memoir essay ideas

🖋 50 Impactful Memoir Writing Prompts to Get You Writing TODAY

If you’re thinking about writing your memoir but facing a blank page, I have a few great memoir writing prompts that will get you writing TODAY . Let’s do this! ⚡️

Writer’s Block? Nah!

Creative writing prompts are useful tools for unlocking memories so you can get your life stories onto the page. I have a deep respect for the creative process, and I’m a fan of creative writing prompts because they work. They’re a diving board into your memories, helping to unlock past experiences you may have forgotten. If you struggle with writer’s block, memoir prompts are more like the well-meaning swim coach that gives you a purposeful nudge, right into the water. Once you’re in, you’re in! 🏊🏻‍♀️

Writing is an intuitive process, and this is especially true for memoir . It can be helpful to think about specific memories or moments in your life that were particularly meaningful to you. Other times, it can be helpful to focus on a specific theme or area of your life that you would like to explore in your writing. Don’t be surprised if you end up pivoting in a different direction, too. If you stay open, the story you are meant to write will reveal itself to you (this might sound silly, but it’s been true for me and all the books I’ve written ).

Creative writing prompts can be a warm-up to the actual writing, or the writing itself. You can decide the shape of your memoir once you know what you’re writing about and have generated enough material that can serve as the foundation of your memoir. You can smooth your prose and make everything cohere into a memoir everyone will want to read. 🤗

But right now? Get writing.

Using Creative Writing Prompts

Creative writing prompts and writing exercises that help you write your memoir by providing structure and ideas to get you started. They offer simple but thoughtful questions to help you excavate the stories that are wanting to be discovered. ⛏

Prompts can be as simple as asking you to describe a significant event in your life, or they can be open-ended, like asking you to write about a specific theme or feeling. Sometimes you’ll end up writing about something completely different than the memoir prompt, and that’s okay. Trust wherever it takes you.

The more writing you do, the more memories will get unlocked. Not only that, but a little bit of writing each day adds up to a lot of writing if you just keep going . And as an added bonus, you’ll be developing your writing skills with each prompt you write. 🏋🏻‍♀️

Memoirs are a great way to share your life story with the world. These prompts will help you get the most out of your writing and get your creative juices flowing.

Why Memoir Writing Matters

Memoir writing as a creative process that serves the writer and ultimately the reader. 🤓

For the writer, writing our personal narratives is a way to remember and process our own life experiences, to help us understand the significant events of our lives that helped shaped who we are. Writing these stories down can be a source of comfort and healing, providing a space to reflect on our past and make sense of our present. They offer a creative outlet for exploring our thoughts, feelings, and memories, and are a great way to connect with our past selves.

For the reader , memoirs can be a source of inspiration for others, offering a glimpse into someone else’s life and providing hope, motivation, and insight. I’ve always viewed memoir as proof that we’re not alone, that others have been through similar experiences and can relate to us. Great stories help us appreciate what we have in the present moment, and offer compassion for ourselves and others.

What are Some Good Memoir Topics to Write About?

Unless you already know what you want to write about in a memoir, and it can be difficult to know where to start. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Some good topics include your childhood, your family and friends, your education and career, your hobbies and interests, and any significant life events. These topics can also be used as creative writing prompts to help you get started on writing your memoir, even if you plan to focus on something different.

Most memoirs have a specific theme, which can help you frame your writing and your manuscript. Learn more about themes (vs topics) here , and download a printable list of themes that you can use while writing and revising your work.

Memoir Prompt Writing Tips

Before you begin, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Be honest and raw

Be honest with yourself and your writing. Don’t worry about putting on a show or looking perfect. Don’t start changing family members’ names because you’re worried they’ll get mad. Remember that no one is going to see your work at this stage unless you show it to them.

Experienced memoir writers know it takes many drafts to get to a polished manuscript, but you have to start at the beginning, and beginnings are usually pretty messy. Give yourself permission to write without any inhibitions — no censoring of your words or thoughts. Just get it down, and then decide what to do with it once you’re finished. If you really hate it or feel horribly embarrassed, you can always toss it out. But you probably won’t. 😉 

Write by hand

When it comes to writing prompts, I’m a strong proponent of writing by hand. Before you panic, you’ll only be doing this for ten minutes (see below), and there’s a connection that’s made between the brain and the page when you write by hand. I do most of my writing on my computer — I’m a fast typist and a fast thinker, so I prefer to have my fingers on the keyboard … except when I’m responding to a prompt. Something important happens when we write by hand, and it gets missed when we’re on the computer or on our phones.

If you’re not convinced, try it for one week and see what happens.

Establish a daily writing practice

When you decide you’re going to write, a daily practice helps keep you on track. Have a writing process in place ensures that you get the writing done, and with each day that passes, you become a better writer.

Some memoir writers swear by Julia Cameron’s morning pages , which I love but don’t always have the time to do. My recommendation is to set the bar low — begin with writing ten minutes a day. Choose a prompt, set the timer, and keep your hand moving (thank you, Natalie Goldberg ). When the timer goes off, stop. You can spend another 10 minutes revising and reshaping the work, or you can put it aside to rest.

If you do this daily, you’ll have 365 individual vignettes by the end of the year (366 if it’s a leap year). Whether you choose to use them in your memoir is up to you, but these are excellent starting points and you’ll usually find some gems in there, which you can submit individually to literary magazines or string together into a collection of personal essays or narratives. If micro memoirs are your thing, I have some proposed writing schedules here that might help.

The most important thing is to write, and write daily. 📆

Tell a story and give us details

Every memoir tells a specific story the writers wants to share. Memoirs are not a recounting of every fact or statistic of your entire life like an autobiography or biography, but a glimpse into a particular moment.

I like to use the example of a photograph — sometimes what is outside the frame is just as important as what’s inside the frame. Use sensory details to bring us in the moment with you. What’s happening?

When you’re ready, and once you’ve selected the pieces you want to spend time on, you can revise your work. This will give you a chance to do a deeper dive into whatever it is that want to say, and shape the work for a reader. But again, you don’t have to worry about that now, just be assured that you can “fix” whatever you need to fix, later. 👩🏻‍🔧

Mem oir Writing Prompts & Ideas

Let’s get started! Use the following memoir prompts to get your creativity flowing. These open-ended prompts are very flexible so choose at random, switch them up, make them yours. Use them as a starting point, trust the process, and GO. 🏃🏻‍♀️

• The Alphabet Autobiography (similar to the abecedarian poetic form). You’ll write one sentence of line for each letter of the alphabet, from A to Z. Start with the letter A, and think about something (or someone) in your life that begins with A. It doesn’t have to “important” — don’t overthink it. Go with whatever comes up first, and keep going until you reach the end of the alphabet.
• Write about a family heirloom.
• What were the cartoon characters of your childhood, and which one did you identify with?
• Write about your first best friend. 
• Not everyone has owned a pet, but we all have animal companions in some form. Think stuffed animal, class pet, a totem animal. Write about the first one that comes to mind.
• Write about a favorite teacher. 
• What’s the first thing you did this morning? 
• Have you ever had a near-death experience?
• Write about your first love.
• What was the most embarrassing thing that happened to you in high school?
• What is the best memory you have of a place you traveled to?
• When was the last time you saw a relative you don’t know very well? Tell us what you think about them. How are they related to you?
• Tell us about your favorite article of clothing. Where did you get it, why do you love it, what does it say about you?
• What was the first thing you ever bought yourself?
• What is your favorite gift you’ve ever given (or received)?
• Who do you love to spend time with? Why?
• Think of a time you lied.
• Think of a time when you stole something.
• Think of a time when you laughed so hard, you cried.
• Think of a time when you felt triumphant.
• Think of a time when you were completely and utterly in love.
• What was the worst day of your life?
• What’s your favorite season? Why?
• What’s your favorite holiday? Why?
• When were you the happiest you’ve ever been?
• When you were the saddest you’ve ever been?
• What is one of your most vivid memories of your parents?
• When was the last time you felt jealous?
• Write about a random act of kindness someone did for you. 
• What is your favorite smell?
• Write about your name. What does it mean? Do you have a nickname? Does it suit you?
• What is something no one knows about you?
• Tell us a recipe that you make by heart. How did you learn it? How often do you make it?
• Did you have a comfort object growing up? What was it, and when did you need it?
• Write about a recurring dream.
• When you look in the mirror, what feature do you notice first? Write about that.
• What was the first place you ever traveled to?
• How has your worldview changed since you were a child?
• What was your first car?
• When was the last time you went swimming?
• What’s a job you would love to do?
• How many siblings do you have, and what are their names?
• Tell us about your favorite kind of sandwich.
• Write about your scars.
• What’s your go-to cocktail?
• How many times have you moved in your life?
• Describe the house you grew up in.
• How many tattoos and piercings do you have, and why did you get them?
• Write about the last time you were in nature, and what happened.
• Write about a camping trip.

