How to Write Your Memoir: Use this 10-point Memoir Audit to get started.

It’s easier than you think.

A lot about writing a successful memoir is about being organized.

Fiction writers talk about “pantsers” and “plotters.” The former simply begin to write and “see where their characters lead them.” The latter outline first, and know exactly where their story is going.

(James Patterson is a good example of the latter. I’ve read that some of his “outlines” can be as long as 80 pages!)

Over the years, I’ve observed that plotters are a lot more successful than pantsers, and this is true for memoir authors as well as fiction authors.

After all, would you go on a road-trip without a map? or GPS on your phone?

Here’s a 10-point audit of things you want to know about your memoir before you begin to write:

1. I have in mind a theme for my story, a “lesson learned”, if you will.

2. I have identified the moment when my story began (in fiction, this is called “the inciting incident”).

3. I have identified my biggest challenge in my journey.