Memoirsrecount true stories in which descriptions of events provide insight about the writer's experiences and what the writer has made of those experiences. According to Tell it Slant: Creating, Refining, and Publishing Creative Nonfiction (2nd Edition), memoirs can focus more on selected memories for a particular metaphorical or narrative effect. A memoir should reveal conflict and discovery as it illustrates growth in the writer and development of insight into the larger world. Memoirs place readers in the midst of the story so they can situate themselves in the narrative. Move back and forth between critical and creative thought by offering more than just a surface narrative – your narrative should explore your reflections on experiences, relationships among experiences, yourself as an individual, and the deeper meanings you have found through your experiences (reach beyond yourself and connect to the reader). Dialogue, scene setting, description, and other creative writing techniques are important elements of both personal essays and memoirs; therefore, include dialogue as it reconstructs the scene, people and events. Include an engaging title and a captivating introduction.
Memoir Writing Prompts
Write about your favorite place to think, write, create, relax, and/or be weird and wild. What makes this place help you feel what you feel in it?
Write about your first memories of a cultural celebration/holiday you participated in. Write about how your participation in the event changed over time based on what you came to understand about the event's history, its implications, and yourself.
Write about your writing, drawing, painting, video-game playing, reading, baking, cooking, sporting, and/or film watching life.
Write a letter to your future self and/or future humanity. Weave together what you thought about the world when you were younger, what you think now, and what you hope for the future.
Write a 100-word scene of your first memory of learning about a historical or cultural event you're fascinated with. In the scene, try to SHOW readers what about this event fascinated or fascinates you.
Start a memoir about an experience in which your imagination was at the center of all things. Maybe you had an imaginary friend? Maybe you turned your backyard into a castle, dungeon, mountain, etc.? Maybe you pretended that you were a superhero, knight, villain, animal, etc.? Try to describe that experience from the perspective of being inside that imaginative world.
Write about a scar, birthmark, or other intriguing mark on your body. Write about another mark. Write about another mark. What connections and/or themes emerge for you?
Write about a time you were incredibly engaged in an activity that you didn't want to be a part of to begin with but ended up enjoying .
Write about myths, legends, ghost, fables, fairytales, or other fantastical stories you grew up with. What did they teach you about the world? About yourself?
Write about the first time you met your favorite person/character in the world.
Write a letter to your younger self. Weave together what you thought about the world when you were younger and what you think now.
Find a photo of you on your phone/camera. Write a 100-word description of what happened before the photo was taken and what happened after it was taken.
Write a 100-word description about a place that matters to you in some way. Make it come alive as a character in the story of you.
Write about a place that was profoundly important to you when you were growing up BUT you're not quite sure why it meant so much to you as you look back on. Using sensory, mood, and spatial details, try to re-imagine this place for readers in a way that will allow you to figure out why it meant so much to you.
Memoir Writing Resources
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