More Great Resources

• Experiment with micro memoirs and establish a simple writing practice to help you write regularly.
• Read this post,  10 Tips on How to Write a Book About Your Life , for an overview of the writing process.
• Read this post, Top 10 Must-Read Books on How to Write a Memoir , which features books by some great writers of the genre.
• Want to know when I add more prompts? Join my newsletter ! 💌

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Last updated on Apr 06, 2021

21 Memoir Examples to Inspire Your Own

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Martin Cavannagh

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About Tom Bromley

Author, editor, tutor, and bestselling ghostwriter. Tom Bromley is the head of learning at Reedsy, where he has created their acclaimed course, 'How to Write a Novel.'

Writing a memoir is a daunting endeavor for any author: how do you condense your entire life story into a mere couple hundred pages? Of course, you'll find plenty of online guides that will help you write a memoir by leading you through the steps. But other times that old adage “show, don’t tell” holds true, and it’s most helpful to look at other memoir examples to get started. 

If that’s the case for you, we’ve got you covered with 21 memoir examples to give you an idea of the types of memoirs that have sold well. Ready to roll up your sleeves and dive in? 

The autobiographical memoir

The autobiographical memoir — a retelling of one’s life, from beginning to present times — is probably the standard format that jumps to most people’s minds when they think of this genre.

At first glance, it might seem like a straightforward recount of your past. However, don’t be deceived! As you’ll be able to tell from the examples below, this type of memoir shines based on three things: the strength of the author’s story, the strength of the story’s structure, and the strength of the author’s voice.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. The woman who Toni Morrison said “launched African American writing in the United States,” Angelou penned this searing memoir in 1969, which remains a timeless classic today.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. Less of a singular memoir than a collection of humorous anecdotes framed around his life as a transplant to Paris, the star of this book is Sedaris’ dry voice and cutting humor.

A Two-Spirit Journey by Ma-Nee Chacaby. Chacaby’s remarkable life — from growing up abused in a remote Ojibwa community to overcoming alcoholism and coming out as a lesbian as an adult — is captured in this must-read autobiography.

The “experience” memoir

One of the most popular memoirs that you’ll find on bookshelves, this type focuses on a specific experience that the author has undergone. Typically, this experience involves a sort of struggle, such as a bitter divorce, illness, or perhaps a clash with addiction. Regardless of the situation, the writer overcomes it to share lessons learned from the ordeal.

In an "experience" memoir, you can generally expect to learn about:

• How the author found themselves facing said experience;
• The obstacles they needed to overcome; and
• What they discovered during (and after) the experience.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Faced with the prognosis of terminal cancer at the age of thirty-six, Paul Kalanithi wrote an unforgettable memoir that tackles an impossible question: what makes life worth living?

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. An account of drug and alcohol abuse that one reviewer called “the War and Peace of addiction,” this book became the focus of an uproar when it was revealed that many of its incidents were fabricated. (In case you’re wondering, we do not recommend deceiving your readers.)

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen. Adapted in 1999 into a critically acclaimed film starring Angelina Jolie, Girl, Interrupted enduringly recounts the author’s battle with mental illness and her ensuing 18-month stay in an American psychiatric hospital.

The “event” memoir

Similar to the “experience” memoir, the “event” memoir centers on a single significant event in the author’s life. However, while the former might cover a period of years or even decades, the “event” memoir zeroes in on a clearly defined period of time — for instance, a two-month walk in the woods, or a three-week mountain climb, as you’ll see below.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau. In July of 1845, Henry David Thoreau walked into the woods and didn’t come out for two years, two months, and two days. This is the seminal memoir that resulted.

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer. The controversial account of the 1996 Everest disaster, as written by author-journalist Krakaeur, who was climbing the mountain on the same day that eight climbers were killed.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. Immortalized as one of the classic books about mourning, The Year of Magical Thinking recounts the grief Didion endured the year following the death of her husband.

The “themed” memoir

When you look back on your own timeline, is there a strong theme that defines your life or ties it all together? That’s the premise on which a “themed” memoir is based. In such a memoir, the author provides a retrospective of their past through the lens of one topic.

If you’re looking to write this type of memoir, it goes without saying that you’ll want to find a rock-solid theme to build your entire life story around. Consider asking yourself:

• What’s shaped your life thus far?
• What’s been a constant at every turning point?
• Has a single thing driven all of the decisions that you’ve made?

Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby. Throughout an up-and-down upbringing complete with a debilitating battle with depression, the single consistent thread in this author’s life remained football and Arsenal F.C.

Educated by Tara Westover. If there’s one lesson that we can learn from this remarkable memoir, it’s the importance of education. About a family of religious survivalists in rural Idaho, this memoir relates how the author overcame her upbringing and moved mountains in pursuit of learning.

Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth. Now best known for its BBC adaptation, Worth’s account of her life as a midwife caught people’s imagination with its depiction of life in London’s East End in the 1950s.

The family memoir

In a family memoir, the author is a mirror that re-focuses the light on their family members — ranging from glimpses into the dysfunctional dynamics of a broken family to heartfelt family tributes.

Examples of this type of memoir

Brother, I’m Dying by Edwidge Danticat. A love letter to her family that crosses generations, continents, and cultures, Brother, I’m Dying primarily tells the intertwined stories of two men: Danticat’s father and her uncle.

Native Country of the Heart by Cherrie Moraga. The mother is a self-made woman who grew up picking cotton in California. The daughter, a passionate queer Latina feminist. Weaving the past with the present, this groundbreaking Latinx memoir about a mother-daughter relationship confronts the debilitating consequences of Alzheimer's disease.

The childhood memoir

A subset of the autobiographical memoir, the childhood memoir primarily focuses (spoiler alert!) on the author’s childhood years. Most childhood memoirs cover a range of 5 - 18 years of age, though this can differ depending on the story.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. The groundbreaking winner of the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, McCourt’s memoir covers the finer details of his childhood in impoverished Dublin.

Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl. Evoking his schoolboy days in the 1920s and 30s, the stories in this book shed light on themes and motifs that would play heavily in Dahl’s most beloved works: a love for sweets, a mischievous streak, and a distrust of authority figures.

The travel memoir

What happens when you put an author on a plane? Words fly!

Just kidding. While that’s perhaps not literally how the travel memoir subgenre was founded, being on the move certainly has something to do with it. Travel memoirs have been written for as long as people could traverse land — which is to say, a long time — but the modern travel narrative didn’t crystallize until the 1970s with the publication of Paul Theroux’s Great Railway Bazaar and Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia .

In a travel memoir, the author isn’t the star of the show: the place is. You can expect to find these elements in a travel memoir:

• A description of the place
• A discussion of the culture and people
• How the author experienced the place and dealt with setbacks during the journey

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Proof that memoirs don’t have to tell catastrophic stories to succeed, this book chronicles Gilbert’s post-divorce travels, inspiring a generation of self-care enthusiasts, and was adapted into a film starring Julia Roberts.

The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux. A four-month journey from London to East Asia (and back again) by train, this is the book that helped found the modern travel narrative.

The celebrity memoir

The celebrity memoir is just that: a memoir published by a celebrity. Though many celebrity memoirs are admittedly ghostwritten, the best ones give us an honest and authentic look at the “real person” behind the public figure.

