Memoir Week Day Seven: Memoir Writing Is the Skydiving Of the Literary World

We recently explored story arcs, but your memoir will also need a character arc: the evolution your protagonist undergoes at every stage of the story. To write a convincing character arc, you must rip out the viscera of your history, even when you’re describing terrifying things. You must have the capacity to stare at your flaws and history unflinchingly.

Memoirs are more than mere creative endeavours. No matter how well you write, you will fail if you’re not bringing any substance to the page. The genre demands a visceral, honest look at your internal world. That means not every year is memoir year. Sometimes you’re simply not ready. If you’re dancing around any issues in the hope that you can get away with keeping secrets, you’re in trouble. Your readers will pick it up and disconnect from the inauthenticity they feel.

For most of us, memoir writing is the sky diving of the literary world. It’s the scariest genre to write, so you’ll need emotional maturity to even attempt it. Still, you don’t have to eradicate your fear in order to tell your story. Fear is just a feeling. It cannot prevent you from writing. It only makes that writing more difficult, but you’re the Chuck Norris of memoir writers. You can handle it.

Want to know what happens when you share experiences honestly even though it scares you? People identify with you. Those small, lonely places inside you become populated by people who understand. I’ve found it to be worth it almost all the time.

But sometimes, I’ve regretted it, too. I’d be remiss if I lied to you about that. Memoirs are dangerous, especially if you’re writing about unresolved trauma. You should consider whether you’re ready for pushback. It can and might happen. If you’re unsure, you can always throw out a few 600-word essays to test yourself. You might just find a path to healing. Narrative therapy is powerful.