Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [memoir]

Speak, memory! Tell me about your madeleines.

A memoir is an autobiography. It may cover the person's entire life or focus on a particular aspect or time period. For instance, an actress's memoir may start with her earliest childhood memories, while a sports player may only talk about the years he played.

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My autobiography is exciting, but I'm an unknown. Should I make it a novel instead?

I've kept diaries all my life and now have over 100...which I've recently started turning into an autobiography - where some of the original diary quotes are included along with the new text. I belong to a local writers group, most of whom are well…
Jenny Webb
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What's a word for a person who took a very rough story and made it into a book?

I have written a book. Well, actually, my mother-in-law told the story of her experiences as a German forced laborer in the Soviet Union after World War II. This was given in German and recorded onto audio tape about thirty years ago by my…
Cyberherbalist
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How do I cover a lengthy time period with only a few interesting details?

I'm writing a book about my three weeks of travel in Belize (is that even enough time for a book?), and I'm wondering how I can cover the first day and build a foundation without being boring. There were only a few interesting details at best on the…
OneChillDude
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How much work does a (nonfiction) ghostwriter typically do?

I just finished the charming short memoir from actor Cary Elwes, As You Wish, about his experiences while filming The Princess Bride. The voice sounds very much like Elwes, but the cover clearly says "with Joe Leyden." Which says to me…
Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum
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permission to use emails from famous deceased person

I finished a creative non-fiction memoir about my secret life as a miracle worker. I am using three emails to me from a now deceased wildly popular tech icon. Our phone conversation as well as the emails are positive. Do I need to contact his…
don reinhart
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My life story is in first person, does it have to have dialogue?

I have started a story of my life in the first person. Do I have to have dialogue? Or would it be very boring without it?
Leigh
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What Genre Category for a Semi-Fictional Memoir?

What genre do these types of Memoirs fall under? "Inspired by true events?" ... Is Semi-Fictional Memoir a "thing"? I definitely don't feel that "fictional autobiography" fits. I have been writing a lot of short stories that are Memoir-ish,…
elika kohen
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How do publishers fact-check a memoir about prison?

I was holding off on doing this, or possibly never doing it, but now I am thinking of writing a memoir about prison. My question is this: How would you treat real names? And if the author used aliases, or didn't even know the real names of many…
August Canaille
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How to distinguish two different voices in one book?

A relative (who is no longer living) wrote a number of autobiographical pieces which I would like to publish in a book. I would like to include four or five chapters written by myself, that would supplement the relative's memories. In addition, some…
aparente001
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What are some creative memoir writing styles?

I am in the process of writing a memoir covering several years of my life while I was at Google and working on the earliest versions of Chromebook. My goals are to write a book which is simultaneously non-fiction, information, and interesting to…
Jeff-Inventor ChromeOS
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How do I price the ghostwriting of a memoir?

I'm a professional writer, but I've never written a memoir. I've been asked to submit a proposal to ghostwrite a memoir. The person whose memoir I would write knows I've not written a memoir before, but knows I am a journalist by training and [now]…
Creative Chameleon
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Including letters and other documents in a memoir

Writing my memoirs. I would like an opinion on how best to include 4 pages of letters/fax/emails. How about a 20-page composition? as addendum/exhibit? Too long to include in manuscript? Thanks for any help you can offer.
Jaensch
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Memoirs about life after adoption

A few years ago I decided to write a book about what it was like to grow up in an abusive household as an adoptee. As I started digging into my own history the story grew and it has turned into a start to finish story of my journey to try and find…
jmsneagle
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Need Android app for my memoir book

I've watched about 4 videos on YouTube about top apps to write books, but these videos don't explain anything about memoir-writing. I would like an app that can sync to a cloud, preferably OneDrive, so it backs up my work. I'm writing a memoir on…
user288716
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How long should a memoir be?

I am writing my first memoir about my life as a christian and how affected I was by it as an empath and how I came to desire leaving it. Is there a minimum length for memoirs? I cannot estimate at his point how long it will turn out but I have a…
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