How to Write a Memoir in 30 Days: Step-by-Step Instructions for Creating and Publishing Your Personal Story

by Roberta Temes

How to Write Your Memoir in 30 Days provides the framework for writers enthusiastic about telling their story, but wondering how to begin. Step-by-step techniques, culled from writers’ workshops taught by the author, are presented in a welcoming, non-intimidating style. The prospect of writing a book is not daunting when compartmentalized into thirty discrete assignments: Days 1 – 5 include exercises to identify major themes. Days 6 – 10 include exercises about plot. Days 11 – 15 include exercises about personalities. Days 16 – 20 include exercises about experiences. Days 21 – 25 include exercises that analyze responses to events. Days 26 – 30 include exercises that structure the story of the memoir. The book also includes information about publishers and literary agents, as well as information and resources about self-publishing. It also includes quick “clear communication” lessons about spelling and grammar. Perfect for today’s society, where we are all accustomed to celebrating each of life’s passages with a blog post and comfortable sharing our innermost feelings, How to Write a Memoir in 30 Days is a fun, easy guide to writing the next great memoir.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Memoir

194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2014

Reviews

[Margo Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for beginning writers. It includes daily prompts, examples, and grammar tips.

However ... while there are many excellent exercises in this book to help you process your ideas, I'm quite skeptical about the concept of writing an entire memoir in thirty days. Maybe you could finish a rough draft, but it's misleading to suggest that in a mere thirty days you'll be ready to pursue publication.

Temes writes on page 11, "Do not worry about your ability as a writer. Later on, toward the end of the thirty days, you will quickly and easily learn how to polish your writing."

I agree that for a first draft you should not worry about the quality of your writing, but I disagree that polishing is quick or easy. Learning to polish your writing is a time consuming and often challenging task. It's one I love, and I hope to do it for the rest of my life, but it is not quick or necessarily easy ... for me at least.

If you take into account that you most likely will NOT finish your memoir in thirty days, you can use this book as a guide to brainstorm through your life stories. This would make an excellent gift book for someone who loves journaling or someone who is ready to document their life for their children.

As Temes writes in the introduction, "They may not yet realize it, but your children and their children and grandchildren may one day want to know about you -- your opinions, your ideas."

If this describes you and your purpose behind writing, then this would be a great book for you!

[Brandi Skyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. There's NO fluff here. From day and page one, you get right down to the business of writing -- and i like that.

i got to day 21 and then stopped my journey because i got so caught up in writing my book -- and that's a good thing.

This book is an excellent structure for memoir writers who are dealing with the issue of "i don't even know where to start." This book will help guide you through the journey.

For me personally, i used it as a daily writing prompt to help dig into the guts of what i was trying to write about which this book is also good for.

This book will help you write your stories, but structuring it? Not so much. Still a great tool for anyone looking for memoir help.

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many readers who want to be writers, this “how to” book may seem either a God-send or another “come-on” or trick. But in reality it is quite the former. No, it’s not about just making a laundry list of memorable events in one’s life or the places to where one’s traveled. No, it’s not about the famous people met. It’s about encapsulating the thoughts and feelings about any summary of one’s life or singular people and events that led to more questions, analysis, feelings and perhaps even a moment compelling a change of direction or return to a former direction, or whatever emerges from the memory! It’s about the poignant, powerful, funny, sad and whatever moments to which we can all relate, and therefore it’s worthy of insertion in a memoir that will then appeal to all human readers.
The chapters are so devised that the suggestions belie any triviality or contriving a story that one hopes will totally engage readers. It mandates honestly directly stated or written with subtlety more suitable to those prefer nuances. Some examples – Imagine a moment when you were just “waiting” for something; describe it; describe an incident that changed the course of your life…because it was “beautiful, frightening, unusual, spiritual; describe (one by one) the conflicts in your life and how you reached within yourself to cope with them (can include strengths and failures); respond to trigger phrases such as how naive I was and then woke up to realize that…; describe a scene where something occurred that changed your thinking; write about moments when you observed something unique or common and describe how it affected you; etc. etc.
Sample responses are provided that keep one from moving into empty clichés or status quo responses; these are quite inspiring because they reveal some vulnerable or potent experiences, working because they are really more about uniquely internal reflections instead of standard experiences we all have. We may all have the same thoughts and feelings, yet the differences in experiencing them and expressing them is so powerful when someone else writes about them in this way. An example: “…It is not an exaggeration to say I expected gold in the streets. It was heartbreaking to arrive in the United States and live in a run-down apartment…” The writer sets his or her hopes on studying to make the American dream come true and sacrifices immensely to attain that dream – it’s not summarized like this sentence but we get a brief but determined paragraph on what led to the desire to study to succeed.
The author provides some comments after the samples, many of which include the correct use of words and grammar which enhances conveying one’s entire message, rather than distracting from it. Turning flat sentences into dynamic communication by adding “action” to one’s scenes is a wonderful chapter that adds reliability to one’s memoir which in turn guarantees generating constant interest in a reader. Guidance is also offered on how to describe the people in one’s life in an interesting manner and some brief notes are added on pre-publication tips.
All in all, How To Write a Memoir in 30 Days…” is a valuable writing tool for those who wish to start their first book or even those who have already written and are now ready for the memoir phase of their writing craft. Very well done and highly recommended! You’ll want to begin trying one or many of these suggestions immediately!

