Journals stacked on table.

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I know a lot of people who should write memoirs. Actually, every person I know has an interesting story to share about some experience in their life at some point or another.

Yet, so many of these people will never write down their story or share with the world the experience they went through.

If you’re doubting whether you should write a book about your own personal experiences through life, here are 7 reasons to write your memoir:

reaons-to-write-memoir

1. Because Your Story Might Help Someone

We often feel very alone when we face obstacles in life. We forget that somewhere in the world there is someone else going through a similar circumstance who can relate.

Maybe you are writing a memoir about having an illness, or going through a bad relationship, or surviving abuse, or even going on a journey to discover yourself. All these things someone else can relate to. And believe it or not – your story, your experience – can shed some hope to anyone who reads it. You can be an inspiration to others to overcome their own struggles through life.

2. Your Memories Won’t Be Forgotten

Life is busy, sometimes chaotic. It can be easy to forget memories of the past. While some believe it is better to forget and move on, having record of something that happened in your life can be invaluable. It can pave the way for healing through writing, or it can help you to recall events that may have otherwise faded away.

3. You Will Improve as a Writer

Writing is a skill that takes a lot of practice and time to completely master. Even those who are considered good writers will continually look for ways to improve their witing.

When you write a memoir, you need to think about many different writing elements and how to structure your story. You will need to learn how to craft words in a way that resonate with your readers, reflect emotion, and convey the theme and mood of the story.

Telling your story is a great way to improve your writing skills and help you to gain a better understanding of what makes a great storyteller.

4. You Will Have a Greater Understanding of Yourself

There is probably no better form of self therapy than to sit down and try writing a memoir, especially about events that may have been traumatic or life altering for you.

As you write your story, you will likely experience many different feelings that will need to be understood and dealt with. If these feelings seem difficult for you to deal with, having a professional counselor can also help you with identifying and dealing with emotions that may arise while writing.

5. You Will Find and Develop Your Voice as a Writer

One of the things agents and publishers talk about a lot is “voice” – your unique tone of writing. Finding your voice isn’t that hard when you’re writing a memoir, because you’re writing from your own personal viewpoint. What you write is automatically your own unique voice as long as you’re writing from the heart.

6. You Will Free Yourself From the Inner Critic

When writing a memoir, the inner critic is at its peak. It tells you all sorts of things like “Nobody cares” to “People are going to be mad about this” to “You’re not a writer”.

Learning to tell that inner critic to shut up takes some practice and some time. One of the best ways to overcome the critic is to write a memoir. You can’t change your life experiences, your story is yours – and the more you write, the more your critic will start to fade away.

7. A Memoir Reminds You of the Good Things in Life

Many memoirs are about a struggle or a disappointment or overcoming an obstacle. But somewhere in that story there are good times. You can write about them and relive those glorious moments right along with the bad. And when you’ve finished writing your memoir, you will start to notice many reasons why your life is worth living and celebrating.


Are you writing a memoir? What are some of the reasons why you are writing? Do you have any other reasons not listed here? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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14 Comments

  1. Just having a dream—Just in the very first step—Just taking baby steps— Just learning to walk—Just
    standing tall—Just wanting to know more….Just thinking—maybe — JUST MAYBE — ( you are able to
    help)
    JUST MAYBE !!!!!!!!!

  2. Numbers three and four are my favorites. Committing to writing a long novel or memoir definitely improves your writing. Nice post!

  3. I’m writing a memoir because I think it’s going to open a different way of how others view the world. I want them to see what I see.

  4. I’ve been journaling for years. Everything that inexperience goes down in my Journal. Whether it’s online or on paper.
    I want to start writing my memoir. I was born into a very abusive cult. It shaped who I am today. I want to write my story in hopes it will one day help someone. But my only problem is my memory. My mind has systematically shut down most of the trauma inexperienced. I have to find a way to tap into those memories to write this book.

    1. HI Matthew,
      I find it interesting you escaped the cult. I was in a very fundamentalist Christian cult and left after they told me to “get over the death of my son. walk away from my gay daughter. and to get into therapy and get on some drugs!” It was so shocking to me. I had been severely brainwashed for 10 years. Almost 4 years later I am still having a difficult time, although I have begun to find a connection with a higher being. It’s tough to say the word God or hear it, but I do find things that seem like a coincidence have to be divinely orchestrated. Little by little I am finding compassion again and appreciation for life itself. I do hope you find this message and become inspired to write. As for my memory, it was hit hard and I have a hard time remembering lots of things. So I have recently found a thing called HeartMath. It’s basically about closing your eyes, breathing into your heart (that knows things before our brain does), and then instead of feeling anger, sadness, shame, resentment, etc. we can tap into “appreciation” and just breath into our heart for a few minutes. I have started doing it and am seeing someone who will do a session for me this Friday. It makes sense for me. Our heart knows everything if you think about it. I hope this helps. Google is pretty good at knowing everything too! haha…with that being said you can look up HeartMath on Google to get some help and find a therapist near you. I wish you well. Happy writing
      Cindy

    2. Maybe consider poetry Matthew? That has always been helpful for me to write down things my brain would rather not talk about.

  5. I am in the journey of reading as many good memoirs as I can find, and writing my memoir pieces along the way. Love to read them and to write my very own one for all the reasons above. I have one other reason for reading and writing a memoir, which is to meet a local friend and to be a local friend who tells others the truth, only the truth, about their parts of the world within the sincerity of their life stories.

  6. Having read through all the reasons why one should write a memoir, I begin to wonder if I should write one You see, I like to write about my school days which were some of the most exciting times in my life. Must memoirs always be all about dealing with the demons of the past?

    1. Memoirs do not need to be about dealing with past demons, though the lessons learned are always worth cherishing 🙂

    2. Gosh I don’t believe memoirs have to be about the horrors, demons from the past. However, it’s usually how people have survived the trauma, change, or accomplished something someone said was impossible. They are great reads if you want to hear about victory in someones life!

      1. Life is about more than overcoming demons, I agree, but our most compelling stories, I believe are about our journeys from darkness into light…Somehow, I believe that to be true.

  7. I like that second tip a lot. Life can be real busy sometimes, and I know that my memory slips! I guess it is a better way to capture the moments of your life than just a journal. Thanks for these tips. I think I might read a few memoirs before I start mine.

    1. Forgetting things happens easier than we might like to admit! Keeping a journal is a great way to at least keep some of the memories fresh until you do sit down and write your memoir! Glad you found the article helpful!

  8. These are some of the reasons why someone needs to write a memoir. I’m writing my memoir of my journey to study religion. Appreciating the past is one of the beautiful reasons. You will begin to appreciate all what you have been through.

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