Note that we define “celebrity” broadly here as anyone who is (or has been) in the public spotlight. This includes:

• Political figures
• Sports stars
• Actors and actresses

Paper Lion by George Plimpton. In 1960, the author George Plimpton joined up with the Detroit Lions to see if an ordinary man could play pro football. The answer was no, but his experience in training camp allowed him to tell the first-hand story of a team from inside the locker room.

Troublemaker by Leah Remini. The former star of TV’s The King of Queens tackles the Church of Scientology head-on, detailing her life in (and her decision to leave) the controversial religion.

It’s Not About the Bike by Lance Armstrong. This is a great lesson on the way authors often write books to create their own legacy in the way they see fit. As history confirmed, Armstrong’s comeback success wasn’t entirely about the bike at all.

Now that you know what a memoir looks like, it’s time to get out your pen and paper, and write your own memoir to pass down family generations ! And if you want even more memoir examples to keep being inspired? We’ve got you covered: here are the  30 best memoirs of the last century .

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66 Creative Memoir Ideas to Beat Writer’s Block

Few things beat a gripping memoir that pulls in the reader and tells a fascinating story.

However, it can be hard to come up with ideas for a memoir or to think about what to include.

This guide will walk you through some memoir ideas so you can beat past writer’s block and start to tell your stories.

What Are The Main Parts of A Memoir?

While a lot of memoirs are completely different, there are often common threads that bring them together.

Some things include:

• Emotional vulnerability . We read a memoir to understand someone’s perspective and what they went through. If you’re closed off and not sharing your truth, people won’t want to read it.
• A theme that goes through the book . There’s usually some kind of underlying theme that ties the whole memoir together .
• Comedy mixed in with heavy content . This isn’t always the case, but if you can find ways to tie in funny stories along with your heavy stories, it can create a wonderful reading experience.

Memoir Ideas

Ready to get started on your memoir? Let’s go over some quick and easy ideas for you so you don’t forget a thing.

#1 – Tell a story about a trip you took that changed your life. Whether it was the people you met or the place you went, travel can bring so much to someone’s life.

#2 – What were some of the key romantic relationships in your life? Whether they lasted a long time or a short time, there are probably some that played an impact.

#3 – If you’ve been through a divorce, you can talk about that experience. Or maybe the divorce of someone close to you.

#4 – How did school play a role in your life?

#5 – Outside of school, what do you continue to learn about or pursue as a passion?

#6 – Did you ever have a pet that left a lasting memory? Can you use nostalgic writing to tell a moving or inspiring story?

#7 – How has the health, or the health of the people in your life, changed your life? Did anyone have a serious health issue you had to help with?

#8 – Death is a hard thing to go through. Talk about the passing of someone who heavily impacted your life.

#9 – Did you ever see a movie that changed your life? Or is one you’ll never forget?

#10 – Are you a parent? How has it changed you as a person?

#11 – In relation to the above, you could also write about your own parents. What it was like to live with them, where you grew up, what they taught you?

#12 – What book had the biggest impact on your life overall?

#13 – When were you the most afraid in your life? What did you learn from that time?

#14 – Do you have any notable people in your family or bloodline? Where did your family originate from and how do you feel about your culture?

#15 – What is a family tradition you love? What is one you despise? What kind of traditions do you want to pass on?

#16 – Who do you wish you could forget you ever met in your life?

#17 – What is a day in your life you’d like to live over and over?

#18 – Do you have a hobby that has been a major theme in your life or brings you a new perspective?

#19 – Talk about religion and spirituality in your life. How has it shaped your life and worldview?

#20 – Was anyone in your family in the military?

#21 – Write about the most interesting person you’ve ever met? What makes them that way? Have they changed how you think about life?

#22 – Who inspired your life the most?

#23 – What is your strongest belief? What makes it so strong?

#24 – What was the hardest lesson for you to ever learn? What made it that way?

#25 – What is something that makes you emotional to talk about?

#26 – What have you learned about yourself?

#27 – How do you like to make the people around you feel?

#28 – What kind of people do you like to surround yourself with?

#29 – Write about your favorite season or your favorite memory from a season .

#30 – What would you want your kids to know most about who you are and your life?

#31 – What was the most memorable food in your life? Food plays such an interesting role in families and communities.

#32 – Did you have a childhood toy you’ll never forget?

#33 – What was the worst day of your life?

#34 – What do you wish the whole world understood?

#35 – What do you still hope to accomplish with your life?

#36 – How would you summarize your life into one word?

#37 – If you could only tell one story in your life, which one would it be?

#38 – Did you ever take drastic action to change your life? Maybe you got a health diagnosis or maybe you decided to finally pursue that passion project.

#39 – What was the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?

#40 – What are you the most proud of doing?

#41 – What place in the world do you love the most? Or had the biggest impact on you? Do you wish you lived somewhere else or could go back to a place?

#42 – What still makes you upset to think about?

#43 – What is your greatest weakness?

#44 – What is your greatest strength?

#45 – Write about your biggest success and your biggest failure.

#46 – What birthday celebration will you never forget?

#47 – What was the most dangerous situation you lived through and came out the other side?

#48 – What fictional character played the greatest role you have ever seen?

#49 – Who is your favorite family member, and why?

#50 – Talk about your siblings, if you have some.

#51 – What is the most memorable gift you’ve ever received?

#52 – Talk about a time you had to change your mind about something.

#53 – What bothers you the most?

#54 – Talk about your biggest faults and mistakes you’ve made in your life.

#55 – What teacher or mentor played a key role in your life?

#56 – Who did you lose touch with that you regret doing so?

#57 – Write about your happiest memory.

#58 – Were you into music growing up? Talk about a live music event you saw you remember most.

#59 – What was the most memorable thing you did for someone else? Did they know you did it?

#60 – Has a historical event shaken up your life? Maybe war altered your entire family plans or where they could live.

#61 – Did money play a huge part in your life, your stress, your family, and so on? Money can be a loaded topic, but it can play a much bigger part than people think.

#62 – What friends were in your life that you’ll never forget? Are they still in your life? Is there someone you wish still was?

#63 – Have you ever seen a piece of art that moved you?

#64 – Have you ever had an exciting experience in nature? Do you wish you had a greater connection to nature or are you happier out of nature?

#65 – Did you have an important or life altering job? Whether it was for the better or for the worse, talk about it and your experience. What did you learn?

#66 – Were you involved in sports growing up? How did it play an impact on your life?

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127 Best Memoir Writing Prompts You’ll Love

Memoir writing requires dedication and talent to describe critical points of your life. See our memoir writing prompts to inspire you to make your own.

So you finally decided to put your life on paper. Writing a memoir and sharing it with others is a great way to immortalize your achievements, failures, and lessons. 

However, you might find it hard to decide which areas of your life to focus on. Because a memoir requires themed occurrences, you can’t make it a compilation of narratives from the moment you were born. As memoir coach Marion Roach Smith told us in a podcast interview , your memoir must be honest and also impart something valuable to readers. 

How To Use These Memoir Writing Prompts

The process, memoir writing prompts, what are good topics for a memoir.

Memoir writing is personal. It involves sensitive information such as personal and family history. So, be careful to only pick highlights in your life that you are comfortable sharing. At the same time, these key events should be those you think your readers will find interesting.  

Memoirs don’t need to be chronological, nor should they read like an autobiography. These non-fiction pieces don’t need to include everything in your life. Memoirs can center on one colossal event and are primarily created to share lessons that inspire and encourage. Use the prompts below to get an idea of what to include in your memoir.

We’ve written extensively about writing prompts before. Here, you can read through our list of prompts and choose those closest to your experiences for a memoir. Pick as many as you want. Then, evaluate which ones you find most relatable. Continue this process of elimination until you have a foundation of what you want to include in your memoir.

