Eduardo Said:

When writing a memoir, how many childhood experiences can I write within one piece?

We Answered:

Pick one that will take up the most time writing about, and include some of the others in the same memoir, if they're somehow relevant to your story [to start off with anyway].
I can tell you're going to do EXCELLENT on this paper!!!!
Good luck~bet they'll be impressed :-)

Eleanor Said:

Any good tips on how to write a memoir?

We Answered:

I'm sure they're out there. After Angela's Ashes, there was an explosion in memoir-writing.
I'm glad you've had an interesting life in such a short time. Will you be doing this for your own enjoyment or looking to publish? If the latter, you'll also need an interesting way of writing.

Leon Said:

How can one write memoir when facts from past years seem to be a blur?

We Answered:

one of the recent memoirs i read is The Kiss by katherine harrison. .. she didn't use names at all in her book. you might look into the book just for the sake of writing style. the book itself is disturbing as it centers around her longing for her father, and then her adult affair with her father -whom she never knew as a child. and there was some stuff about the lacking of her relationship with her mother.. she included only vivid memories not names of streets or anything like that. so her approach is an interesting one when it comes to writing a memoir.

i also have read The Black Veil by Rick Moody. i don't like his approach, and in fact this is the first book i started reading that i found so tedious that i couldn't finish. if i could write him a review i would cut him to pieces. i wasn't fooled, his book is a memoir on top of spending his whole life writing a dissertation on someone elses piece of work "The Minister's Black Veil" by Hawthorne and because he has spent his whole life obsessed by this piece of work he used his memoir to have it published. maybe i will read it from the start again and see if i can stand it any better now, perhaps i will find something different in it this time around.. i doubt it. so if you want to know what kind of approach to avoid - read the first 100 pages of the hard cover.

i could be wrong.. this man has a writers outlook for sure.. the kind who dictates in his head as he goes through his life... actually, that may be the answer to your question. dictating in your head while doing is how they remember mundane details. "as i stood on 7th waiting for the bus i noticed.." yeah.. there's way too much going on in my head to think this way, but perhaps try it. at the very least it would be a good writing exercise. lol! i think though, they have very vivid memories and that is how they remember such things.

also, journals are a good way to remember things. i thought every writer kept one. -perhaps try it..

it's not abnormal not to remember these details i would think. i just think a good writer knows when to include them and when not to. if you have to, do some research if you can't remember what coffee shop you stood in front of or whatever lol. :) or just make it up. you don't want to be sued for using names. in fact Augusten Burroughs got sued and he even changed the names of everyone to protect their identities. so if you put details that people don't want known.. perhaps don't even use your own name.. (i lost track of what i was going to say next -all the kids are screaming *sigh*- )

Nathaniel Said:

I have to write a memoir for school?

We Answered:

You can write about some experience in your life. I once wrote a memoir about being on vacation and a hurricane hit Florida while I was there. I got a writing award. :)

So just write about a fun, memorable experience. Example: vacation, family, summer, etc.

Jared Said:

Can I write a memoir without hurting anyone?

We Answered:

Change the names and addresses and of course use a pseudonym.
And don't forget "based on a true story".

Juan Said:

I would like to write a memoir novel about living with trichotillomania?

We Answered:

I AM SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR TTM. WELL, I AM A WRITER, TOO, AND I HAVE SEVERAL WAYS I GO ABOUT IT, BUT THE MAIN THING IS THAT WHEN YOU START, YOU SHOULD KNOW IT'S GOING TO GET MESSY. DON'T PANIC. OKAY, SO TO START, MAKE NOTES ON HOW YOU WANT TO START AND WHERE YOU WANT TO GO WITH IT, AND HOW YOU WANT TO END. THEN BRAINSTORM ALL THE POINTS YOU WANT TO HIT ON FOR EACH 'CHAPTER' OF YOUR LIFE. THEN I WOULD SUGGEST TALKING INTO A DIGITAL RECORDER, OR BETTER A COMPUTER THAT IS BLUE-TOOTH COMPATIBLE. TALK THROUGH EVERYTHING LIKE YOU WERE TELLING YOUR LIFE STORY TO A FRIEND/STRANGER.

I AM SURE YOU KNOW THAT STRESS CAN BRING OUT YOUR TTM, SO DON'T GET TO WORKED UP...GIVE YOURSELF LOTS OF BREAKS. YOU CAN GET THIS DONE IN ABOUT A MONTH.

OKAY, NOW TO EDIT...THERE IS A LOT TO THIS; YOU WANT TO REMEMBER SPELLING, GRAMMER, RE-WORDING OR RE-WORKING SENTENCES TO MAKE THEM EASIER FOR THE READER TO READ.

HOPE YOU FIND A GREAT PUBLISHER...AND HAVE FUN WITH IT!
EVERY BLESSING,
R.

Denise Said:

I need to write a memoir and I need help starting out?

We Answered:

you should probably research daily life and that type of stuff that is in new york. You should also try coming up with a good intro that hooks your reader