You may be struggling with the idea of writing just one memoir, so the question, ‘Should I write more than one memoir?’ may have never entered your head.
But if you have enough material for more than one book, my short answer to that question is a resounding ‘Yes!’
Because a memoir is only about a part or parts of your life, it lends itself to multiple iterations.
If you want further information about what a memoir is, read my blog post Memoir vs Life Story – Which To Write.
Divide Your Life Into Sections
You may want to divide your life into chronological sections, writing a memoir about each one.
For example, acclaimed author Mary Karr wrote three memoirs – The Liars Club, which documented her difficult, impoverished childhood, Cherry, an account of her tumultuous teen years and sexual coming of age and Lit, about her descent into alcoholism and insanity as an adult, and clawing her way back out.
If you’re choosing this format, make sure that your memoirs are not just an account of events, but there is also a proper narrative arc - theme or themes that tie all the events together, character development (yours, and perhaps, others’) and a resolution at the end.
Write in Themes
You can divide your life according to themes.
For example, a memoir about your career and how you’ve achieved success, another about your relationships and what you’ve learned from them, another about travel and how it has expanded your mind, and so on.
Within each memoir, there will be events that are not necessarily chronological, and there will be large gaps in time, because you’re only writing about certain parts of your life.
The skill in writing these memoirs is to make these events flow seamlessly into a cohesive narrative.
You also need to make sure you only write about what’s relevant to the theme, and not be tempted to go off on a tangent about another part of your life - which, while it may be important in terms of your whole life story, has nothing to do with the topic you’re writing about.
Write Each Chapter On A Different Topic
Or you can write about different themes within the same memoir, with each chapter on a different topic that ties in with those themes.
Billy Connolly is a prime example – in his books Windswept and Interesting, Rambling Man and Tall Tales and Wee Stories, each chapter is about a different subject.
For example, Rambling Man is, as the title suggests, about his life on the road. In the prologue, he discusses his concept of a rambling man – not only that he is constantly travelling, but he also possesses certain qualities – he doesn’t owe anyone anything, is often self-educated, always curious and learning and has a desire to be free of responsibilities.
(And a rambling man can also be a woman).
Each chapter is about a different event or events, not necessarily chronological, but they all relate to the theme of rambling and the qualities of a rambling man.
The Sky Is The Limit
You can see how, in writing in themes, you could write endless memoirs, if you have enough material.
I expound on writing in themes in my blog post How Many Ways Can You Write A Memoir?
Other famous authors who’ve written multiple memoirs include Frank McCourt, Elizabeth Gilbert, Janet Frame and Maya Angelou.
In fact, Maya takes the cake for being one of the most prolific memoir writers – she’s written seven, each one about a different period of her life.
So, By All Means, Write More Than One Memoir
And if I can help you, I will.
If you’d like to write a memoir, or memoirs, but don’t know where to begin, I can help you, and even write it for you.
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