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Writing Memoir: The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life
Done properly, memoir is more than just a recitation of facts about a person's life.
It's a journey, connecting writer and reader in that shared space where we all experience what it means to be human. In Writing The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life, Jerry Payne details, in an easy-to-follow way, how to take the particulars of one's life and weave them into a moving, compelling, page-turning story. Using examples from his own works as well as other works from the masters of the genre, Payne discusses narrative arc, theme, character development, description, dialogue, flow, and voice.
Concise, yet comprehensive, Writing Memoir also covers essential concerns like how to construct an effective outline, how to avoid common errors of grammar and punctuation, how to go about editing and rewriting, how to view one's book critically and objectively, and the ins and outs of both traditional publishing and self-publishing.
It's a journey, connecting writer and reader in that shared space where we all experience what it means to be human. In Writing The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life, Jerry Payne details, in an easy-to-follow way, how to take the particulars of one's life and weave them into a moving, compelling, page-turning story. Using examples from his own works as well as other works from the masters of the genre, Payne discusses narrative arc, theme, character development, description, dialogue, flow, and voice.
Concise, yet comprehensive, Writing Memoir also covers essential concerns like how to construct an effective outline, how to avoid common errors of grammar and punctuation, how to go about editing and rewriting, how to view one's book critically and objectively, and the ins and outs of both traditional publishing and self-publishing.
- GenresWriting
126 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 6, 2016
58 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Payne
1 book2 followersAn award-winning ghostwriter, Jerry Payne has written or edited over two dozen memoirs for a wide range of clients, each story as unique as the life from which it was drawn. With a true passion for the genre, Payne teaches an online course and frequently conducts workshops on the craft of memoir writing. His book, Writing Memoir: The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life (Faydelis Press, 2016), is available on Amazon or wherever book are sold.
Payne lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he conducts workshops on memoir, tends to his clients’ books, and cruises the bay on Pilar, his beloved sailboat.
Payne lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, where he conducts workshops on memoir, tends to his clients’ books, and cruises the bay on Pilar, his beloved sailboat.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 2, 2021
One of several books on memoir writing I've read lately, and perhaps the most useful. A concise tome that stresses the importance of an outline (at least for me, definitely not a 'seat of your pants' writer), editing tips, and even information on self-publishing. If you are interested in writing a memoir, I would recommend several books, but read this one first.
April 30, 2025
Any writing book that advocates for the ability to end a sentence with a preposition is a winner.
December 1, 2016
Practical, professional advice on how to write your memoir
Jerry Payne is a ghost writer, he writes for other people. Mostly he writes memoirs.
He feels, and rightly so "there is something profoundly revelatory in exploring a life to the depth that’s required to write about it." He suggests an honest memoir does just that. I
n his book, Writing MEMOIR, The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life,
Payne is also honest in his assessment of those who want to take this project on. Some people just can't write, others can't be honest with themselves. However, if you have a proclivity for writing and can be honest with yourself this book is an excellent guide.
First and foremost, Payne points out that a memoir is not the story of your life but a story of an interesting part of your life. He suggests you approach your memoir as an author approaches a novel defining goal, motivation and conflict and establishing a story arc. If you don't know what all this means, he explains it.
He also offers writing advice - how to "show" (action) rather than "tell" (summary and passive). There's also information how to effectively revise and polish your work and when that's done how to go about attempting to find a traditional publisher or to self-publish.
Writing Memoir is not the work of an angst-ridden author telling you how he or she struggled to come to grips with writing their own story. It is a very readable practical guide, excellently presented by a seasoned professional.
As a facilitator of creative writing circles at which many of the participants are writing a memoir I would recommend Writing MEMOIR, The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life over all other books I've read on this subject.
I received this e-book free in the hopes of an honest review.
Jerry Payne is a ghost writer, he writes for other people. Mostly he writes memoirs.
He feels, and rightly so "there is something profoundly revelatory in exploring a life to the depth that’s required to write about it." He suggests an honest memoir does just that. I
n his book, Writing MEMOIR, The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life,
Payne is also honest in his assessment of those who want to take this project on. Some people just can't write, others can't be honest with themselves. However, if you have a proclivity for writing and can be honest with yourself this book is an excellent guide.
First and foremost, Payne points out that a memoir is not the story of your life but a story of an interesting part of your life. He suggests you approach your memoir as an author approaches a novel defining goal, motivation and conflict and establishing a story arc. If you don't know what all this means, he explains it.
He also offers writing advice - how to "show" (action) rather than "tell" (summary and passive). There's also information how to effectively revise and polish your work and when that's done how to go about attempting to find a traditional publisher or to self-publish.
Writing Memoir is not the work of an angst-ridden author telling you how he or she struggled to come to grips with writing their own story. It is a very readable practical guide, excellently presented by a seasoned professional.
