A memoir (from French mémoire, from Latin memoria "memory, remembrance")
is any nonfiction narrative writing based on the author's memories.
It's never too early to start writing memoirs. Because a memoir is limited to a specific era of your life, rather than a biography (which would capture your whole life), you can actually start writing a memoir at any time. In fact, because our memories fade with time, it is actually better to capture a memoir before you forget many of the details!
But who has time to sit and write a memoir while living a normal life? Frankly, almost no one does. There is no shame in waiting to write any memoirs until you have retired, until your physical activities have become limited for some reason, or until something serious has reminded you of your own mortality.
Worldwide Words has started to offer a new service: memoir coaching. It is a highly-personalized service for highly-personal stories. Not everyone wants the same form of publication for a memoir, and not everyone wants to write it the same way. For example, some people want to start it themselves and then have a professional rewrite it. Some people prefer not to type at all, but rather, to sit and talk about their life experiences. Some people prefer to meet in person. Some people prefer to meet online, from their home. Some people have a lot of personal pictures and images to incorporate. Some people want to include interviews with their family or friends. All of that is great. When you are ready to produce a memoir, you should do it in the way that is most comfortable and most satisfying for you.
Your memoir can be published as an ebook and/or a printed-on-demand physical paperback or hardcover book, for a small or large audience. It should satisfy your goals for content, style, and artistry. Most people do not publish memoirs for profit; they publish it because they have something to share. Whatever your goal or style, Worldwide Words can help you write your memoir. I recommend that you start with a small story that describes a meaningful time in your life: perhaps a specific, powerful experience that molded you.
Our first 30-minute consultation is free, with no commitment.
Work can be performed:
Via videoconference
Via email
Via Google Docs
In person in the Puerto Vallarta, Mexico area
Please drop me an email at stacey@worldwide-words.com if you have questions or would like to schedule a free consulation.
If you are just starting to think about memoirs, you may also enjoy reading this little blurb that considers memoirs as your "lifeprints."