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you feel like you have a story to tell?

Are you wanting to record the stories of your ancestors for future generations?

Have you learned a life lesson and want to help others by sharing what you have learned?

Are you looking to explore a career in writing?

Do you keep a daily journal?

If you answered "Yes" to any of the above questions, then I highly recommend you check out this book. In the most basic way, Temes walks you through the process of writing down your thoughts, recalling long-gone memories and giving you the framework for identifying certain aspects that will make your story one people will want to read.

First of all, the book offers different types of memoirs you could write including anything from an animal memoir to a travel memoir to one about your faith experience. By narrowing down your category, the author then takes you through a 30-day process of writing down your experiences. On Day One, you begin by writing just three sentences summarizing your life focusing on a time-period or experience that comes to mind. Just three succinct sentences for Day One. Each exercise after that gives you a writing task to accomplish. As you travel through the day-to-day process, you may uncover memories that you forgot or secrets you had buried. You may find that as you remember one memory, another will appear and so on.

Besides the writing tips, Temes includes grammar instructions at the end of chapters. Helpful tips including often misspelled words, use of commas, fancy words, and apostrophes can be beneficial to any writer.

By the end of the the 30 days, if you have done all the steps, you should have at the very least, the beginnings of a memoir or manuscript that you can continue to work on. Once you have gone through some of the editing, the author even offers to read your memoir after you have done your final revising. That alone is worth more than the price of the book. The end of the book discusses the process of getting your book published either through self-publishing or the traditional publishing route. The publishing section offers just a brief explanation of the multi-step procedure and glosses over the grueling and difficult process, but it at least gives you the highlights.

If you are a high school or college student, write proposals or grants frequently for your job, or are just looking to start the writing process, I highly recommend this book. Even without doing the 30-Day writing process, you can gather plenty of helpful information to benefit you in whatever you decide to write.

[Chrissy (The Every Free Chance Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I enjoy this book: Yes.

The title pretty much sums up the contents of this book. The author presumes you have no idea what to write and offers daily exercises and samples to inspire the inner memoir-writing-maniac that’s undoubtedly alive in all of us.

A typical chapter gives you an assignment. Day 7, for example, asks you to identify one event from your past that changed you and influenced your life’s mission. (Your life’s mission was covered on day 6). Following the assignment, there are between four and six pages of samples. The day’s reading concludes with a “Clear Communication” tip. Day seven’s tip is about the difference between its and it’s.

After the final day’s lesson, you’ll find an appendix that offers suggestions on publishing your memoir. My favorite tip in this section includes, “figuring out how to get orders from bookstores and individual readers.”

Thanks. That was helpful.

I believe she has some good ideas and insight for writing a memoir. If you have some extraordinary life story you wish to share, this book is a good start. The reason I couldn’t give it 5 stars is because I’m struggling to believe anyone can create a marketable (or even readable) memoir in thirty days. Not even if you stayed awake and worked 24 hours every one of those thirty days. To suggest to a novice that he or she can is just mean.

