How do you write a memoir?

When I first started my own memoir, I had nowhere to turn. I looked everywhere for information on structure but never found tips that were of any use. In the end, I finally figured it out on my own, but it took me ten years. This website includes the information I wish I could give my younger self.

First things first

What is so tough about memoir is that you need to create plot out of real-life events. Why is this so hard? For one thing, you have too much information. Everything that has ever happened in your life is potential material.

Your challenge is to discard the events that don't add up to plot and to connect the remaining events in a way that creates an engaging storyline. But this is incredibly difficult to do.
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That's where structure comes in. Structure is a lot like chemistry. It's not something intuitive. Rather, it's something you can learn. When you understand the rules of structure, you can figure out the plot for your book step by step.

I'm handing you the roadmap. You take the journey. Intrepid souls, welcome!

I would love to be able to tackle the concept of how to write a memoir in a single blog posting, but that's like trying to explain "How to Build a Sailboat in Five Easy Steps." I'm not going to pretend that writing a memoir is easy. However, when you take a step by step approach to the process, you will write your book in a fraction of the time. 

That's why I created this free class. Each video tackles a new memoir writing concept that will help you advance in the writing of your book.

I have worked with writers who have spent years writing their memoirs and only started finally feeling in control of what they were doing once they took my class. And once they took my class, they quit having to throw out tons of pages that simply weren't working. 

I hope this class helps you on your own memoir-writing journey. I created it with tons of love, a lot of work, and a little dose of sarcasm.

Sign up below for your free class. 

Start your memoir-writing journey with the free class, "Seven Steps to Structure." ​Come on, I even put on lipstick to record the videos.

About Wendy Dale​

Wendy Dale is the author of Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals, a memoir published by Crown (a division of Penguin Random House). She taught memoir writing at Media Bistro for six years and then founded Memoir Writers for Geniuses. Writers  who have taken Wendy's classes have subsequently gotten representation from top literary agencies including Foundry,  Solow Literary,  Dystel & Goderich, International Creative Management (ICM), Levine Greenberg Rostan, and Stuart Krichevsky Literary Agency. Wendy grew up in South Carolina, Tennessee, California, Minnesota, Montana, Peru and Germany. She currently lives with her Bolivian husband and two Peruvian bunnies in Cusco. True confession: She has never been to Machu Picchu. It's a long story.