As a facilitator of creative writing circles at which many of the participants are writing a memoir I would recommend Writing MEMOIR, The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life over all other books I've read on this subject.
I received this e-book free in the hopes of an honest review.
September 3, 2023
A fantastic overview of memoir writing including helpful tips and guidance. I read this book to help me write my memoir and it definitely made a difference.
June 21, 2018
Realistic, yet solving problems in practical ways
Those of you who’ve ever had to type with one hand, because your other hand’s broken in a cask, know how tough it is. Now I am doing it voluntarily because I’m so excited to have found an awesome book about writing!
This short book about writing memoir gives such amazingly practical advices to anyone interested in telling stories in refined written words.
To me the book seems to have three different parts: One’s the tips for memoirists seeking for good stories from the bottom of your-true-selves to share, followed by tips for writing well in general with introduction of must-read starting, writing and editing processes I’d like to recommend as well.
And the last part’s about how to publish your precious written stories in both traditional and 21st-century ways. Here the last part the author goes real honest about the reality of today’s cold publication industry and market, yet he doesn’t forget to give you some sweet advises, super-practical in that matter.
This is the most realistic book about writing I’ve ever read so far, yet the way the author describes still touches my heart like a piece of literature. I recommend this book to anyone interested in writing, not only for memoir writing, but any kind of genre as long as you need some good tips that help you grow up to become a better writer.
Those of you who’ve ever had to type with one hand, because your other hand’s broken in a cask, know how tough it is. Now I am doing it voluntarily because I’m so excited to have found an awesome book about writing!
This short book about writing memoir gives such amazingly practical advices to anyone interested in telling stories in refined written words.
To me the book seems to have three different parts: One’s the tips for memoirists seeking for good stories from the bottom of your-true-selves to share, followed by tips for writing well in general with introduction of must-read starting, writing and editing processes I’d like to recommend as well.
And the last part’s about how to publish your precious written stories in both traditional and 21st-century ways. Here the last part the author goes real honest about the reality of today’s cold publication industry and market, yet he doesn’t forget to give you some sweet advises, super-practical in that matter.
This is the most realistic book about writing I’ve ever read so far, yet the way the author describes still touches my heart like a piece of literature. I recommend this book to anyone interested in writing, not only for memoir writing, but any kind of genre as long as you need some good tips that help you grow up to become a better writer.
August 15, 2020
maybe half and half plus
If I could rate this on the last half (or , third)- it may hit four stars. That portion had some good information, though information which could be acquired elsewhere, and the writer points that out (with where to find the info too). Maybe I have read too many books (self help, and many books on writing) but it seems much of the first portions of the book I had read before. Some sections so much so I went to my book shelves thinking I surely had this book and had already read it (I didn’t find it)... However, if you, unlike me, haven’t read a mountain of books on writing, then this book is a good one to start as it covers a lot of ground.
If I could rate this on the last half (or , third)- it may hit four stars. That portion had some good information, though information which could be acquired elsewhere, and the writer points that out (with where to find the info too). Maybe I have read too many books (self help, and many books on writing) but it seems much of the first portions of the book I had read before. Some sections so much so I went to my book shelves thinking I surely had this book and had already read it (I didn’t find it)... However, if you, unlike me, haven’t read a mountain of books on writing, then this book is a good one to start as it covers a lot of ground.
July 25, 2019
Short, But Packs A Punch
When I glanced at the page length I thought, "That's not many pages," but after reading the book I learned a lot. The author's writing style is easy to understand. His advice is sound. I learned more from this book in 90 minutes than I did in the hours and hours I spent scouring online blog posts and memoir-writing articles.
When I glanced at the page length I thought, "That's not many pages," but after reading the book I learned a lot. The author's writing style is easy to understand. His advice is sound. I learned more from this book in 90 minutes than I did in the hours and hours I spent scouring online blog posts and memoir-writing articles.
July 7, 2018
Excellent review
I read this book after having written my memoir. The book is an excellent review of all the stuff that I actually did well I wrote. I think this book would be good as a review for writers and as an introduction to new writers.
I read this book after having written my memoir. The book is an excellent review of all the stuff that I actually did well I wrote. I think this book would be good as a review for writers and as an introduction to new writers.
May 26, 2020
Great lessons for a nervous beginner, thanks for the push.
Clear and great lessons.
As a beginner at writing, this instruction is a great help to getting started to a finish. Thanks
Clear and great lessons.
As a beginner at writing, this instruction is a great help to getting started to a finish. Thanks
March 20, 2021
Very helpful. The section on publishing is worth the price of the whole book. He clearly outlines the steps you need to go through to publish your work through traditional publishing, self publishing or hybrid publishing. Highly recommended.
