{"id":9683,"date":"2026-06-25T23:03:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T23:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/?p=9683"},"modified":"2026-06-25T23:04:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T23:04:33","slug":"how-to-write-a-memoir","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/how-to-write-a-memoir\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write a Memoir: 10 Steps to Turn Your Story into a Book"},"content":{"rendered":"

The single biggest myth about memoir is that you have to be famous, or that you must have survived something extraordinary, to write one. You do not. Some of the most powerful and beloved memoirs ever written come from ordinary people who simply told one true story extraordinarily well.<\/p>\n

Writing about your own life is both exciting and a little intimidating, and that is completely normal. You are not just recording what happened to you. You are deciding what those experiences meant, and figuring out how to share that meaning in a way that resonates with people who have never lived your specific life. That is a real creative challenge, but it is also a learnable one.<\/p>\n

A memoir is not a mystery. It follows a clear, repeatable process, and the difference between a finished memoir and a folder full of half-written memories almost always comes down to having that process. This guide breaks the entire journey into 10 concrete steps you can start working through today, covering how to find your theme, structure your story, write with honesty and craft, decide how long your memoir should be, and choose how to publish it.<\/p>\n

The best memoirs combine personal narrative with universal themes, the kind of emotional truth that speaks to readers regardless of their own background. That is what we are aiming for. And if at any point you want expert support, our professional memoir writing services<\/a> can guide you from first draft to finished book.<\/p>\n

Let us start with what a memoir actually is.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What Is a Memoir? And How It Differs from an Autobiography<\/h2>\n

A memoir is a work of nonfiction that focuses on a specific theme, period, or experience from the author’s life, rather than their entire life story. The key difference between a memoir and an autobiography is scope: an autobiography chronicles a whole life from birth onward, while a memoir explores one meaningful thread and what it means.<\/p>\n

This distinction matters more than it might seem, because it changes how you write. An autobiography asks, “What happened?” A memoir asks, “What did it mean, and what can my reader take from it?” That shift in focus is the heart of the genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/th>\nMemoir<\/b><\/th>\nAutobiography<\/b><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Scope<\/td>\nOne theme, period, or experience<\/td>\nEntire life, birth to present<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Structure<\/td>\nOften non-chronological, thematic<\/td>\nUsually chronological<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Core question<\/td>\n“What did it mean?”<\/td>\n“What happened?”<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Length<\/td>\n50,000 to 80,000 words<\/td>\nOften 80,000 to 120,000+ words<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Voice<\/td>\nIntimate, reflective, emotional<\/td>\nComprehensive, factual<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Best for<\/td>\nFirst-time authors, focused stories<\/td>\nPublic figures, full life records<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

A useful way to remember it: a memoir tells a story from<\/i> a life, not the story of<\/i> a life. It is also worth distinguishing memoir from the personal essay. A personal essay is short-form, typically 500 to 5,000 words, exploring a single idea or moment. A memoir is long-form and builds a sustained narrative arc across multiple experiences, all tied to a central theme.<\/p>\n

If your goal is to document your entire life chronologically rather than one chapter of it, our autobiography writing services<\/a> may be the better fit for your project.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How Long Should a Memoir Be?<\/h2>\n

Most memoirs run between 50,000 and 80,000 words, with 60,000 to 70,000 being the industry sweet spot for first-time authors. This translates to roughly 250 to 350 printed pages. A focused, well-paced memoir at this length is far more marketable than a sprawling 100,000-word manuscript that tries to include everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Memoir Length<\/b><\/th>\nWord Count<\/b><\/th>\nBest For<\/b><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Short and intimate<\/td>\n40,000 to 55,000<\/td>\nSingle-event, focused stories<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Standard (recommended)<\/td>\n60,000 to 80,000<\/td>\nMost first-time memoirists<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Long<\/td>\n80,000 to 100,000<\/td>\nComplex, multi-theme stories<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Too long (needs editing)<\/td>\n100,000+<\/td>\nUsually unfocused, hard to sell<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The key principle here is that length is really a function of focus. A memoir that tries to cram in every event from your life will exhaust your reader. A memoir that stays tight to one theme naturally lands in the right range without you having to force it. Word count is less a target to hit and more a signal of whether your story is properly focused.<\/p>\n

