Write your memoir, life story or history
With Kiwi writer Charlotte Squire
You never know who will read your book one day, or the ways your story will impact peoples’ lives. Mike, a student on my memoir course who wrote a book called A Boy’s Journey has discovered a huge community of people on Facebook who, like him, were ‘10 pound poms.’ His book has sparked some …
Kia ora! How is your memoir coming along this week? I’ve been editing a few great books lately. They’re written by everyday people who, when you dig just below the surface, have lived extraordinary lives. When I’m reading over a well written draft, there are many things I look for. I wanted to tell you …
Kia ora, With this month’s theme being ‘harvest’ (today I’m freezing grapes and grated zucchinis, and it’s thrilling), I want to ask you to consider what you’ve grown in your lifetime? Is this a story you could include in your memoir? Perhaps you’ve grown a family, a community or a home? Maybe you grew a …
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S32Ru-E0YbM How’s life this week? I have some exciting writing projects on the go, one of which I’m going to tell you about soon (it’s big, for me anyway!). Recently someone asked me why people would bother writing their memoir if they hadn’t done something deeply impressive. I had a lot to say in response. …
Continue reading "Do I need to have done great things to write my memoir or life story?"
Kia ora fellow writer, How are things coming along this week? I love it when people ask me questions and last week a farmer called me asked me ‘will you need to write it all proper and formal? There’s a lot of humour in my family and we do swear sometimes.’ Great question. Here’s what …
Continue reading "How ‘myself’ can I be in my memoir or life story?"
Kia ora *|FNAME|* It’s nice to pop into your world today, and exciting to welcome you newbies to my (mostly) weekly memoir chat. I’d love to know how you found me (considering how little marketing I’ve been doing lately)! If you want to explore a few years of memoir tips, pop into my blog. The …
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 …
Kia ora, This month, in honour of Valentine's Day, I’m focusing on love stories. Because, I can. I am, at heart, a romantic. I love the ‘how did you meet’ stories. My dad met my mum at the Whakatu Hotel in Nelson. She wore a full suede outfit. Think long suede boots, a suede skirt …
Kia Ora, well hello there lovely, Someone recently asked me why people write their memoirs and life stories and I had to pause, because in my memoir focused brain, there are so many reasons! One big one is the value of passing on the stories of your life, so that children and grandchildren are able …
Kia ora, I was talking with a memoir client today who sighed and said, “the photos seem to take longer than writing the book!” I thought this might be a good reason to prepare you! Not all of you will be using photos in your stories, but if you are, here are five things you …
Kia ora lovely, How’s that memoir of yours coming along today? Yesterday I met with my Golden Bay memoir group, and someone was saying they were unsure whether to dive deeply into one aspect of their story, or write more generally. They saw they could very quickly end up with waaaay too much info for …
Kia ora from mid-summer in Tākaka 👋🏼 I write to you from a busy home, overflowing with teenage boys, a clingy dog, a husband who keeps escaping to his man-shed to paint water colours, and social butterfly of grandmother. Have you wondered how to write a story that people can’t put down? Every now and …
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Kia ora, Wishing you a peaceful, happy beginning to your 2026. That's me above, after a sweaty uphill stroll through the forest. Is finishing your book one of your New Year’s resolutions? If it is, now’s a good time to think about planning it into your routine. 30 minutes a day, a few times a …
Continue reading "The power of 30 minutes for memoir writers"
Kia Ora How are you on this fine summer's day? Are you finding time to work on your story? This will be the last email from me this year, and I want to talk to you about your memories of your parents and grandparents. Sometimes people ask me if I think they should include them …
Kia ora, I thought I’d show you a short video about Mike Brown’s new book today. He’s currently in Christchurch excitedly delivering it to his grandkids. How cool is that? Mike had been working on his book for 20 years off and on until he stumbled upon a free memoir course I was giving at …
Kia ora, How’s that memoir of yours coming along this week? I get so inspired by the people I’m guiding to write their stories. Yesterday I took a monthly community memoir class and one person shared a funny, surprising, moving story that was built around her love of the humble banana box. Through a series …
Continue reading "Crafting the extraordinary around the ordinary"
Write your memoir, life story or history 