9 Suggestions for Improving Your Memoir

As an acquiring editor in Big Five publishing houses for more than three decades, and now as an independent editor, I have worked on many successful memoirs.

- BY LESLIE WELLS

Here are some takeaways that may be helpful as you are considering your manuscript:

1. TIMESPAN: Keep in mind that, unlike autobiography, memoir does not encompass birth to one's current age. (Autobiography is more appropriate for former presidents, retired founders of major companies, or famous actors and musicians.) Memoir covers a specific time period in the author's life; typically, one in which important growth and change occurred. Examples include Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, in which she writes about her journey hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail; or H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald's account of adopting a goshawk while grieving for her father.

2. BOLD OPENING: Open your memoir with a powerful chapter, whether from the beginning of your story or from later in the manuscript. This scene should draw in the reader and present (or hint at) major themes in your book. What makes your story stand out? Why would readers want to immerse themselves in this period of your life? Make this clear in the first chapter. Agents and editors are looking for reasons why someone picking up the book would be compelled from page one. Answer that question by writing a captivating initial chapter. A good example of a dramatic opening occurs in Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford, in which the author's mother calls her during dinner to let her know that her father is getting out of prison soon.