How to Write a Book About Your Life to Motivate Others

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Your life may not be filled with adventure, epic struggles, or earth-shaking events, but the elements of your life story could be an inspiration and motivational tool for others. The art to crafting a powerful and influential memoir is finding those parts of your life that resonate with ordinary people, as well as the problems you’ve faced and the solutions you have personally discovered. Becoming a trusted guide, one with whom readers can relate, is part of the secret to writing a successful memoir.

What is a memoir?

A memoir typically deals with the author’s knowledge of a select subject — one in which the personal experiences or life lessons are highlighted. In comparison, an autobiography is usually a more comprehensive story of the author’s entire life or a segment of that life, drawn from a whole series of life events. A memoir is more often structured like a novel, featuring a cast of characters, the character development you’re likely to see in a novel, scenes to advance the story, and other elements that are typical of a work of fiction. Of course, you likely want to be truthful in your personal story (although not all authors feel that responsibility).

Choosing illustrative examples

Which life events and experiences shaped your personality, goals, and ambition? Whether modest or dramatic, focus on moments that are vivid and emotional to you, major turning points in your life, or times when you have learned a valuable life lesson.
Jesmyn Ward, winner of two National Book Awards for fiction, deals with loss in her memoir Men We Reaped. The memoir tells the story of the premature deaths of five men in her life growing up in the rural south and the struggles that society exerts on black men trying to live a simple life.

Chelsea Handler uses humor effectively to deal with the events in her life, good and bad. In her memoir, Life Will Be the Death of Me … and you too, topics cover childhood angst, therapy sessions with a brilliant psychologist, family squabbles, the long-term effect of her brother’s sudden death on her, the tumultuous political landscape, and more. Humor can be an effective writing style in a memoir if you are gifted with that talent.

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway paints a picture of Paris in the ‘20s and Hemingway’s struggles to establish himself as a professional writer. Published posthumously, the restored edition includes additional life experiences that Hemingway had with his first wife Hadley, writing explorations that shaped later works, moments with his son Jack, and encounters with other luminaries of the time.

The art of structuring your memoir

Memoirs give you a large amount of freedom, allowing you to employ different types of structure to your creative benefit. If you keep a journal, it might refresh your memories of times or events. If not, spend a certain amount of time each day sketching memorable events or character remembrances to fill out the storylines of your memoir. The more you invest in your writing process, the more likely you will be to discover memories that have been submerged.
Consider a thematic approach, organizing chapters or sections according to insights, reflections, or revelations. Don’t overplay a tendency to be preachy or attempt to oversimplify messages. The writing style of your memoir should be natural, conversational, and approachable, much as would give a friend quiet advice or sincere consultation.
It’s a narrow line between coming off as a know-it-all or letting the storyline make the point in a more subtle, artful manner. Cross that line at your own peril.

Letting your personal style prevail

Memoir writing can be the most personal writing that you may do — one in which your personality and language skills take the forefront and communicate your essential spirit to your audience. Whether you are quiet and thoughtful, bold and action-oriented, dynamic, or leaning towards sly humor, this is your chance to put your personality on display. You should take the opportunity to address the reader in a manner that feels comfortable and honest.
Don’t be afraid of putting yourself on display on the page, even if your quirks and foibles are visible. Most readers relate to straightforward, honest communication and you’ll win extra points by not taking yourself too seriously. A relaxed style is favored — one in which you detect and weed out any hint of artifice or falsehood that remains in your work. This is where the unbiased services of a professional editor can be helpful, regardless if you’re an aspiring writer or published author.

Focusing on relevant experiences

It’s easy to get lost in a forest of past experiences — so much so that you may lose the point of your memoir. Capture a particular place and time and use it to echo the theme. Remember that you’re not writing an autobiography, so don’t try to deal with the entire chronology of your personal history. Maybe your high school math teacher was an inspiration, but unless he is relevant to the idea you’re trying to convey, leave him out. Likewise, friends and family members don’t belong unless they contribute to the theme of your book. Be ruthless and pare down the content to clarify the focus of your memoir.
Readers are more likely to engage in your work if you add sensory experiences to provide context, using vivid details to draw all their senses into the work. This is where fiction-writing techniques come into play. Use dialogue to pull readers into a scene. The old adage of “show, don’t tell” can add life and color to your book writing. Craft a memoir that reads like a good novel and you have a better chance of building an audience for your work.

Adding the polish

It’s rare that one person has the skills and expertise to bring every aspect of a project to completion. You may be just that sort of renaissance man or woman who naturally is multiskilled. Maybe you have an artist’s instincts for cover design, possess a sharp eye when proofreading, understand the art of developmental editing, know the value of copy editing, and have a savvy perspective on the state of book publishing today.
However, if you are first and foremost a writer, BookBaby can augment your efforts with exactly those services that you need to make your book a rousing success.

Successfully launching your work

Self-publishing a book may seem like a pointless endeavor, given that some 2.2 million new book titles are published each year (not including reprints or different editions of existing books). Nonetheless, the number of different options for distributing books is encouraging—audiobooks, eBooks, print-on-demand titles, as well as conventional hardbacks and paperbacks backed by improved printing technology.

With a clear understanding of the target audience for your personal memoir, you can find platforms where the readers congregate based on their interests and preferences. There are multiple ways you can build an online presence and become a member of communities that precisely correspond with potential readership.

Here are some ways to reach new readers in a saturated market:

• Take advantage of digital platforms: Become actively engaged with social media, including sites of other authors, specialty blogs, and subject matter experts. Use email marketing to establish personal contact with your readership. Place articles (even free contributions) related to your memoir’s topic to attract interest. Explore book promotion platforms such as BookBub, Goodreads, and Amazon Ads.
• Nurture community involvement: Participate in book clubs and writer groups; perhaps see if they are interested in having you give a talk or deliver an excerpt from your book. Actively engage with readers who review or comment on your memoir. Make networking contacts through literary events, book fairs, writing conferences, and writing festivals.
• Participate in traditional marketing venues: The tried-and-true methods are still effective sales and marketing tools. Seek influential book reviewers and bloggers who will review your memoir. Schedule interviews or podcasts with media personalities. Circulate a press release to announce your title, maybe with a teaser about pending availability.
• Try novel approaches for gaining visibility: Try different formats for your memoir, seeing how it works as an audiobook or eBook hybrid. Explore collaborative projects with other authors to expand your audience. Check opportunities with book bloggers and influencers to see if you can increase the visibility of your memoir.

With imagination and consistency, you have many ways to reach your audience — certainly more than in earlier book publishing eras. The opportunities are there and it’s an ideal time to reach out and find an audience for inspiring readers and providing the motivation that may positively change another person’s life.