Stories are meant to be treasured and shared, and I’m not just talking about works of fiction.

In Argentina, they have an expression, “Nadie te quita lo bailado.” This means that whatever happened, it was worth every minute.

Writing a Memoir

A memoir is a compelling but true story of what you have lived through. Presented in book form, it draws upon the real-life people, events and moments in your life and preserves your stories and experiences for all time.

Without a doubt, a memoir is the best vehicle for sharing your life stories with others. But why exactly would you want to share these stories? Here are four of the best reasons I know for you to write your own memoir.

Share Your Story with the Generations to Come

A memoir ensures that your memories will be recorded and then live on.

On a personal note, I remember the last time I saw my maternal grandmother. I was a teenager and it was the first time that we had really talked about things that mattered. She told me about her life, the things she had done and the history she had lived through. I was so fascinated and proud of her and where I came from. Since then, I have learned more about her from my mother, but I really wish I had been able to know more about my grandmother in her own words.

Writing your own memoir will preserve your life stories not just for the family you have right now, but for the children who will grow up and have questions, and all the families that will come after them.

Preserve Your Life’s Special Memories

Is there something you’ve done that you will always look back on fondly? Something you’re proud of and would do again in a heartbeat?

Maybe your marriage is still going strong after 40 years. Or the business you built enjoyed more success than you first imagined. Or you took a foreign trip of a lifetime and made treasured memories. Or you taught people something that improved a number of lives over the years.

Whatever you’ve done in your life, you’ve undoubtedly done great things and made extraordinary memories that you, your loved ones and others would like to keep.

Writing a memoir will allow you to document and preserve all of those life stories and special memories of the people, places and events that have been important in your life.

Help Others Overcome the Challenges You’ve Faced

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the burdens in your life? Chances are that your life hasn’t been perfect. It’s likely that you’ve had to conquer a number of setbacks and adversities, and you survived.

To be honest, these physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual or financial setbacks could have easily consumed you, but you didn’t let them. You fought back, and won, showing dignity and grace even when life hasn’t always been so kind. But now you have something very important to share with the world.

Your personal battles are worth telling and learning from. Your stories can be a great source of wisdom and comfort to people who are waging their own similar battles now.

Writing your memoirs and recording how you successfully overcame your challenges
can serve as an important inspiration for many others.

Understand Yourself and Your Life Better

Would you like to learn more about yourself?

Like it or not, our day-to-day lives, and the world, often move at a remarkably fast pace. Most of us don’t dedicate enough time to truly assimilate, understand and reflect on who we are and what has happened in our lives. As a result, we can become more disconnected over time from ourselves and the lives that we have led.

Of course, there are many tools that can aid in this process, such as regular journal writing, meditation and therapy. However, hands down writing your memoir can be one of the best approaches for you to understand yourself and your life in a more meaningful way.

Writing a memoir forces you to review, take stock and reflect on the people, events and moments that have made up your life, including your feelings and your reactions to them. Writing a memoir will help you to understand yourself and your life better, and then preserve all those valuable memories and stories for yourself and others.

Memoir Writing Made Easy 

Are you interested in writing your memoir, but don’t know where to start? 

Our Memoir Writing Made Easy course is a step-by-step guide to help you generate story ideas and write with a style you can be proud of. Plus you can work at your own pace, whenever and wherever you want! The course is written for non-writers. Topics include: setting yourself up for writing success, writing styles and formats, editing, legal issues, publishing ideas and lots more! 

Visit our Memoir Writing Made Easy webpage to learn more!