For first-time authors specifically, this matters at the submission stage. Agents and publishers are wary of debut memoirs that run over 90,000 words, because length often signals an unfocused manuscript. Staying in the 60,000 to 80,000 range quietly tells the industry that you understand the genre and have the discipline to tell your story without wandering. If your draft has run long, our professional memoir editing services<\/a> can help you tighten the focus without losing the heart of your story.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 1: Find Your Theme<\/h2>\n

The theme is the single most important decision in memoir writing, and it is also the one first-time authors most often skip. A theme is simply the one or two-sentence answer to the question, “What is my memoir actually about?” Not the events themselves, but the meaning underneath them.<\/p>\n

Strong memoir themes tend to sound something like this: resilience through loss, the search for identity after a major life transition, the complicated pull of family, recovery and self-discovery, or finding belonging in an unexpected place. Notice that none of these are events. They are the meaning that a series of events adds up to.<\/p>\n

Here is why this matters so much. Writing a memoir without a theme is like driving across the country with no destination and no map. You will wander, you will overwrite, and you will lose your reader somewhere along the way. The theme is your GPS. It tells you where you are going and helps you decide, at every fork in the road, which way to turn.<\/p>\n

To find your theme, ask yourself a few questions. What do you most want readers to take away from your story? What is the through-line connecting the experiences you most want to write about? And perhaps most revealing: how were you different at the end of this period than you were at the beginning? That transformation is very often where your theme lives.<\/p>\n

Once you know your theme, it becomes a filter. Every potential scene and memory can be tested against a single question: does this serve my theme? If a memory does not, it probably does not belong in the book, no matter how meaningful it is to you personally. This is exactly what separates a memoir from a journal or an unfiltered dump of memories. The theme is what turns your experiences into a book.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 2: Choose Your Most Powerful Stories<\/h2>\n

With your theme in hand, the next step is selecting the specific scenes, moments, and anecdotes that bring it to life.<\/p>\n

Start with a brainstorm, and resist the urge to filter as you go. Write down every memory connected to your theme, the big turning points and the small telling moments alike. Quantity first, quality later. Judging your memories while you are still surfacing them will only slow you down and cause you to leave out material you might later realize is gold. You will refine the list afterward.<\/p>\n

When it comes time to refine, evaluate each potential story against a few honest questions. Does it connect clearly to your central theme? Does it reveal growth, change, or insight? Do you remember it vividly enough to recreate it with specific, sensory detail? And does it carry genuine emotional weight? The memories that pass these tests are the ones that earn a place in your memoir.<\/p>\n

Here is something that surprises a lot of first-time memoirists: not every meaningful memory belongs in the book, and that is not just acceptable, it is essential. A memoir is built through selection, not through inclusion. The temptation to put everything in, every person you loved, every event that mattered, is the single most common reason first memoirs become bloated and lose their focus. Trust that leaving things out is what makes the book stronger.<\/p>\n

It also helps to think in terms of scenes versus summary. Your most powerful memories deserve to be written as full scenes, with dialogue, sensory detail, and moment-to-moment action that let the reader live inside them. Less critical connective material can simply be summarized to move the story along. As a practical target, aim for roughly 10 to 15 core scenes that, taken together, tell the complete arc of your theme.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 3: Decide on Your Structure and Timeline<\/h2>\n

One of the most freeing things to learn about memoir is that it does not have to be chronological. In fact, many of the most gripping memoirs are not.<\/p>\n

There are three structures worth knowing. Chronological structure tells events in time order, from earlier to later. It is the simplest to write, though it can feel flat if you are not careful. Non-linear or thematic structure organizes the story around ideas and emotional beats rather than strict time order, which can be powerful but takes more skill to control. And framed or bookended structure opens with a pivotal moment, then circles back to show how the author arrived there.<\/p>\n