• What’s the story behind your name?
• Talk about your first love. It can be a person, a thing, or a feeling. 
• Identify your proudest moments. Give details on how you felt during those times.
• What would you say to your older or younger self if you had the chance?
• If you can delete a memory, what will it be? Why?
• Recall a time when you’ve been in an accident.
• What’s your earliest memory?
• Talk about the worst day of your life.
• Narrate an event you feel already happened, like a deja vu.
• Describe your childhood room in detail.
• Detail a situation when you feel betrayed. What did you do, and how did you handle it?
• If you have traumas or illnesses, share how you got them and discuss your recovery story.
• What were you afraid of when you were a child, and why? Are you still scared of it today?
• Talk about an occasion when you were terrified to do something but still did it.
• How did your first date go? What’s your ideal first date?
• List three ways people always describe you. Why do you think they describe you as such?
• Identify your worst insecurity and why you got it. What are the steps you’re taking to overcome it?
• Write about winning something.
• Talk about your first heartbreak. It can be about a past lover or a failed endeavor.
• Who’s your favorite teacher? Why?
• What’s your worst fear?
• Describe the most beautiful art you’ve seen.
• What are your quirks?
• What are you most grateful for today? Why?
• Have you ever had a spiritual or religious experience? Expound on it.
• What are your most valuable possessions? Why?
• List three of your worst phobias. Share your worst experience concerning these fears.
• Talk about your hobbies and how you got them. If you have a hobby from childhood that you carried to your adult life, what are they?
• Talk about the most memorable holiday you’ve had.
• Share an experience where you feel the most embarrassed.
• Recall a time when you met a terminally ill person. How did their life philosophy affect you?
• What’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made? What did you do to mitigate or correct it?
• Talk about any experience you have with the supernatural.
• Talk about an unforgettable memory you had with your mom or dad.
• Recount your experiences growing up with strict or devout parents.
• Describe your worst physical pain and share the story behind it.
• Describe your relationship with your siblings.
• Recall a time when you had a meltdown. What were the events that led up to it?
• Talk about the funniest incident you’ve witnessed.
• Talk about a time when you were dirt poor – no money, no friends, and no motivation.
• List five of your all-time favorite songs. What memories do you connect to these songs?
• Talk about your first job. How did it go, and what did you learn from it?
• Narrate how your graduation went. Include what you felt and who you celebrated it with you.
• Describe the most beautiful wedding you’ve attended.
• Talk about when your experiences with racism, sexism, and other types of discrimination.
• Is there a period when you feel lost? Share what you felt and how you overcame it.
• What’s the first school memory you can recall?
• Talk about the time when you hated yourself the most.
• Recount a time in your life that you consider a fresh start. Compare the person you were before and after this new beginning.
• Talk about the happiest day of your life.
• What’s the most shocking event you’ve experienced?
• What part of schooling did you hate the most?
• Talk about the origin of a lie you still present as truth today.
• What is your dream job? Recount your experiences during the period when you strived to get that dream job.
• Walk around your house and look for items that trigger your consciousness. Relay the memories connected to these items.
• Recount the story of your birth. How did your parents or guardian describe it?
• Think back to a time when you had to make an important decision. What did you pick, and how do you feel about it today?
• Talk about your greatest regret.
• Narrate an encounter where you were stereotyped based on your gender.
• What skill are you most proud of, and how did you develop it?
• Talk about your favorite childhood toy and share a prominent memory of it.
• Is there a family secret you wish you didn’t know? What is it, and why?
• If you’re a part of the LGBTQ+ community, share your journey to discovering and understanding your sexuality.
• Look back to your past expectations of yourself. How different are they from your current goals?
• If you have an experience with a grave disease, share your life before and after your diagnosis.
• Recount your experiences and lessons as a first-time parent.
• If you’re a war veteran, narrate your first-hand experiences during your service.
• Speak about the meaningful experiences you’ve had in your job or career. 
• Talk about a time when you had to break the law to survive.
• Recall a time when you were pushed to be the leader of a group or a project. How did it go?
• Pick the largest scar on your body and share how you got it.
• Talk about something you’ve gone through that you pretend never happened. Include how you finally faced and pulled through this tribulation.
• If you have any tattoos, talk about their meaning/s.
• Describe the moment you realized you’ve matured or grown up.
• Describe what you expect your retirement to be like.
• Talk about a book you deeply feel connected to.
• Talk about your favorite photo of yourself and the story behind it.
• Recount the day when you got your first car.
• What did it feel like when you moved out of your family home?
• Describe your childhood home and pick your favorite areas. Explain why.
• Recall an incident when your feelings were hurt the most.
• Talk about an experience that made you believe in extraterrestrial life.
• What vegetable do you hate the most? Share a memory of when you realized you hate that food.
• If you’ve had a poor relationship with food, share your struggles with eating, weight, and self-concept.
• What do you do when you feel sad? How do you lift your mood?
• Talk about how you met the best people you know today.
• Do you have unique family traditions? What are they, and what do you feel about them?
• Tell the story of how you met your current partner.
• Talk about your different friend groups. What memories of them do you like the most?
• Describe your parents’ dynamic. How did their relationship affect your perception of love and marriage?
• Recount the most intense argument you’ve had with someone close to you. Include why the fight happened and how you solved it.
• Identify your greatest personal challenge so far and elaborate on it.
• Talk about a time when your family prepared for a death of a loved one.
• Recount the period after losing a loved one. Talk about your grief, mourning, and how you coped with the death.
• Talk about how you started and achieved success in your field. Add tips to help aspiring beginners of the craft.
• If you’re from a broken marriage, share how the separation affected you growing up. Include your struggles with your identity, self-respect, etc. 
• Talk about a time when you were falsely accused of something.
• Have you ever joined an organization? Share your most memorable experience with the group.
• Share your experience with a natural calamity, such as an earthquake or a hurricane.
• Talk about the first year of your marriage to your current partner. Include your realizations, compromises, and adjustments.
• Discuss a relationship you’ve been in that made you a better person. For example, you can speak about a toxic or a healing relationship.
• Talk about a rare habit one of your friends or relatives has that you find amusing.
• Talk about a major change you had to go through in your life. How did you cope with it, and what did you learn?
• Speak about a time when you were addicted to something.
• Talk about a time you felt the closest to your mother or father.
• Recount an incident that pushed you to cut ties with someone special to you.
• Narrate the story of how a grandparent imparted a vital life lesson to you.
• Talk about your celebrity idols and how they influenced your life.
• Talk about your best friend and how the two of you became close.
• Did you have a school bully? Recall the worst thing they did and how their actions impacted your school life.
• Talk about a family feud. How did it start, and how did the dispute affect you?
• Discuss a life-or-death situation you’ve been in. How dangerous was it, and how did you survive it?
• Talk about your best traveling experience that changed your perception of life.
• Talk about a time when you feel powerful or unstoppable.
• Write about a bizarre encounter you’ve experienced.
• Talk about your political beliefs and why you support these beliefs.
• Write about a time when you felt a place is hunted. Share the details of your trip.
• Try to describe your hometown in vivid detail. What’s one thing you remember the most about your hometown?
• Write about a historical event that greatly affected your life. What is it, and how did it change your everyday living?
• Pick one memory you strongly associate with each: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
• Think of a time when you had to choose between two good things. For example, love or career, then talk about your experience.
• Recall the most memorable adventure you’ve had. 
• Talk about an instance when you saved someone. 
• Talk about your experience when you moved to another country.
• Talk about the time when you met your childhood hero.
• Recount what happened when you had your first child.
• Think of your first major loss. Explain what it’s about

Childhood Memories : Remember when you climbed that giant oak tree in your backyard or had your first heartbreak in middle school? Your early years are a goldmine of raw, evocative memories. Delve deep, and you might be surprised at the rich tales you can tell. If it helps, read old journal entries .

Overcoming Adversities : Have you ever faced a daunting challenge? Perhaps you battled an illness or overcame financial hardship. These experiences shape who you are and resonate with readers who seek inspiration and hope in the face of their own struggles.

Travel Adventures : That backpacking trip across Europe, or the time you got lost in a bustling market in Bangkok? Travel stories transport readers to a different world, filled with sights, sounds, and cultural nuances.

