The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life

Every page holds a piece that triggered notetaking for my own memoir, more so when she relates her own stories early in the book, more so than at the end. At the end, she begins to lecture about plot, structure, and so forth. But the earlier parts of the book just resonated with me by prompting ideas from my own memories I could use for my memoir. I highly recommend it. Right up there with Bird by Bird.

"Whenever a brain surgeon tells me that he is going to start writing when he retires, I always say I am going to take up brain surgery when I retire. Sometimes he gets the joke."—Marion Roach SmithJust one of many wry statements the author makes in this thoroughly readable, well-written resource. It's like she's gotten into every aspiring writer's head and puts our thoughts, fears, hopes, dreams on paper. But best of all she tells us what to do, what to practice and what not to do --if our goal is to write for more than an audience of just our loved ones.Every memoir is essentially an argument, she says. Write with intent so that everything in it supports that argument or thesis.And be interesting while you do it! How? that is the tricky part and she shows her own examples of stories that come alive with pertinent details.Perhaps her most valuable advice is this simple equation to keep in mind as you write...Your story is : X illustrated by Y to equal Universal Truth.So the best memoirs are not about YOU, but about everybody.I bought her book to help me write my book which is far more difficult than I thought it would be, just as she observes. (But now I know that at least I am in the good company of brain surgeons. :)I especially like the examples she inserts "showing not telling " us about how to make scenes come alive.Especially useful is how she describes what to cut. She tells a fascinating story about her mother that did not make it into her first book which was about caring for a close family member --her mother--who develops Alzheimer's, despite being a compelling a story that shed light on the kind of person her mother was.Why was such a great story about her mom left out? It added intrigue and drama and sex...but it was a tangent, an interesting one, but not one that supported her main argument. The book was about Altzheimers, explaining how it robbed families of loved ones, what coping caregivers needed... what everyone should know about its signs , etc. X did not equal "her mom", but "her mom's disease" ... so that story ended up on the cutting room floor. But she did not lament the time spent crafting it as she saved it in a rainy day file of stories she might be able to use sometime in the future....if they fit into the intent of a future article, story, book, or blog post.i.e., someday it might be a good illustration/story (Y) for some other argument/thesis (X) to equal Z (Universal Truth) ...in fact, it was the perfect illustration for THIS book on memoir writing ; it is a story I remember as I write--reminding me to write all I want to in my (as Anne Lamont puts it) S#*! y First Draft but , as I edit, make sure I cut any stories that do not fit into the intent of my book's thesis/argument.It's harder than it looks. Just as she says.But her advice helps me enjoy the process and the journey. I think of her equation every time I read another memoir. The best ones do seem to adhere to her equation...but the equation is not enough, must also be interesting, funny even, to entertain while also revealing universal lessons and truth--which is the hard part.Key lessons:-tell the truth --but not necessarily ALL the truth. Know that you might hurt real people your write about. Learn if they (and you) are ok with that. Not every story needs to be told.-Autobiographies that the public will be interested in are only for a select few celebrities and historical figures. Memoirs are sliced much thinner and adhere to a specific theme to reveal universal truth.- Each page should support your theme, move your argument forward. (Knowing this helps you to write with INTENT)- " Just because something happens, doesn't make it interesting." Leave out the boring parts.

This is the most helpful and engrossing book I've read on creating a memoir. Full of practical and detailed advice for composing a memoir, Ms. Smith has given me the tools I need to finish my work.

Marion Roach Smith delivers a master of memoir degree in a fabulous 117 pages.I almost didn't purchase this title because my inaccurate perception (based on the book cover and publication date) was the book was out of date - and probably full of out of date information. I'm so glad I threw the inaccurate perception away and eventually did buy the book. It is hands down the best instruction I've found on writing memoir, anywhere.A close second is Marion's blog about how to write memoir. The book and the blog break down the entire process into simple, easy-to-understand steps that anyone can follow. Please note that I'm not saying writing memoir is easy. But I am absolutely saying Marion makes writing memoir easy to understand.How does she do it?By teaching you the steps with clear directions and then giving you real world examples from her own life.The techniques Marion teaches are timeless. They make sense now and they will 100 years from now. "The Memoir Project" book is the Huckleberry Finn of how to write memoir. It's a classic that should inhabit the shelves of all serious memoir writers, and even those of us who just do it for fun. Because if you're going to write memoir, why not do it the right way? The Marion Roach Smith way.Don't be fooled by other Amazon memoir book titles that promise you a finished book in a month and a half. They are the nonsense you would expect, and only get attention because of false, presumably incentivized Amazon reviews.The Memoir Project is the real deal.Don't wait, but this book today! You'll be glad you did.

As I have just started writing a trilogy of books chronicling the shocking events I have survived, I thought it best to get some 'professional' advice on writing memoir. I already know what I am writing about, and I have already created a system for ensuring the works get written and published by the deadline I have set, so this book was of no use to me at all. It does not tell you anything that isn't already in dozens of "how to write a book" books. I thought memoir writing would be different. It isn't. Very disappointed with this book as my knowledge exceeded the author's.

This book is probably one of the best investments I've ever made. The easy writing style makes this book different from other "how to write" books. There are no time consuming exercises to complete, no detailed analysis of books you've read, just straight forward commonsense advice from someone who really knows what she's writing about.

Marion Smith has the ability to put a finger on the essence of a subject without wasting words. Her clarity makes this a valuable resource for anyone wanting to write memoir or life stories and something even novelists could benefit from reading. I'm so glad I found this book.

Wonderful book. I learned more in this book than from an expensive ecourse. Save your money and buy this book

I found this book very useful and very interesting. As someone that has just finished writing his memoir, his first writing project ever, I found this book a very beneficial tool for any aspiring writer. Good stuff!