That last approach connects to one of the most effective techniques in the genre: starting in the middle. Many of the most compelling memoirs open with a dramatic, charged moment from the middle or near the end of the story, then work backward to fill in the context that makes that moment land. This hooks the reader immediately, because they want to understand how things got to that point.<\/p>\n

To choose your structure, let your theme and your strongest material lead the way. If one particular scene is the emotional core of your entire story, consider opening there and building around it. Before you start drafting, it helps to create a simple outline or scene list, mapping your 10 to 15 core scenes into an order that builds tension and delivers your theme’s arc.<\/p>\n

One reassurance: structure can change in revision, and it often does. Do not let the search for a perfect structure stop you from starting. You can always rearrange later.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 4: Write a Gripping Opening<\/h2>\n

The opening of your memoir does more work than any other part of the book. It is what determines whether a reader, an agent, or an editor keeps going past the first page.<\/p>\n

A strong memoir opening accomplishes several things at once. It hooks the reader from the very first line. It establishes your voice and tone. It signals what the book is about emotionally, even if not literally. And it builds immediate trust that the reader is in capable hands and their time will be well spent.<\/p>\n

The way to do this is with a dramatic hook. Open with tension, a vivid moment, an intriguing statement, or a scene that raises a question the reader needs answered. Elizabeth Gilbert opens Eat, Pray, Love<\/i> not with backstory or explanation, but with an intimate, charged moment, sitting across from a much younger man and wishing he would kiss her. We are immediately curious. We want to know more. According to MasterClass’s guidance on opening a memoir<\/a>, this kind of immediate engagement is what separates memoirs that get read from memoirs that get set down.<\/p>\n

Just as important is knowing what to avoid. Do not open with your birth. Do not open with the weather or with a character waking up. And do not front-load pages of context and exposition before giving the reader a reason to care. Earn the backstory by hooking them first.<\/p>\n

Here is a counterintuitive pro tip that experienced memoirists swear by: write your opening last. Many writers draft the opening only after finishing the full manuscript, because by then they truly understand what their story is about and which opening will serve it best. Your opening is a promise to the reader that what follows is honest and worth their time, and it is easier to make that promise well once you know exactly what you are promising.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 5: Use Fiction Techniques to Bring Scenes to Life<\/h2>\n

A memoir should read like a compelling novel, not a report. The events are completely true, but the storytelling craft you use to deliver them is borrowed directly from fiction. This is one of the most valuable memoir writing tips anyone can give you, and it is what separates memoirs that feel alive from memoirs that feel like a recitation of facts.<\/p>\n

Here are the techniques that matter most.<\/p>\n

Show, don’t tell. Instead of stating “I was terrified,” recreate the scene so the reader feels the terror through your actions, your physical sensations, and the details of the moment. Let them experience it rather than being told about it.<\/p>\n

Build scenes with dialogue. Memoir allows for the reasonable reconstruction of conversations you cannot remember word-for-word. Recreating dialogue brings immediacy to a scene and reveals character in ways that summary never can.<\/p>\n

Use sensory detail. Describe not just what you saw, but what you heard, smelled, tasted, and physically felt. These specific sensory details transport readers into the moment and create the lasting impressions that make a story memorable.<\/p>\n

Control your pacing and tension. Vary your scene lengths and rhythm. Slow down and linger on the emotionally important moments. Move quickly through transitions. This rhythm is what keeps a reader turning pages.<\/p>\n

Develop your characters. Treat the people in your life, including your own past self, as characters with depth, contradictions, and their own arcs. The richer they are on the page, the more your story breathes.<\/p>\n

There is also a technique called collapsing characters and events. When you have many friends or family members who played similar roles in your story, you can sometimes combine several into a single representative character for the sake of clarity. Similarly, minor events can occasionally be compressed. If you make significant alterations like these, it is good practice to be transparent with readers, often through a brief author’s note, so you preserve the trust that the genre depends on. For deeper craft guidance, there are excellent craft resources for memoir writers<\/a> worth studying as you develop these skills. The goal throughout is emotional truth and narrative clarity, delivered with the craft of a real storyteller.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 6: Write Honestly, Even When It Is Hard<\/h2>\n

