As you think and get ready to start to writing it is important to decide what you will be writing. Is it going to be a personal history or life story? Or are you going to write a memoir?
Here are the definitions from my desk top dictionary for these key words: Memoir is a record of something noteworthy as an essay. A memorial or biography of individual reminiscences of history written from personal experience. Biography is the written history of a personâs life. Autobiography is the self-written life history.
The writing classes I have taken have said it is a difference in execution. They are not the same thing. A memoir deals more with history of an event and a personal experience with that historical event. It can be the history of a house, hotel room and apartment with the different people who have spent time in that environment. It is limited to a time or place in a historical view. A life story or life history deals with the entire life lived by a person. It can be written by the person who has lived it and is called an autobiography.
I think the terms get used as the same thing but I really think they are different. History is the key to memoir. Biography is the life of a person. If I am writing a memoir I need to add the historical events of the time I am writing about. That means doing research of that historical event. If I am writing a life story, all historical events only need be mentioned how they effected the person living then.You research may involve doing genealogy or family research beyond just your life stories.
It helps to decide which one you will be writing before you start. The narrative and structure of your story should and will be different.
Remember leaves have their life cycles and so do we. Do not put off writing for the perfect moment since the cycle does not stop.There will never be the perfect time.