Relationship Dynamics : Love, friendships, and even the intricacies of family dynamics can make for poignant memoir material. Dive into the beauty, the pain, and the lessons learned from the people who’ve come in and out of your life.

Professional Life : If you’ve built a unique career or made significant shifts in your profession, these experiences might intrigue those looking to understand the ins and outs of a particular field or those seeking motivation to change their own career paths, like a writing job .

Personal Transformations : Did you embark on a journey of self-discovery, perhaps through spirituality, weight loss, or even a simple hobby that grew into a passion? Sharing such personal evolutions can be deeply moving.

Historical or Cultural Insights : If you’ve lived through significant historical events or come from a rich cultural background, offer readers a window into that world. Paint them a picture of a time or place they might never personally experience.

Life in the Shadows : Maybe you’ve had experiences on the fringes of society or in lesser-known subcultures, for example triathlon training. Shedding light on these areas can be both enlightening and captivating.

Educational Pursuits : Remember when you returned to school or pursued an unconventional educational path? There’s always someone out there wondering if it’s too late or if they’re on the right path.

Mundane Magic : Sometimes, the simple, everyday moments hold the most beauty. The smell of your grandmother’s kitchen, the laughter shared over a family dinner, or the quiet moments alone with your thoughts. Celebrate the ordinary; it often holds extraordinary stories.

If you’re still stuck, get the best memoir-writing apps to assist you.

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Home / Book Writing / Topics for Memoirs: 50+ Ideas and Prompts to Get You Started

Topics for Memoirs: 50+ Ideas and Prompts to Get You Started

The memoir is a popular type of nonfiction writing that's often associated with celebrities, business leaders, and politicians. However, you don't need to be any of the above to write a good memoir.

Most people develop, over the course of their life, interesting experiences, expertise, or hardships that could interest others. But how do you know you have a good idea for a memoir? Better yet, how can you come up with a good memoir idea ?

Well, read on to find out as we discuss topics for memoirs. 

• What sets memoirs apart from other nonfiction.
• Tips for writing a compelling memoir. 
• Memoir writing prompts. 

Table of contents

• What is a Memoir?
• Open With a Hook
• Structure it Like a Novel
• Read Many Memoirs
• Inspirational Memoir Ideas
• Confessional Memoir Ideas
• Comedic Memoir Ideas
• Nostalgia Memoir Ideas
• Travel Memoir Ideas
• Other Memoir Writing Prompts
• Position Your Memoir for Success

Before we go any further, let's get on the same page. A memoir is an exploration of a certain topic or subject with which the author has experience. This sets the memoir apart from the autobiography , which is typically a look at the author's entire life (or at least the interesting parts). A memoir, on the other hand, only explores certain aspects of the author's life that have to do with the topic or theme at hand. 

Memoirs also read like fiction books. There's a cast of characters, and the protagonist is almost always the author. They have a similar tone and style to fiction books, as well, which is one reason people read them. In fact, some memoirs have been known to skirt the line between truth and fiction ( A Million Little Pieces , anyone?). 

That said, you should strive for truth in your memoir. But you'll also probably leave some stuff out by necessity. In other words, you don't need to tell all about the boring stuff. 

How to Write a Good Memoir

Memoir writing doesn't have to be hard. In fact, some writers may find it easier than writing a story about fictional characters. After all, the memoir will be about your own life and experiences. Here are a few tips to help you get started. 

Grabbing the reader from the beginning is essential for any memoir (or novel, for that matter). There are a number of ways to do this, and the type of story you plan to write will often dictate how it’s done. You can start with humor, action, conflict, or strong emotions. Don’t be afraid to combine more than one of these factors. 

But no matter how you start the book, you’ll want to ensure you write from the heart and stick to the truth as you remember it. If you write with emotion and keep it compelling, the reader will be happy to go on the journey with you for the rest of the memoir. 

Thinking of the structure of your memoir as that of a novel is a great way to craft a compelling narrative. Try your best to have the reader identify with you early on, while also setting up the central conflict of the story. 

Each scene should advance the story, add character development or depth, or support the overarching theme of your memoir. All the better if a scene does more than one of these things!

As is the case with writing any other type of book, you'll want to be very familiar with other people's memoirs. You can't expect to know what readers expect from a good memoir if you don't read them yourself. Luckily, there are a ton of different memoir subgenres you can dive into. Some are funny, some are heart-wrenching, and some are informative. Here are some suggestions for excellent memoirs to check out. 

Augusten Burroughs has written several successful memoirs. The most notable of these is Running With Scissors , which was even made into a movie. But he has written other memoirs, including Dry and A Wolf at the Table . 

David Sedaris is another well-known writer in the memoir genre. Unlike Burroughs, Sedaris typically releases books that comprise a collection of essays on a certain topic. The personal essays in his books are memoirs of a kind. 

Alison Bechdel is a cartoonist who has written what is known as graphic memoirs. Similar to a graphic novel, her book Fun Home is a memoir in illustrated form. 

Some other memoirs you may have heard of include:

• Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• The Liars' Club by Mary Karr
• Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
• Educated by Tara Westover
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

For more practical advice, check out the essay How to Write a Memoir by famed nonfiction writer William Zinsser. 

Memoir Writing Prompts

Now that we've covered some broad-strokes writing tips for memoirs, let's dive into some memoir ideas. I've split the following prompts into some overarching memoir categories, but this is not to say that you need to keep any given idea in that category. You can take any prompt that strikes your fancy and apply a different theme to it. 

By definition, your memoir will be very personal. It will be uniquely yours, but if done well, it will also give other people entertainment, insight, and value. After all, a memoir is just a long personal essay. Keep this in mind as you read the following ideas. 

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If you have stories that can touch and inspire, then this may be the theme for you. Overcoming challenges makes for great reading. 

1. Think of the hardest thing you've ever had to do in your life. How did you overcome the challenge? Did you do it by yourself or with the help of friends, family members, a spouse, your kids, etc.?

2. Have you ever had a profound religious or spiritual experience? If so, what prompted it?

3. Have you ever had to deal with a life-or-death situation? Did you keep your cool when others were panicking? What did you learn and how did your life change after the situation was over and you had time to reflect?

4. If you were able to go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say? 

5. What is the single most important life experience you've had? Why?

6. Write about the one thing that makes you different from everyone else. How has this difference affected your life, and where would you be if you weren't different?

7. Love is something everyone can relate to. Describe meeting your partner or your trials and tribulations in the world of finding and losing love. 

8. Have you lived through any specific historical event? If so, how did it change your life or affect your view of the world and the human race?

9. Have you devoted your life to a specific field of expertise? With all your knowledge of your specific industry, start a personal narrative that explores how your expertise has influenced your life. 

10. Recount the greatest adventure of your entire life in detail. Why was it so great, and how did it change the course of your life?

Confessional memoirs intrigue readers because the authors share their dirty little secrets. However, most of the time, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. 

11. If you've ever dealt with addiction of any kind, a personal memoir could help other people who are dealing with something similar. 

12. Most industries have a dark underside that doesn't often make the news. If you've been in a position to see this underside, it could make for a good memoir.

13. If you've done something interesting — like working with the homeless or at-risk teens — then your experiences could make for a good confessional memoir. Of course, you'd need to get permission to write about specific people first. 

14. People who have lived a life of crime are in a unique position to write a compelling memoir. True crime is a popular concept across all media, and a true crime memoir could certainly do well. (Of course, I'm not suggesting you commit any crimes just so you can write about them.) 

15. Is there something you've had to deal with, such as a mental or physical illness? Writing about it could be a way to help others with their own struggles. 

16. Traumatic encounters can also make for impactful memoirs. Of course, writing about any kind of trauma can be difficult, but if you feel up to it, you may consider this kind of memoir. 

17. Growing up is hard. If you had a particularly tough or unique time while shedding your childhood and donning adulthood, it could be of interest to future generations. 

18. People are often interested in those who have different experiences from them. Whether you're an African American growing up in the United States or a disabled person navigating through life, try to pinpoint what makes you unique and discuss how it has impacted your life. 