Honesty is the foundation that memoir is built on. Readers can sense self-serving, sanitized, or evasive writing almost instantly, and when they do, it breaks the trust that makes the genre work.<\/p>\n

The most powerful memoirs are the ones where the author is willing to show their own flaws, mistakes, and uncomfortable truths. Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes<\/i> recounts a childhood of deep poverty and hardship, yet it never feels self-serving or like a plea for pity. McCourt simply tells the truth of his experience and invites us into it. That willingness to be vulnerable is what gives a memoir its emotional power.<\/p>\n

Writing about real people is one of the genuinely hard parts of memoir, and it deserves careful thought. You are telling your truth, but your truth involves people who may remember events very differently and who have their own right to privacy. A few practical approaches help here. Change names and identifying details to protect the people in your story. Focus on your own experience and your own feelings rather than making definitive claims about what others were thinking or why they acted as they did. And stay aware of defamation and privacy considerations, especially when writing about living people. When a portrayal feels sensitive or potentially damaging, it is worth consulting a publishing attorney before you publish.<\/p>\n

There is a trap worth naming: self-censorship. It is natural to want to soften the difficult material, but over-censoring drains a memoir of the very thing that makes it worth reading. The goal is honest storytelling delivered with care, neither cruel nor evasive.<\/p>\n

Finally, remember that memory is imperfect, and the genre understands this. Memoir allows for reconstructed dialogue and compressed timelines, as long as the factual and emotional foundation stays honest. And you do not have to expose everything. You get to decide what stays and what goes. The standard is honesty, not total disclosure.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 7: Find Your Voice<\/h2>\n

Voice is what makes a memoir unmistakably yours. It is the personality, rhythm, and perspective that come through in the way you tell your story, and in memoir, it matters more than in almost any other genre. Readers are not just consuming a series of events. They are spending hours inside your head. Your voice is the experience.<\/p>\n

So how do you find it? Start by writing the way you actually speak, then refine from there. Reading your drafts aloud is invaluable, because your ear will catch where the voice feels authentic and where it suddenly feels stiff or performed. Resist the urge to imitate the memoirists you admire. Learn from their craft by all means, but your voice should sound like you, not like a careful impression of someone else. Let your natural humor, your sensitivity, your bluntness, or your warmth come through onto the page. The particular personality that makes you you<\/i> is exactly what will make your memoir compelling.<\/p>\n

Once you find your voice, keep it consistent throughout the book. Tonal inconsistency is jarring for readers and quietly undermines their trust. A good editor, when the time comes, will refine and sharpen your voice without erasing it. Professional editing should make you sound more like yourself, not less.<\/p>\n

And if you are worried that you are not a “real writer,” set that worry down. You do not need to be one to have a strong voice. Many bestselling memoirists never considered themselves writers before they published. An honest, distinctive voice matters far more than polished prose, and the polish can always be added later.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 8: Write Your First Draft Without Judging It<\/h2>\n

Your first draft has exactly one job: to exist. Perfectionism is the single greatest obstacle between aspiring memoirists and finished memoirs, so the most important thing you can do at this stage is give yourself permission to write badly.<\/p>\n

The novelist Stephen King describes writing the first draft with the door closed, meaning without worrying about how it will be received, whether it is good enough, or what anyone else will think. You edit later, with the door open. For a memoir, this mindset is essential, because the material is personal and the inner critic is loud.<\/p>\n

Set yourself a realistic writing schedule. Most first-time memoir writers complete a draft in 6 to 18 months, depending on their schedule and the support they have around them. Consistency tends to matter more than intensity, so a steady rhythm will carry you further than occasional bursts.<\/p>\n

A few practical strategies make drafting easier. Write your scenes out of order if that helps; you can sequence them properly later. Use the scene list you built in Step 3 as a roadmap, so you always know what to write next and never face a blank page without direction. Set a simple goal, whether that is 500 words a day or one scene per week. And do not stop to research, fact-check, or polish in the middle of drafting. Mark the gaps with a note and keep moving forward.<\/p>\n

