Is it time to write your memoir, life story or history?
I'm Kiwi writer, publisher and newspaper owner Charlotte Squire and I'd love to help
Here we are steaming towards the end of 2026! I have a question for you: Can you spare 30 minutes a few days a week to write your memoir? Think about it, the average person can write nearly 400 words in 30 minutes. That’s more than one page. If you wrote for three days, for …
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My dad died suddenly when I was 28 years old. And not a day passes when I don’t wish I’d asked more questions about his life. I did try. But he thought his life was “boring” and “normal.” Also, he’d been a soldier and didn’t want to traumatise me with the gritty details that were …
Kia ora 👋🏼 I think most people go through a process when they’re writing their memoir. Do they listen to the doubt? Or honour the story that wants to flow out of them? Do they follow the guidance of their inner critic and give up? Or write their story regardless? At last month's online memoir …
Kia ora dear memoir writer, My team and I have just finished making another newspaper for our Golden Bay. It feels like a Friday! Here’s the thriving little newspaper I recently bought, in case you’re interested. Just as it is when I’m writing articles, when you’re entering into the world of memoir writing (whether you’re writing about …
Kia ora dear memoir writer, How are you? Are you feeling inspired to write your memoir? Or perhaps you’re feeling stuck? Or you’re not sure where to start? These are all common feelings for people writing their memoirs. Today I have a question for you, which I randomly dug out of a list of 100 …
I spent today at my newspaper (which I surprised myself by buying in May) - the GB Weekly - helping to finish it for the week. We sent it away to the printers in Christchurch this afternoon, and the next time I’ll see it is this Friday when it arrives in my letter box. It’s …
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. …
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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 …
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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 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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