
It can be about life lessons learned from cooking for more than 20 years. But a premise is the statement or proposition that the whole memoir is based upon. Say you're writing a cooking memoir to share about your experiences as a restaurateur and a chef. Here are the five steps to write a marketable memoir. So any incident concerning them (and you) has appeal to readers. Write from your perspective instead of theirs. You can write a portraiture memoir about someone renowned whom you're close with. However, you don't need to be a celebrity to write it. This type of memoir is popular among famous people. Feelings are also described in an engaging way. Like a novel, the writing style provokes the readers' imagination with vivid and visual descriptions. It combines tragic events with a dash of magic and an inspiring storyline. This type of memoir is page-turning, evocative, and narrated like a novel. This type of memoir is so common that the competition in this genre is fierce. The triumph comes with important life lessons, which the author shares with readers without lecturing.

This type of memoir describes the hardships, what the author endures, and how he or she continues to fight against all the odds.

We all love reading about heroes, survivors, and rags-to-riches stories. However, if you want to sell more copies and earn best-seller status, these three types are likely to sell well, according to literary agent Kelly Notaras. If you merely write for writing's sake and don't care whether it sells or not, you should choose the type that suits your time, resources, availability, lifestyle, and purpose. Some high-profile activists with inspiring life lessons have also written such a memoir. This is usually reserved for those who have held public office, like presidents, governors, and other government officials. To add substance, many authors include how they were forever changed by their travels. This type of memoir mostly describes places in vivid detail and relates unforgettable experiences. Travel or Adventure MemoirĪ travel or adventure memoir includes narration on experiences, activities, and lessons learned during a trip. Many spiritual memoirs talk about peace, love, and mindfulness, like those written by the Dalai Lama. Spirituality, after all, is the quality of being a human spirit and the experiences related to the soul and immaterial activities. The author is a spiritual seeker, which may or may not discuss anything related to religion. This is a memoir about searching for spiritual meaning and purpose. Colin Clark, for instance, wrote a portraiture memoir about dating Marilyn Monroe, which has been adapted into a movie. Portraiture MemoirĪs the author, you're writing about your experiences when dealing with the subject of the memoir. Every individual has such events, which can become an infinite well for inspiration. This can be a childhood or a coming-of-age memoir, or it revolves around a significant personal event, like divorce, illness, coping with abuse, coping with grief, or living as an expat. Here are the most common: Personal Event Memoir

In other words, this form of memoir allows readers to take a peek at the author's reasons for making certain decisions and better understand them. You share your views about spirituality, relationship, religion, art, science, and other ideas that shape who you are. Personal EssayĪ personal essay focuses on the inner life of the author. Whatever your purpose is, a short memoir is a good way to share a specific part or period of life for informational, educational, or entertaining purposes. Thus, it's ideal as a "teaser" for a longer body of work, whenever you have it available. You can have it published as an eBook of 10,000 to 30,000 words.
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This is ideal for capturing distinct periods of life without worrying how to tie them together. The author can write one story at a time, which saves time as each can be written as the muse comes. The sequencing can be chronological or through recurring references. This is a collection of short stories about facets of life, which are grouped around a theme. Each form is distinctive and comes with its unique characteristics. In general, there are three forms of memoirs: an anthology of life stories, a short book, and a personal essay.
