Please help me! I have a week to write a memoir and don't know where to start.?

Question

I have been procrastinating all summer and this is where it's brought me. I am only fifteen so I am having a hard time finding significance in my limited experiences. Any advice will do.

Answer 1

Try to start with some big things that you have gone through, such as a big vacation, a loss of a family member or your first "love". Think about how those things made you feel and how they tie together to make you who you are.

Think about your likes and dislikes and your family tree.

Answer 2

Don't stress out trying to figure out which experiences are "significant." Some memoirs have experiences that are totally every-day. Maybe it would help to imagine what you would want someone else to write about you. Write about yourself like you're someone else--that's what I would do. That will help give you some perspective. What are your favorite memories? What are the ones you absolutely hate? What was your nickname when you were little? Did you have a pet--what happened to it? A memoir is just a way to get to know someone, so write in a way that the reader will get to know you. If you kept a diary when you were younger (or now), look back at that--even use quotes from it. Don't just write about your experiences, either--write about how you felt about them. For instance, on your first day of school in kindergarten, what were you thinking and feeling? "Memoirs" means "memories." So write about those--the funny ones, the sad ones, the scary ones. And have fun with it! Good luck.

Answer 3

A memoir does not have to be anything of huge proportions. It can be the smaller memories in your life that had huge meaning to you. It may seem to simple to you, but if you put them into words and expand your feelings on it, you will come up with a lot for it. Think of those special memories that stay with you forever and why they do. Think of the day surrounding what happened, the scenery, the people, etc. Write about it all and the impact of everything.

Answer 4

Well, as with any piece of writing, its beginning needs to draw the reader in with something interesting. In your case, you may want to think back to what your earliest childhood memory was.

For myself, I remember at age four I had an eye operation to correct a problem with which I was born. I was put to sleep with ether and when I awakened my eyes were bandaged and my hands were restrained to keep me from removing the bandages, and I remained without sight for a few days in that condition, which seemed a bit terrifying at the time.

It is not really much of a story in and of itself, but a story such as that does serve to break the ice with the reader and draw them into the rest of your tale.

And, while you may think you do not have very much to say owing to your youth, there is probably a good deal more than you think that people will find of interest. If you have brothers and sisters you can offer anecdotes that illustrate your relationships with each of them. Likewise, such moments as you consider to have been defining in your life with your parents, grandparents, etc.

If you want to play to your grading audience a bit, you might throw in a story about some favorite teacher who you feel had an impact on your life and why.

You don't need to be the Queen of England here, or Joan of Arc, or Mother Teresa to have an interesting story to tell. People like to read about people, and if you can tell your story in such a way as to reveal some of your character, and some of that of the people you know, you will generally find it is well-received by your audience.

Answer 5

Instead of writing a biography, your memiors should be a collection of short stories. These stories should be in dated order as to how old you were at the time.
Then talk about your experiences. Family traditions.
Who carves the Thanksgiving turkey?
What have you learned from other family members?
Is there a family business that everyone works at some time in their life?

Answer 6

A memoir tends to be about a part of your life. Choose something like an event that you can remember that has shaped you into the person you are today.

Answer 7

Think about the most memorable things that have happned to you in your few years of life. The best vacation, the nicest thing anyone ever did for you, the thing that frightened you the most, the prettiest place you've ever been and so on. Then write them down. Oh, and do it today!

Answer 8

you don't need to say you won a nobel prize or anything.

start at i am (name) and was born in xxx Hospital on (date) to John & Mary last name. tell people what you've done, where you livem about your family ad homelife. Tell them your likes.dislikes and hobbies.