19. Confessional memoirs don't need to be as dramatic as crime or trauma. They can be as simple as mistakes you've learned from. Consider writing about a time when you made a mistake or did something that you are not proud of. Reflect on what led up to the event, how it affected those around you, and how you learned from it.

20. Like mistakes, secrets and your reasons for keeping them can also make for a good memoir topic. Write about a secret that you have kept for a long time. Consider the reasons why you felt the need to keep it hidden. How has it affected your life, and what have you learned from the experience of keeping it hidden?

While confessional memoirs are often serious reads in which the author bares their soul, comedic memoirs often deal with similar issues but with a very different tone. Readers seek these out to laugh and revel in the lives of others.

21. Were you a class clown in middle school, high school, or college? Did you get up to silly hijinks that landed you in the principal's office? If so, a humorous tell-all could be the creative writing project of your dreams. 

22. Everyone's family is pretty strange. But some are certainly stranger than others. If you can look back on your formative years and laugh, you might just have the right attitude for a comedic memoir. 

23. Some of the best memoirs are about family members. Maybe you had a brother or a sister who was zany or simply uniquely funny in their own quiet way. Writing a memoir about how your close family member kept the dark times light and the light times infused with laughter is a fun undertaking. 

24. Sometimes it takes a while to “grow up” and start adulting. And there are certainly potholes along the way. If you have some cringe-worthy stories from living, loving, and learning, then your embarrassment could mean hours of entertainment for your readers. 

25. Trying and failing at something can provide some of the best life lessons of all. Maybe you went to LA to become an actor, or you tried your hand at sports with hilarious results. By making light of your failures, you can help people not take their own so seriously. 

26. Kids say the darndest things. No, I'm not talking about the show, but it's a good example of the kind of memoir you could write if you have raised or been around kids in any capacity. Not only are they funny, but they can teach us how to retain some magic in our own lives. 

27. Humor is certainly a coping mechanism. And while there's a fine line between poking fun and making fun, there's some room in the comedic memoir genre for discussing things like your relationship to food, entertainment, and even exercise. These are the things of life, and with a little creative writing, they can make for fun reading. 

28. Do you work in an industry dominated by the opposite sex? Or in an elite industry where only a few “make it”? Exploring anecdotes from your unique point of view can make for awkward, embarrassing, and funny writing. 

29. Everyone has experienced some hard times in their life, but not everyone can see those things in a positive light. Using humor, write about the hardest moments you've lived through, giving them a comedic twist from your perspective today. 

30. Was there ever a time in your life when a kind word or a silly joke brought you out of a dark place? Write about the power of kindness and laughter in your life. 

Nostalgia memoirs are attractive to readers because they often remind them of their own childhood or experiences. Other readers may pick them up to see what the world was like in a certain time and place. 

31. Growing up in small-town America — with white picket fences and a mailman who stops to chat — is a rarity these days. If you had this kind of upbringing, your experiences could transport readers back in time for an entertaining and inspiring journey. 

32. We relate to the world through stories. And the ones we enjoyed as children often hold a special place in our hearts. If you can relate movies, shows, or books you enjoyed growing up to the person you've become today, it could make for a great memoir. 

33. Music is the soundtrack to our lives. And a memoir that ties popular and classic songs to important events in your life has the potential to be a bestseller!

34. Did you attend Woodstock? Were you there for the Million Man March? Events like these — even those as recent as 1995 — can make for great memoirs. Life was different then, and much has changed. But our love for a good story hasn't. 

35. Write about a significant event or period of your life, and reflect on how your perspective and feelings about it have changed over time. What do you miss most about that time, and what do you appreciate about your current stage of life?

People like traveling almost as much as they like stories. And these kinds of memoirs combine both. It's a way for readers to experience other parts of the world vicariously through the author's eyes. 

36. A year-long trek across Europe. Riding a bike across America in a year. Living in hostels for a year. If you've ever done anything like this, get to writing!

37. Have you ever been injured or stranded in a foreign country? If so, you could write a thrilling memoir that details your experiences, the people you met, and how you managed to get back home. 

38. Snow storms, flash floods, or broken limbs. A lot can go wrong out in the wilderness. If you've ever had a close call or a harrowing experience like this, a piece of narrative writing detailing it could be in order. 

39. You can learn a lot about the world and about people by traveling. Experiences, both good and bad, can be interesting to the average memoir reader. And any life lessons you've learned along the way will certainly add depth to your memoir. 

40. If you've ever been to Antarctica or the Sahara, Everest or Kilimanjaro, your experiences could make for great reading!

Many published memoirs are a collection of essays that are all related by theme. So these are the nonfiction equivalent of short story collections. Don't feel like you need to write one long story for your memoir. You can write several stories on different topics and then publish them as a collection. The following writing prompts can help you do just that. 

41. Write about an epic journey you took. 

42. Write about the time you realized what was really important in life. 

43. Explore the topic of love — both platonic and romantic — and how it has influenced your life. 

44. What is the one life lesson you wish you had learned earlier? Why?

45. Write about the person who has had the greatest impact on your life. 

46. Explore discipline and how your life would be without it. 

47. Talk about big changes in life — from childhood to adulthood or middle age to old age — and impart lessons to those who will be going through the same thing. 

48. If you've ever been through a divorce, explore its impact on your life. 

49. Talk about your hobby and how it has had a positive (or negative) effect on your life. 

50. Explore ways you've tried to help others during your life. 

When you have your memoir written and ready to publish, you’ll need to think about positioning it for success on the biggest online bookseller out there: Amazon. And the easiest way to do this is with Publisher Rocket .

You can think of the information you get from Publisher Rocket as the foundation for your writing career . You get insights directly from Amazon on:

• Keywords – Metadata to position your memoir on Amazon.
• Competition – Allowing you to see what other memoirs are selling well and how stiff the competition is.
• Categories – Allowing you to position your memoir in the right categories and subcategories to increase your chances of success.
• Amazon Ads – Helping you quickly configure a list of profitable keywords for running ads to your published memoir.

I hope these memoir writing prompts help get your creativity flowing. Don’t forget to check out Publisher Rocket here to use data to sell your finished book!

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When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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If you’ve thought about putting your life to the page, you may have wondered how to write a memoir. We start the road to writing a memoir when we realize that a story in our lives demands to be told. As Maya Angelou once wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

How to write a memoir? At first glance, it looks easy enough—easier, in any case, than writing fiction. After all, there is no need to make up a story or characters, and the protagonist is none other than you.

Still, memoir writing carries its own unique challenges, as well as unique possibilities that only come from telling your own true story. Let’s dive into how to write a memoir by looking closely at the craft of memoir writing, starting with a key question: exactly what is a memoir?

How to Write a Memoir: Contents

What is a Memoir?

• Memoir vs Autobiography

Memoir Examples

Short memoir examples.

• How to Write a Memoir: A Step-by-Step Guide

A memoir is a branch of creative nonfiction , a genre defined by the writer Lee Gutkind as “true stories, well told.” The etymology of the word “memoir,” which comes to us from the French, tells us of the human urge to put experience to paper, to remember. Indeed, a memoir is “ something written to be kept in mind .”

A memoir is defined by Lee Gutkind as “true stories, well told.”

For a piece of writing to be called a memoir, it has to be:

• Nonfictional
• Based on the raw material of your life and your memories
• Written from your personal perspective

At this point, memoirs are beginning to sound an awful lot like autobiographies. However, a quick comparison of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love , and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin , for example, tells us that memoirs and autobiographies could not be more distinct.

Next, let’s look at the characteristics of a memoir and what sets memoirs and autobiographies apart. Discussing memoir vs. autobiography will not only reveal crucial insights into the process of writing a memoir, but also help us to refine our answer to the question, “What is a memoir?”

Memoir vs. Autobiography

While both use personal life as writing material, there are five key differences between memoir and autobiography:

1. Structure

Since autobiographies tell the comprehensive story of one’s life, they are more or less chronological. writing a memoir, however, involves carefully curating a list of personal experiences to serve a larger idea or story, such as grief, coming-of-age, and self-discovery. As such, memoirs do not have to unfold in chronological order.

