something very special about seeing these images side by side, they speak of lives lived. For some reason this makes me emotional.

Write on,

Charlotte x

PS if you’d like my personal guidance to write your memoir, life story or family history, think about joining my online course and community Write Your Memoir. You get access to 40 lessons that walk you through the writing process, to our group, and to my one on one guidance. I’m offering a 20% New Year discount until the end of February.