What Is a Memoir? Meaning, Examples and How to Write One

A memoir is a true story from your own life, told around a theme rather than as a complete life history. The word comes from the French mémoire, meaning memory. A memoir picks a period, relationship or experience, such as growing up in a township, caring for a parent, building a business or surviving an illness, and explores what it meant.

• Memoir: written by you, about one part or theme of your life, focused on feelings, lessons and meaning.
• Autobiography: written by you, covering your whole life in order, usually with more facts and dates.
• Biography: someone's life story written by another person.

Most people who want to "write their life story" are really writing a memoir, because a focused theme makes a far more readable book.

• A family history told through one grandmother's life.
• Faith and ministry: how a calling began and what it cost.
• Career and leadership: lessons from 30 years in teaching, nursing or policing.
• Overcoming hardship, loss or addiction.
• An entrepreneur's journey from first stall to established business.

1. Choose your theme. Finish the sentence: "This book is about how I…".
2. List your key scenes. Write down 20 to 30 moments that matter to that theme.
3. Put them in order and group them into chapters. Chronological order is simplest; a theme-by-theme structure also works.
4. Write scenes, not summaries. Show where you were, who was there and what was said.
5. Be fair to real people. Change names where needed, and be careful with claims about living people.
6. Edit and get feedback before you publish. A professional edit makes the biggest difference to a memoir.

Many memoirs are written with a ghostwriter, who interviews you and writes the book in your voice. It is the most common route for busy professionals, elders and community leaders. See our memoir writing service.

A memoir usually needs an edit, a cover, interior layout, an ISBN and a print run for family, launches and events. Our self-publishing packages start at R21,000, and printing on its own starts at R4,500 for 100 A5 softcover copies. See memoir book printing.