While autobiographies attempt to provide a comprehensive account, memoirs focus only on specific periods in the writer’s life. The difference between autobiographies and memoirs can be likened to that between a CV and a one-page resume, which includes only select experiences.

The difference between autobiographies and memoirs can be likened to that between a CV and a one-page resume, which includes only select experiences.

Autobiographies prioritize events; memoirs prioritize the writer’s personal experience of those events. Experience includes not just the event you might have undergone, but also your feelings, thoughts, and reflections. Memoir’s insistence on experience allows the writer to go beyond the expectations of formal writing. This means that memoirists can also use fiction-writing techniques , such as scene-setting and dialogue , to capture their stories with flair.

4. Philosophy

Another key difference between the two genres stems from the autobiography’s emphasis on facts and the memoir’s reliance on memory. Due to memory’s unreliability, memoirs ask the reader to focus less on facts and more on emotional truth. In addition, memoir writers often work the fallibility of memory into the narrative itself by directly questioning the accuracy of their own memories.

Memoirs ask the reader to focus less on facts and more on emotional truth.

5. Audience

While readers pick up autobiographies to learn about prominent individuals, they read memoirs to experience a story built around specific themes . Memoirs, as such, tend to be more relatable, personal, and intimate. Really, what this means is that memoirs can be written by anybody!

Ready to be inspired yet? Let’s now turn to some memoir examples that have received widespread recognition and captured our imaginations!

If you’re looking to lose yourself in a book, the following memoir examples are great places to begin:

• The Year of Magical Thinking , which chronicles Joan Didion’s year of mourning her husband’s death, is certainly one of the most powerful books on grief. Written in two short months, Didion’s prose is urgent yet lucid, compelling from the first page to the last. A few years later, the writer would publish Blue Nights , another devastating account of grief, only this time she would be mourning her daughter.
• Patti Smith’s Just Kids is a classic coming-of-age memoir that follows the author’s move to New York and her romance and friendship with the artist Robert Maplethorpe. In its pages, Smith captures the energy of downtown New York in the late sixties and seventies effortlessly.
• When Breath Becomes Air begins when Paul Kalanithi, a young neurosurgeon, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Exquisite and poignant, this memoir grapples with some of the most difficult human experiences, including fatherhood, mortality, and the search for meaning.
• A memoir of relationship abuse, Carmen Maria Machado’s In the Dream House is candid and innovative in form. Machado writes about thorny and turbulent subjects with clarity, even wit. While intensely personal, In the Dream House is also one of most insightful pieces of cultural criticism.
• Twenty-five years after leaving for Canada, Michael Ondaatje returns to his native Sri Lanka to sort out his family’s past. The result is Running in the Family , the writer’s dazzling attempt to reconstruct fragments of experiences and family legends into a portrait of his parents’ and grandparents’ lives. (Importantly, Running in the Family was sold to readers as a fictional memoir; its explicit acknowledgement of fictionalization prevented it from encountering the kind of backlash that James Frey would receive for fabricating key facts in A Million Little Pieces , which he had sold as a memoir . )
• Of the many memoirs published in recent years, Tara Westover’s Educated is perhaps one of the most internationally-recognized. A story about the struggle for self-determination, Educated recounts the writer’s childhood in a survivalist family and her subsequent attempts to make a life for herself. All in all, powerful, thought-provoking, and near impossible to put down.

While book-length memoirs are engaging reads, the prospect of writing a whole book can be intimidating. Fortunately, there are plenty of short, essay-length memoir examples that are just as compelling.

While memoirists often write book-length works, you might also consider writing a memoir that’s essay-length. Here are some short memoir examples that tell complete, lived stories, in far fewer words:

• “ The Book of My Life ” offers a portrait of a professor that the writer, Aleksandar Hemon, once had as a child in communist Sarajevo. This memoir was collected into Hemon’s The Book of My Lives , a collection of essays about the writer’s personal history in wartime Yugoslavia and subsequent move to the US.
• “The first time I cheated on my husband, my mother had been dead for exactly one week.” So begins Cheryl Strayed’s “ The Love of My Life ,” an essay that the writer eventually expanded into the best-selling memoir, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail .
• In “ What We Hunger For ,” Roxane Gay weaves personal experience and a discussion of The Hunger Games into a powerful meditation on strength, trauma, and hope. “What We Hunger For” can also be found in Gay’s essay collection, Bad Feminist .
• A humorous memoir structured around David Sedaris and his family’s memories of pets, “ The Youth in Asia ” is ultimately a story about grief, mortality and loss. This essay is excerpted from the memoir Me Talk Pretty One Day , and a recorded version can be found here .

So far, we’ve 1) answered the question “What is a memoir?” 2) discussed differences between memoirs vs. autobiographies, 3) taken a closer look at book- and essay-length memoir examples. Next, we’ll turn the question of how to write a memoir.

How to Write a Memoir: A-Step-by-Step Guide

1. how to write a memoir: generate memoir ideas.

how to start a memoir? As with anything, starting is the hardest. If you’ve yet to decide what to write about, check out the “ I Remember ” writing prompt. Inspired by Joe Brainard’s memoir I Remember , this prompt is a great way to generate a list of memories. From there, choose one memory that feels the most emotionally charged and begin writing your memoir. It’s that simple! If you’re in need of more prompts, our Facebook group is also a great resource.

2. How to Write a Memoir: Begin drafting

My most effective advice is to resist the urge to start from “the beginning.” Instead, begin with the event that you can’t stop thinking about, or with the detail that, for some reason, just sticks. The key to drafting is gaining momentum . Beginning with an emotionally charged event or detail gives us the drive we need to start writing.

3. How to Write a Memoir: Aim for a “ shitty first draft ”

Now that you have momentum, maintain it. Attempting to perfect your language as you draft makes it difficult to maintain our impulses to write. It can also create self-doubt and writers’ block. Remember that most, if not all, writers, no matter how famous, write shitty first drafts.

Attempting to perfect your language as you draft makes it difficult to maintain our impulses to write.

4. How to Write a Memoir: Set your draft aside

Once you have a first draft, set it aside and fight the urge to read it for at least a week. Stephen King recommends sticking first drafts in your drawer for at least six weeks. This period allows writers to develop the critical distance we need to revise and edit the draft that we’ve worked so hard to write.

5. How to Write a Memoir: Reread your draft

While reading your draft, note what works and what doesn’t, then make a revision plan. While rereading, ask yourself:

• What’s underdeveloped, and what’s superfluous.
• Does the structure work?
• What story are you telling?

6. How to Write a Memoir: Revise your memoir and repeat steps 4 & 5 until satisfied

Every piece of good writing is the product of a series of rigorous revisions. Depending on what kind of writer you are and how you define a draft,” you may need three, seven, or perhaps even ten drafts. There’s no “magic number” of drafts to aim for, so trust your intuition. Many writers say that a story is never, truly done; there only comes a point when they’re finished with it. If you find yourself stuck in the revision process, get a fresh pair of eyes to look at your writing.

7. How to Write a Memoir: Edit, edit, edit!

Once you’re satisfied with the story, begin to edit the finer things (e.g. language, metaphor , and details). Clean up your word choice and omit needless words , and check to make sure you haven’t made any of these common writing mistakes . Be sure to also know the difference between revising and editing —you’ll be doing both. Then, once your memoir is ready, send it out !

Learn How to Write a Memoir at Writers.com

Writing a memoir for the first time can be intimidating. But, keep in mind that anyone can learn how to write a memoir. Trust the value of your own experiences: it’s not about the stories you tell, but how you tell them. Most importantly, don’t give up!

Anyone can learn how to write a memoir.

If you’re looking for additional feedback, as well as additional instruction on how to write a memoir, check out our schedule of nonfiction classes . Now, get started writing your memoir!