One honest note: writing a memoir can stir up difficult memories and emotions. Pace yourself, take breaks when you need them, and reach out for support if the material gets heavy. And remember, you cannot revise a blank page. A messy, complete first draft is worth infinitely more than a perfect first chapter followed by nothing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 9: Revise, Edit, and Get Feedback<\/h2>\n

This is where good memoirs become great ones. Start with your own revision before bringing in anyone else.<\/p>\n

Step away from the manuscript for at least two to four weeks before you begin revising. That distance gives you the objectivity to see your own work more like a reader and less like its author. When you return, revise in focused passes rather than trying to fix everything at once. Do one pass for structure and pacing, one for the quality and vividness of your scenes, one for voice and language, and one for word count discipline. Test every scene against your theme and ask whether it truly earns its place. Cut whatever does not serve the central story, even if you are fond of it. And check your arc: does your past self change and grow across the book, and does the ending deliver on the promise your theme made at the start?<\/p>\n

Then get outside feedback, because you cannot see your own blind spots. Beta readers who match your target audience can tell you where the story drags, confuses, or loses its emotional grip. Critique partners and writing groups offer craft-level feedback from people who understand storytelling. Be a little cautious about relying on family and friends, though. They may be too close to the material, or too close to you, to give the honest and useful feedback you need, especially if they appear in the book themselves.<\/p>\n

Finally, consider professional editing. Developmental editing addresses structure, theme, pacing, and narrative arc, and it is the most transformative kind of editing a memoir can receive. Line and copy editing then refines your prose, clarity, and consistency. It is worth saying plainly: even bestselling memoirists work with professional editors. Editing is not a sign that your story is weak. It is simply how good stories become great. A professional memoir editing<\/a> partner can help you find the strongest version of your story, tightening the structure and sharpening your voice while keeping the truth of it fully intact.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Step 10: Publish Your Memoir<\/h2>\n

Once your memoir is written and polished, you have three main paths to readers. Here is how each one works.<\/p>\n

Traditional Publishing for Memoirs<\/h3>\n

Traditional publishing means a publisher acquires, funds, and distributes your book, and for most major publishers, this route requires a literary agent. Memoir is a slightly unusual genre in the traditional world, because agents and publishers care a great deal about the author’s platform, meaning your audience, your public profile, or a story that is genuinely exceptional in some way. The process runs from polished manuscript (or a proposal with sample chapters) to querying agents who represent memoir, to the agent submitting your book to publishers. Traditional memoir deals are competitive, particularly for authors without an established platform. The benefit is that the publisher provides professional editing, design, marketing support, and bookstore distribution, all at no upfront cost to you.<\/p>\n

Self-Publishing Your Memoir<\/h3>\n

Self-publishing gives you complete control over your memoir’s content, design, timeline, and marketing. Platforms like Amazon KDP and IngramSpark have made it genuinely accessible, and it is far faster to market than the traditional route. The trade-off is that you are responsible for handling or hiring out the editing, cover design, formatting, and marketing yourself. A professionally produced self-published memoir typically costs somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000 or more, depending on the level of professional support you bring in. The upside is significantly higher per-copy royalties than traditional publishing offers, and full ownership of your work.<\/p>\n

Working with a Memoir Ghostwriter or Writing Service<\/h3>\n

If you have a powerful story but not the time, the confidence, or the writing experience to get it onto the page, a memoir ghostwriter or professional writing service can bridge that gap. These services typically provide interview-based story development, professional structuring, ghostwriting or co-writing, editing, and publishing support. It is worth knowing that many published memoirs, especially those by public figures and busy professionals, are written with exactly this kind of help. The story remains entirely yours. A skilled collaborator simply helps you tell it as well as it can be told. If that sounds like what you need, our memoir writing services<\/a> guide you from your earliest memories all the way to a finished, publish-ready book.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions About Writing a Memoir<\/h2>\n

How do you start writing a memoir?<\/h3>\n

Start by identifying your theme, the central thread or meaning that ties your story together. Then brainstorm the specific memories and scenes that bring that theme to life, choose a structure, and write a gripping opening, or save the opening for last. The most important thing is not to try to write your entire life story. Focus on one meaningful period, experience, or transformation, and build from there.<\/p>\n