September 4, 2023
Jerry Payne's new second edition of Writing Memoir definitely provides a practical guide for memoir writers to devour. I love all the examples Payne includes. Impressive. Maybe I will now finish mine. 😊
October 21, 2023
Great advice for a writer about to start their first memoir. I especially liked the tips and advice on self-publishing.
April 30, 2025
helpful , clear and concise
This has really given me the head start I needed to write more of my memoir and think about the key theme and arc
This has really given me the head start I needed to write more of my memoir and think about the key theme and arc
February 21, 2018
Writing Memoir: The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life by Jerry Payne is truly a practical and concise guide to writing your memoir. Payne defines the term as: a memoir centers on a significant part, or time, of your life – a major event on which your story is centered. It is not your whole life story. That is an autobiography.
Payne further explains that a memoir is an exploration of your ‘self,’ and good memoirs generate self-awareness. One must be honest with self, and the reader. If not, the memoirist will be discovered as a fraud resulting in loss of the reader. Ernest Hemingway says, “A writer’s job is to tell the truth.” And Payne stresses telling truth. He says, “If you write honestly, if you seek to tell the account of your life, or some part of it, to the best of your recollection and as objectively as you can, you’re going to learn something about yourself in the process.”
But, what if the truth would violate someone’s privacy or defamation of character occurs, or you end up slandering a person, you could be sued for libel. Payne gives great advice on how to deal with that and avoid any unpleasant ramifications and still write the truth. What would be your motivation to include a particular person in your memoir? What is the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of your story?
Just naming facts (the what and the when and the who) of your memoir, when listed in chronological order, is boring. It’s the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ that makes the story. Payne covers a story’s dramatic structure to give it life and feelings and connection. What effect did it have on you as the writer? How did you feel? How did it change you? “Drama is built. Action rises and falls,” Payne says.
So where do you begin? Payne advises starting your memoir with the turning point – a life-altering moment you experienced. What was your recovery like? A main thread must stitch a series of stories together which becomes the theme. And that is what links your story to the reader. It’s what connects. Payne explains, in easy-to-understand terms, the two big conceptual elements of your memoirs as theme and narrative arc.
Jerry Payne gives several checkpoints along the way such as: Is my story true to its theme? Are important characters fully fleshed out? Are pivotal moments described in detail? Is there enough dialogue? Does the writing sound like me?
When you have written your memoir, edited it, polished it, and are ready to publish it, Payne walks you through the various publishing options and the steps needed to pursue the option which appeals the most to you.
I give Writing Memoir a 5-star rating. I would definitely recommend it if you have even the remotest idea of writing your memoir – even if it’s for your eyes only.
While reading this book in order to write a review, I followed Jerry Payne’s very helpful guidelines chapter by chapter and put into practice what he taught. And, I wrote my memoir and the outline for another one!
Review by: Rita Kroon, author of her memoir "Cancer, A Journey through the Valley"
Payne further explains that a memoir is an exploration of your ‘self,’ and good memoirs generate self-awareness. One must be honest with self, and the reader. If not, the memoirist will be discovered as a fraud resulting in loss of the reader. Ernest Hemingway says, “A writer’s job is to tell the truth.” And Payne stresses telling truth. He says, “If you write honestly, if you seek to tell the account of your life, or some part of it, to the best of your recollection and as objectively as you can, you’re going to learn something about yourself in the process.”
But, what if the truth would violate someone’s privacy or defamation of character occurs, or you end up slandering a person, you could be sued for libel. Payne gives great advice on how to deal with that and avoid any unpleasant ramifications and still write the truth. What would be your motivation to include a particular person in your memoir? What is the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of your story?
Just naming facts (the what and the when and the who) of your memoir, when listed in chronological order, is boring. It’s the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ that makes the story. Payne covers a story’s dramatic structure to give it life and feelings and connection. What effect did it have on you as the writer? How did you feel? How did it change you? “Drama is built. Action rises and falls,” Payne says.
So where do you begin? Payne advises starting your memoir with the turning point – a life-altering moment you experienced. What was your recovery like? A main thread must stitch a series of stories together which becomes the theme. And that is what links your story to the reader. It’s what connects. Payne explains, in easy-to-understand terms, the two big conceptual elements of your memoirs as theme and narrative arc.
Jerry Payne gives several checkpoints along the way such as: Is my story true to its theme? Are important characters fully fleshed out? Are pivotal moments described in detail? Is there enough dialogue? Does the writing sound like me?
When you have written your memoir, edited it, polished it, and are ready to publish it, Payne walks you through the various publishing options and the steps needed to pursue the option which appeals the most to you.
I give Writing Memoir a 5-star rating. I would definitely recommend it if you have even the remotest idea of writing your memoir – even if it’s for your eyes only.
