Wild by Cheryl Strayed-The quest to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, from the Mojave Desert to Washington State, alone.

Westover charts her journey from a survivalist childhood in Idaho to earning a PhD from Cambridge University, framing her story as a relentless pursuit of knowledge against all odds. Examples of Specific Narrative Goals from Successful MemoirsĮducated by Tara Westover-The quest for self-invention through education. Keep a tight focus on the story and what you hope to achieve with it. The inciting incident is the moment when this goal crystallizes in the narrator’s mind the climax is when the narrator either achieves or fails to achieve their goal.Īspiring memoirists often try to encapsulate too much, which means the story meanders. Next, consider the all-important connection between the inciting incident and the climax. When the narrator cares deeply about something, the reader will too. Showcase a time in your life when you wanted something (badly). When writing a memoir, the first order of business is choosing a specific narrative goal. The specificity of memoir creates both greater immediacy and relatability because we see who a character truly is when they are struggling toward something they want. Memoir, on the other hand, is an ever-popular genre. Without a specific trajectory, they tend to lack emotional draw. They simply aren’t that interesting in terms of storytelling. An interesting slice of life isn’t enough-your memoir should also make a thematic statement about what it means to be human.Īutobiographies are nearly impossible to sell unless the subject is famous. But more than that, memoir requires a specific focus. Autobiography: A Tale of SpecificityĪn autobiography is the story of someone’s life. An engaging memoir, while rooted in reality, employs the same narrative devices that make novels compelling. One is based on true events, the other is made up-sure. When embarking on the deeply personal journey of memoir writing, many authors might not initially see the connection to the craft of fiction.

Memoir rough draft examples