Have you always wanted to write a memoir, but you aren’t sure how to start? Well, here’s a list of tried-and-true formulas for how to do it.
1. The Victim Memoir
Did your mother give you away as a child to her crazy psychologist? Were you sucked into a cult as a teenager and married against your will to an octogenarian? Did a former lover toss acid into your face, disfiguring you for life? All of these are truly horrific things, and if they happened to you, I certainly don’t want to make light of your experiences.
If you did go through something traumatic or unusual, writing your memoir could be incredibly profitable. Real-life tragedy sells, and many have not only survived trying circumstances, but have gone on to write memoirs that inspire the rest of us. If she made it through that, I can do anything, we think. After you write this kind of memoir, expect a phone call from Oprah.
A classic example of the victim memoir is A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer, in which he describes growing up with an exceptionally abusive and sadistic mother.
2. The Survivor Memoir
This is a little different than the victim memoir, because the victim memoir places the author in a situation he or she can’t control but simply must endure. Survivor memoirs, on the other hand, describe scenarios in which the author performs feats of strength, intelligence, heroics, or sacrifice to survive. The term “survivor memoir” can also refer to books written about surviving the Holocaust, although not many folks from this time period are left to tell their stories.
If you have survived some sort of terrible natural disaster like a volcano eruption, or you’ve ever been caught in a bear trap in the wilderness and had to saw off your own leg with a pen knife, you could write a survivor memoir.
A great example of a survivor memoir is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, which tells the story of an ill-fated mountain climbing expedition. Although Krakauer and others survived to write about it, five members of their climbing party died on Mt. Everest during a terrible storm.
3. The Celebrity Memoir
Are you Madonna? No? That’s okay, because celebrity is a relative term anyway. You can write a celebrity memoir for just about anything these days. Were you a child star? A former hand model? A school board president or local judge? Do you hold the world record for eating the most safety pins in three minutes? Are you the child of a famous author, movie star, or athlete? Everybody’s got a claim to fame; you just have to find yours to write a celebrity memoir.
A pretty good example of a celebrity memoir is Cash by Johnny Cash. An example of a celebrity memoir that is more exploitative than informative is I Walked the Line by Johnny Cash’s first wife Vivian.
4. The Insider Memoir
Perhaps you work in a unique industry or you witnessed something of historical significance. If you have a story to tell that can only be told by someone who was there, you should write an insider memoir. Did you fight in the Sandinista Revolution? Were you employed by Enron in its final days? Have you worked in New York’s most exclusive, five-star hotels? Ever been a call girl? You get the picture. If you frequently get asked a lot of questions about your unique perspective at cocktail parties, it’s time to write a memoir.
A great example of an insider memoir is Daughter of China by Meihong Xu and Larry Engelman. This is the story of a young Chinese woman who becomes an officer in the People’s Liberation Army during the Cultural Revolution.
5. The Love Story Memoir
Maybe you can’t think of a darn thing that makes you unique enough to write a memoir. But what about love? If you’ve had a great love in your life, now’s the time to write it. Everyone loves a love story, particularly if the lovers have to overcome obstacles to be together.
Check out Love in Condition Yellow by Sopia Raday as a very contemporary example of what makes a love memoir work. The memoir details the marriage of a California liberal to a conservative military man before and during the Iraq War.
