Creating Your Memoir:
Guidance & Inspiration for
Memoir Writing
and Video Memoirs
Welcome! Are you considering a memoir for yourself or a family member? If so, you are in exactly the right place.
This site will answer all sorts of questions while you explore the ins and outs of written life stories, autobiography videos or DVDs, memory books as well as some unusual biography formats. Check out samples, find project planning tips, print out checklists, and gather ideas and inspiration.
Before you begin your journey, let's take a minute to do some "myth-busting." These two issues come up repeatedly; perhaps they have crossed your mind too.
Two Common Myths
- First, many think they have to be expert writers or storytellers to do this - after all, we are talking about creating books or movies, right? Absolutely not! A good life story reflects you - the way you talk, how you write, what you consider important or interesting, your personal perspective on people and events.
Sure, it might be easier for a Hemingway or Spielberg, but there is a path right for you. And, there is help available throughout the process to add polish and pizazz. When you consider your audience of family, friends and community, they want your unique "voice" shining through the stories, revealing the beloved main character - YOU.
- Second, many people say that their lives are boring or ordinary, not worthy of a book or movie. Not true! In fact, we call our company Extraordinary Lives to convey our belief that every life is fascinating, full of twists and turns, colorful characters, a love story or two, and some big challenges hurdled.
While your story may not be Hollywood or bestseller material, it's helpful to focus on your audience and what they hope to find in it. Your family, especially the younger generations, want to know what your life was like, how you played and worked, what your school was like, how you fell in love...in other words, your day-to-day life!
OK, you can accept that you don't need to be the world's best writer, storyteller or moviemaker. And you can accept that your family wants your story, even if Hollywood does not.
Still, you may wonder if you have a good enough reason to commit to this endeavor. Click Why Create a Memoir? to see five great benefits for you or your loved one when creating a life story.
How to Best Navigate this Site
As you start your journey, we suggest the following starting points for exploring this website:
If you are just starting to think about this, you may want to visit Types of Memoirs to learn about different life story options you have.
If you want to see how Extraordinary Lives can help you on your journey, click on How We Help.
No matter where you are in the process, if you want to keep up with the newest information on creating life stories, we invite you to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Memoir Musing, on our Newsletter Sign-Up page.
Enjoy your journey!