Something very important to know about memoir: It’s not just about you
- Jul 30
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
I’m often asked, “Do people really buy memoirs written by people they haven’t heard of?”
and
“Why would strangers be interested in my personal stories?”
These are the kinds of questions that plague aspiring memoirists.
Yes, absolutely—people buy the memoirs of people they know nothing about,
and
yes, your personal stories have the potential to be very compelling to readers.
One of the greatest lessons an aspiring memoirist can learn is:
⭐️ At its heart, your memoir should be about the reader. ⭐️
Readers should be able to see themselves in your experiences.
If the scenes chosen from your life illustrate a universal theme (for example, getting over your childhood, letting go of blame, cultivating courage to try new things, finding joy in singlehood, etc), imagine how many people, worldwide, might find something to relate to in those pages.
✒️ Because your theme/themes are universal. ✒️
Honestly sharing what you went through, what you learned, what you tried, where you stumbled, what you realized—this is an act of service.
Memoir serves to educate and inspire, not by preaching but by showing how it all went for you.
By reading your story, a reader can imagine how it might go for her.
And that might make her brave.
Imagine your memoir. . .
changing someone’s mind,
inspiring him to take a risk,
helping him view something differently,
giving him courage to leave a bad situation
Imagine your memoir. . .
boosting someone’s courage to travel
firing people up to change careers
showing them how to forgive
(or. . . name it!)
If your memoir does that kind of thing for someone else (and your readers will often tell you!) can you imagine how great it will feel?
What a wonderful act of service.