What is the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?<\/h3>\n

A memoir focuses on a specific theme, period, or experience from the author’s life and explores what it meant. An autobiography chronicles an entire life from birth to the present in roughly chronological order. The core distinction is scope. A memoir tells a story from a life, while an autobiography tells the story of a life.<\/p>\n

How long should a memoir be?<\/h3>\n

Most memoirs run between 50,000 and 80,000 words, with 60,000 to 70,000 being the sweet spot for first-time authors. That equals roughly 250 to 350 printed pages. Memoirs over 100,000 words are usually unfocused and considerably harder to publish, especially for debut authors.<\/p>\n

Can anyone write a memoir, or do you have to be famous?<\/h3>\n

Anyone can write a memoir. The biggest myth about the genre is that you must be famous or have survived something extraordinary. In reality, some of the most powerful memoirs come from ordinary people who told one true, well-crafted story. What matters is honesty, a clear theme, and strong storytelling, not fame.<\/p>\n

How long does it take to write a memoir?<\/h3>\n

Most first-time memoir writers complete a first draft in 6 to 18 months, depending on their writing schedule and the support around them. Revision, editing, and publishing add more time on top of that. Working with a professional writing service or ghostwriter can shorten the overall timeline significantly.<\/p>\n

Do memoirs have to be 100 percent factually accurate?<\/h3>\n

A memoir must be honest and built on a true factual foundation. That said, the genre allows for reasonable reconstruction of dialogue you cannot remember word-for-word, and occasional compression of timelines for narrative flow. If you significantly alter events or combine characters, it is good practice to note that for readers. The standard is emotional and factual honesty, not perfect recall.<\/p>\n

How do I write about real people in my memoir without causing harm?<\/h3>\n

Focus on your own experience and perspective rather than making definitive claims about other people’s motives. Change names and identifying details to protect privacy. Stay mindful of defamation and privacy laws, particularly when writing about living people. When a portrayal is sensitive or potentially damaging, consult a publishing attorney before you publish.<\/p>\n

Should I write my memoir chronologically?<\/h3>\n

Not necessarily. While chronological structure is the simplest to manage, many of the most compelling memoirs are non-linear, often opening with a dramatic moment from the middle of the story and then filling in the context around it. Let your theme and your strongest material guide your structural choice.<\/p>\n

Do I need to be a good writer to write a memoir?<\/h3>\n

No. You need to be an honest storyteller with a clear story to tell. Professional editing can refine your prose, and many bestselling memoirists never considered themselves writers before publishing. A distinctive, honest voice matters far more than polished prose, and polish can always be added during revision.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Final Thoughts: Your Story Is Worth Telling<\/h2>\n

Your life holds many stories worth telling, and you do not have to be a professional writer or a public figure to tell it well.<\/p>\n

Across these 10 steps, you have seen the whole journey: finding the theme that gives your story meaning, choosing your most powerful scenes, deciding how to structure them, writing an opening that grips, using the craft of fiction to bring true events to life, telling the truth honestly and with care, finding your own voice, getting the messy first draft down, revising it into something strong, and finally choosing how to share it with the world.<\/p>\n

The process is learnable. The first draft does not have to be perfect. And you do not have to do any of it alone.<\/p>\n

If you are ready to take the next step with professional support at any stage, from developing your earliest memories to polishing a finished manuscript, explore our memoir writing services<\/a> to find the right level of help for where you are. Or get in touch with our team today<\/a> for a conversation about your story, your timeline, and the best path forward.<\/p>\n

The story you have been carrying deserves to become a book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The single biggest myth about memoir is that you have to be famous, or that you must have survived something extraordinary, to write one. You do not. Some of the most powerful and beloved memoirs ever written come from ordinary people who simply told one true story extraordinarily well. Writing about your own life is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9683","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blogs"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9683"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9683\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9685,"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9683\/revisions\/9685"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theworldpublishingcompany.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}