Hello Reader,
Memoirs can be fascinating to read, because we can't help being curious about people's lives, but also because we like to find belonging and encouragement in someone else's story.
Have you ever wanted to write a book, but struggle coming up with an idea? Or have you ever wanted to write a memoir that captures a certain period of your life and lessons you learned that could help others?
Today let's spark your imagination!
Memoirs can also be some of the easiest and trickiest books to write.
Easy, because, if you’re going to follow the adage “write what you know”, what are you more familiar with than your own life?
Tricky in that, you're going to feel vulnerable sharing your story, and just because you want to write your story doesn’t mean people will want to read it.
Unless you’re famous (or infamous), what will prompt someone to devour a good memoir will be stellar storytelling, an interesting premise or a heart-tugging issue. If you’re going to write a memoir, what you need is a solid memoir structure.
One entertaining way to structure a memoir is to use the “Year Of…” format. The first book I read of this type was The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs. If I’ve ever peed my pants laughing while reading a book, this would be it.
I’ve enjoyed a few other variations through the years, such as Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shona Rhimes. There's another one I think of often--it was about an author's year of getting her kids to do chores, and I still use some of her tactics--but for the life of me I can't remember the title or author.
A search on GoodReads, Hoopla or Amazon will bring up more ideas: a year of decluttering, living with less, grieving, mourning, simplicity, nature, "living constitutionally" and more.
Now, I'm very curious to know:
A.
If you could choose a theme or mission to live for a year (ridiculous, adventurous, or growth-minded), what experiment would you pick?
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B.
Have you read a "Year of" type memoir that you enjoyed? Tell me about it!
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Newsworthy Inspiration
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How to Structure a 'Year of' Memoir Readers Love
What makes the “Year Of…” type of memoir structure unique is that the mission/theme is often premeditated, though the outcome probably turns out differently than the author expects.
I noticed successful “Year Of…” books share several key elements in their structure and style that make them so popular and fascinating to read...
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Need Help Structuring Your Memoir or Non-Fiction Book?
I get it. Sometimes all your ideas or possibilities feel confusing and overwhelming. When you're so close to your own story and content, it can be hard to step back and see it objectively.
Why not hang out with me for an hour? Let's tap into my strengths of pulling out the best in you, sorting through your ideas and pulling them into an outline that gets you excited to finish that book!
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