32 Comments

Thank you for this website. It’s very engaging. I have been writing a memoir for over three years, somewhat haphazardly, based on the first half of my life and its encounters with ignorance (religious restrictions, alcohol, and inability to reach out for help). Three cities were involved: Boston as a youngster growing up and going to college, then Washington DC and Chicago North Shore as a married woman with four children. I am satisfied with some chapters and not with others. Editing exposes repetition and hopefully discards boring excess. Reaching for something better is always worth the struggle. I am 90, continue to be a recital pianist, a portrait painter, and a writer. Hubby has been dead for nine years. Together we lept a few of life’s chasms and I still miss him. But so far, my occupations keep my brain working fairly well, especially since I don’t smoke or drink (for the past 50 years).

Hi Mary Ellen,

It sounds like a fantastic life for a memoir! Thank you for sharing, and best of luck finishing your book. Let us know when it’s published!

Best, The writers.com Team

Hello Mary Ellen,

I am contacting you because your last name (Lavelle) is my middle name!

Being interested in genealogy I have learned that this was my great grandfathers wife’s name (Mary Lavelle), and that her family emigrated here about 1850 from County Mayo, Ireland. That is also where my fathers family came from.

Is your family background similar?

Hope to hear back from you.

Richard Lavelle Bourke

Hi Mary Ellen: Have you finished your memoir yet? I just came across your post and am seriously impressed that you are still writing. I discovered it again at age 77 and don’t know what I would do with myself if I couldn’t write. All the best to you!! Sharon [email protected]

I am up to my eyeballs with a research project and report for a non-profit. And some paid research for an international organization. But as today is my 90th birthday, it is time to retire and write a memoir.

So I would like to join a list to keep track of future courses related to memoir / creative non-fiction writing.

Hi Frederick,

Happy birthday! And happy retirement as well. I’ve added your name and email to our reminder list for memoir courses–when we post one on our calendar, we’ll send you an email.

We’ll be posting more memoir courses in the near future, likely for the months of January and February 2022. We hope to see you in one!

Very interesting and informative, I am writing memoirs from my long often adventurous and well travelled life, have had one very short story published. Your advice on several topics will be extremely helpful. I write under my schoolboy nickname Barnaby Rudge.

[…] How to Write a Memoir: Examples and a Step-by-Step Guide […]

I am writing my memoir from my memory when I was 5 years old and now having left my birthplace I left after graduation as a doctor I moved to UK where I have been living. In between I have spent 1 year in Canada during my training year as paediatrician. I also spent nearly 2 years with British Army in the hospital as paediatrician in Germany. I moved back to UK to work as specialist paediatrician in a very busy general hospital outside London for the next 22 years. Then I retired from NHS in 2012. I worked another 5 years in Canada until 2018. I am fully retired now

I have the whole convoluted story of my loss and horrid aftermath in my head (and heart) but have no clue WHERE, in my story to begin. In the middle of the tragedy? What led up to it? Where my life is now, post-loss, and then write back and forth? Any suggestions?

My friend Laura who referred me to this site said “Start”! I say to you “Start”!

Hi Dee, that has been a challenge for me.i dont know where to start?

What was the most painful? Embarrassing? Delicious? Unexpected? Who helped you? Who hurt you? Pick one story and let that lead you to others.

I really enjoyed this writing about memoir. I ve just finished my own about my journey out of my city then out of my country to Egypt to study, Never Say Can’t, God Can Do It. Infact memoir writing helps to live the life you are writing about again and to appreciate good people you came across during the journey. Many thanks for sharing what memoir is about.

I went to Egypt earlier this year. I aspire for my second book to document and tell the story of my travels of Africa, following the first – a memoir that led me to this post.

I am a survivor of gun violence, having witnessed my adult son being shot 13 times by police in 2014. I have struggled with writing my memoir because I have a grandson who was 18-months old at the time of the tragedy and was also present, as was his biological mother and other family members. We all struggle with PTSD because of this atrocity. My grandson’s biological mother was instrumental in what happened and I am struggling to write the story in such a way as to not cast blame – thus my dilemma in writing the memoir. My grandson was later adopted by a local family in an open adoption and is still a big part of my life. I have considered just writing it and waiting until my grandson is old enough to understand all the family dynamics that were involved. Any advice on how I might handle this challenge in writing would be much appreciated.

I decided to use a ghost writer, and I’m only part way in the process and it’s worth every penny!

Hi. I am 44 years old and have had a roller coaster life .. right as a young kid seeing his father struggle to financial hassles, facing legal battles at a young age and then health issues leading to a recent kidney transplant. I have been working on writing a memoir sharing my life story and titled it “A memoir of growth and gratitude” Is it a good idea to write a memoir and share my story with the world?

Thank you… this was very helpful. I’m writing about the troubling issues of my mental health, and how my life was seriously impacted by that. I am 68 years old.

[…] Writers.com: How to Write a Memoir […]

[…] Writers.com: “How to Write a Memoir” […]

I am so grateful that I found this site! I am inspired and encouraged to start my memoir because of the site’s content and the brave people that have posted in the comments.

Finding this site is going into my gratitude journey 🙂

We’re grateful you found us too, Nichol! 🙂

Firstly, I would like to thank you for all the info pertaining to memoirs. I believe am on the right track, am at the editing stage and really have to use an extra pair of eyes. I’m more motivated now to push it out and complete it. Thanks for the tips it was very helpful, I have a little more confidence it seeing the completion.

Well, I’m super excited to begin my memoir. It’s hard trying to rely on memories alone, but I’m going to give it a shot!

Thanks to everyone who posted comments, all of which have inspired me to get on it.

Best of luck to everyone! Jody V.

I was thrilled to find this material on How to Write A Memoir. When I briefly told someone about some of my past experiences and how I came to the United States in the company of my younger brother in a program with a curious name, I was encouraged by that person and others to write my life history.

Based on the name of that curious program through which our parents sent us to the United States so we could leave the place of our birth, and be away from potentially difficult situations in our country.

As I began to write my history I took as much time as possible to describe all the different steps that were taken. At this time – I have been working on this project for 5 years and am still moving ahead. The information I received through your material has further encouraged me to move along. I am very pleased to have found this important material. Thank you!

Wow! This is such an informative post packed with tangible guidance. I poured my heart into a book. I’ve been a professional creative for years to include as a writer, mainly in the ad game and content. No editor. I wasn’t trying to make it as an author. Looking back, I think it’s all the stuff I needed to say. Therapy. Which does not, in and of itself, make for a coherent book. The level of writing garnering praise, but the book itself was a hot mess. So, this is helpful. I really put myself out there, which I’ve done in many areas, but the crickets response really got to me this time. I bought “Educated” as you recommended. Do you have any blog posts on memoirs that have something to say to the world, finding that “something” to say? It feels like that’s theme, but perhaps something more granular. Thanks for this fantastic post. If I had the moola, I would sign up for a class. Your time is and effort is appreciated. Typos likely on comments! LOL

thanks. God bless

I am a member of the “Reprobates”, a group of seven retired Royal Air Force pilots and navigators which has stayed in intermittent touch since we first met in Germany in 1969. Four of the group (all of whom are in their late seventies or early eighties) play golf together quite frequently, and we all gather for reunions once or twice a year. About a year ago, one of the Reprobates suggested posterity might be glad to hear the stories told at these gatherings, and there have since been two professionally conducted recording sessions, one in London, and one in Tarifa, Spain. The instigator of these recordings forwarded your website to his fellow Reprobates by way of encouragement to put pen to paper. And, I, for one, have found it inspiring. It’s high time I made a start on my Memoirs, thank you.

Thank you for sharing this, Tim! Happy writing!

Hi, I’m Jo. I’m finally jumping in and writing the memoir that has been running alongside me for at least the last 5 years. I’m terrified, of what I’m not 100% sure. The story won’t leave me alone and right now is the time to start my first draft. I’m approaching half way through what nature may call natural life on Earth, mid-life sounds strange to say. It just feels like the right time to document the journey thus far – especially the last decade. It’s been a radical time for transformation, internally and externally. I’m afraid but your post and these comments have helped.

Good luck on your memoir, Jo! I’m excited to hear more.

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