Would I recommend it: If you have some sensational life story, you’re dying to tell; absolutely.

As reviewed by Belinda at Every Free Chance Book Reviews.

(I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

http://everyfreechance.com/2014/04/re...

[dave lafoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not expect to learn as I did. Opened my eyes.

Interesting and informative..worth reading. This will be my first attempt at writing a memoir
Have no doubt this book will help me write a better memoir.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book offers some useful exercises that can help a writer begin to envision and draft a book-length memoir, ultimately it does not deliver on its promise of writing that memoir in 30 days, although I did not expect it would when I picked it up. I did expect to use the book to draft some personal pieces that may contribute to a longer work eventually, and in this vein, the book did have some limited use. However, many of the exercises are a bit too repetitive and do not achieve their aim to contribute to a what the title suggests should be (at least a draft of) a cohesive whole, and the examples and advice provided in the book were a little too vague and simplistic. An experienced writer will always have to pick and choose what works, and even then, I doubt she would come up with something that is a complete manuscript of a cohesive memoir without doing much more than is suggested in the pages of Temes' book. Perhaps a better title for this book may be: How to Begin to Draft a Memoir in 30 Days for Beginning Writers, for the book also includes many pages that address grammatical and syntactical issues that experienced writers would not necessarily need and would have skipped as I had done, including pages on the difference between whose and who's and the use of apostrophes for possession and contractions, for example--basic rules of standard written English that most people who have been writing seriously and/or have studied English would not necessarily need.

[Karenbike Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are helpful guidelines and prompts in this book to write a memoir but I'd never try to do it literally in 30 days. At the end of each chapter are also spelling, grammar, word choice, and punctuation tips and reminders. Temes wants the writer to write a "mission statement" to direct the writing. EX: I want to write about the journey I took to overcome poverty and become a successful business woman. I personally see the value of this but didn't follow it myself. I chose to write my memories and NOW I may cherry pick the stories that may fit into a mission statement.

[Fawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I agree with the other reviewers that this book is not one that will help you compile your memoirs as much as it is a great book to give you the right exercises needed to write. This book was great for me to get started and gives writing assignments that will be needed to make a great memoir. I had to get additional books to help me compile all these stories together, so that the book won’t be super scattered, but I would definitely recommend this book to anyone getting started out.

I also really love this book for people who want to get started writing their personal history.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful book but you really can't write a memoir in 30 days.

[Marlies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A helpful guide on how to get started on writing a memoir.

[Teresa Krafft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Used as book with group study.

[Narita · Rating 5 out of 5]

A couple of years ago my uncle died. He was an intelligent articulate man that had published many articles in his field. While going through his belongings, my cousin found a treasure. It was his memories beginning in childhood, through part of his later years. She graciously sent me a copy. Reading it was wonderful! Not only did I find so much about his life I never knew, I got a glimpse of my father’s family and part of his life. Writing my own memoir to leave for my children and grandchildren has always been in my mind. His motivated me further but where and how do I start? That’s why I was so happy to get this book. It not only gives me a starting point but also direction.
I know it won’t be written in 30 days as the title suggests, but in 30 days the book will help me produce a rough “skeleton” of my life story. I liked it that the author says “just write”, get it down on paper, and worry about punctuation, spelling, and grammar later. That is such a hindrance to many who write, thinking it has to be “perfect” the first time. The beginning of the book also opens the door to the idea that there can be many different types of memoirs you might want to write.
Each day focuses on a different aspect of your life to think about. For me, I have many memories and thoughts but they are jumbled together in my mind and come forward when triggered by some outside source. The author had lots of thought provoking ideas to delve deeper into those recollections therefore giving more meaning and detail to my writing. There were also samples of other people’s memoir writings to illustrate what the author was suggesting and avoiding mistakes. In addition, I found them as a springboard to further organize my thoughts. This book helps you do more than tell your stories; it helps you share your emotions, feelings, and experiences at a deeper level.
I am a writer. I love to write, but I think this book would be a great help to someone that writing does not come easily. I want to leave a written legacy as my uncle did for our family. I found this book very helpful and inspiring!

I received this book free from FBS Associates which requires an honest, though not necessarily positive, review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.