I’m sure you’ve heard the saying ‘never let the facts get in the way of a good story.’ When it comes to writing your memoir, this line often proves true!
So how important is it for you to fact check?
Well, it depends.
The more accurate your info is, the more seriously folks will take it. For those of you who care about this, it does pay to double or even triple check your facts, for example dates and names.
And of course, as we discussed at our Motueka memoir meet over the weekend, sometimes ‘the truth’ is a matter of opinion.
Some people want to write for the joy of writing a rollicking good story, and enjoy a stroll down memory lane at the same time. They don’t want to faff about with research and details.
This is 100% ok.
The important thing is to decide what kind of memoir writer you’re going to be from the start – the one does does their very best to verify all info, or the one who just wants to relax, write and enjoy recording some old memories?
I interviewed award winning journalist and recent author of the book No Words For This, Alison Mau a few weeks ago. While the full (fascinating) interview is in my year-long memoir writing programme (which you’re welcome to join here), I thought I’d share this five minute video with you about the lengths Ali went to to verify her info.
Finally, I asked you for your love stories and a few of you took great delight in providing me with some! Here’s one from first time memoir writer Cathy Mornington:
My mother tells the story of how she and my father got together, “One Saturday night my sister asked me if I was going to the local Church dance with her and I said no. My sister said she was going and if I didn’t come out with her, I would be at home by myself, as everyone else was going out. So, I decided I might as well go. I danced with another boy, but Jack caught my eye, I took out a cigarette, it was very cool to smoke back in those days, Jack raced over, pulled out his lighter and offered to light my cigarette, unfortunately his lighter was more like a flame thrower. He singed my eyebrows and eye lashes with it; he was mortified, he just didn’t know what to do, so in the end I danced with him and that was that”.
I loved this for a few reasons. It made me laugh. And I love that Cathy’s handed down a love story about her parents that she’s possibly one of the only people to know of. Now her family can enjoy and remember it too.
Keep writing your story dear one, you honestly cannot imagine the people who will be grateful you took the time to write it, one day.
Charlotte x
PS and if you’d like some support to write your memoir, life story or history, you can receive 40 plus lessons via regular emails, plus attend online support sessions – helping you through all the steps of writing the first draft of your memoir – via my year long online programme Write Your Memoir. Or perhaps you’ve already written a story and don’t know what to do with it? We can edit and publish it for you.
Charlotte Squire 