While reading this book in order to write a review, I followed Jerry Payne’s very helpful guidelines chapter by chapter and put into practice what he taught. And, I wrote my memoir and the outline for another one!
Review by: Rita Kroon, author of her memoir "Cancer, A Journey through the Valley"
December 14, 2016
Reviewed by Susan Violante for Reader Views (11/2016)
“Writing Memoir: The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life” by Jerry Payne is a short and sweet a personable guide for memoir writing. It begins by inviting the reader to explore their reasons for writing a memoir. I loved that the author did this at the beginning because many writing guides do not make evident that the reason for writing will determine all of the major decisions the author will have to make during the writing and publishing process. Furthermore, this phase can even discourage the writer to move forward with a memoir, and maybe explore other genres for the story they feel the need to share. The author then moves forward by holding the reader’s hand and taking them through the process, not of becoming a famous published author necessarily, just a writer–one that can be proud and satisfied of being a writer. This is what I loved about this little blue book. It actually, guides the reader to find out what they really want, and then walks the reader through the process of taking their life experiences and manifest the best way to share it.
Payne’s writing style is personal, informative, and easy to read. I was impressed by his ability to organize such a long process into a short, concise guide. The fact that he is actually a professional writer provides the reader the opportunity of learning from someone who has written many different types of life stories, and not just his own. I also liked how he organized all of the different steps and factors of the process and complemented the information with specific examples on occasions. His writing flowed wonderfully and allowed me as the reader to see the overall process painlessly. At the same time, it was easy to re-visit specific parts of the process.
Overall, I not only found “Writing Memoir” by Jerry Payne to be very helpful to memoir writers but also to writers in general. A pleasure to read, it is an awesome resource for writers that should be part of a writer’s starting library!
“Writing Memoir: The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life” by Jerry Payne is a short and sweet a personable guide for memoir writing. It begins by inviting the reader to explore their reasons for writing a memoir. I loved that the author did this at the beginning because many writing guides do not make evident that the reason for writing will determine all of the major decisions the author will have to make during the writing and publishing process. Furthermore, this phase can even discourage the writer to move forward with a memoir, and maybe explore other genres for the story they feel the need to share. The author then moves forward by holding the reader’s hand and taking them through the process, not of becoming a famous published author necessarily, just a writer–one that can be proud and satisfied of being a writer. This is what I loved about this little blue book. It actually, guides the reader to find out what they really want, and then walks the reader through the process of taking their life experiences and manifest the best way to share it.
Payne’s writing style is personal, informative, and easy to read. I was impressed by his ability to organize such a long process into a short, concise guide. The fact that he is actually a professional writer provides the reader the opportunity of learning from someone who has written many different types of life stories, and not just his own. I also liked how he organized all of the different steps and factors of the process and complemented the information with specific examples on occasions. His writing flowed wonderfully and allowed me as the reader to see the overall process painlessly. At the same time, it was easy to re-visit specific parts of the process.
Overall, I not only found “Writing Memoir” by Jerry Payne to be very helpful to memoir writers but also to writers in general. A pleasure to read, it is an awesome resource for writers that should be part of a writer’s starting library!
September 27, 2016
This little book can be read two ways: blaze through it and come back to highlighted sections or take your time, take notes and allow the information time to sink in.
I took my time and found this book to be thought-provoking. From warming up to the idea of writing my memoir and outlining the theme through editing, formatting, and publishing--this little treasure kept the wheels turning (and kept me adding to my reading list).
Practical and intuitive, I recommend this book to anyone who has considered writing the story of their life.
I took my time and found this book to be thought-provoking. From warming up to the idea of writing my memoir and outlining the theme through editing, formatting, and publishing--this little treasure kept the wheels turning (and kept me adding to my reading list).
Practical and intuitive, I recommend this book to anyone who has considered writing the story of their life.
August 18, 2020
Jerry Payne is a ghost writer who has written over 30 memoirs and he speaks from experience. The author tells you from the beginning that the memoir is not about the writer rather the reader. The book encourages every writer to search his or her story and tell it in a way to keep the reader turning pages. He gives helpful hints all throughout the book starting from finding the narrative arc to getting it published. I was inspired by the book and kept taking notes how it applied to what I was writing.
October 5, 2016
Remember those formal outlines in high school English? Forget them. Let the creative juices flow. Payne's book on Memoirs is the first "how to" I have read on the subject, and I have read several books on writing. It is easily written and understood. If you want to read a book on memoir writing, you need no other book but this one. Payne is an exceptional teacher. Excellent book.
July 21, 2022
Memoir in the Making
This updated version is a lot more helpful as I continue writing mine. It is down to earth understandable. An easy and fast read.
This updated version is a lot more helpful as I continue writing mine. It is down to earth understandable. An easy and fast read.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews