From Benjamin Franklin to Anne Frank, every person has a unique story. And even after decades, these stories continue to inspire people worldwide.

Whether your story is about determination over adversity or starting a company, your account could motivate someone to overcome their obstacles and achieve greatness.

If you're thinking of writing a memoir to share with the world, here are some tips and strategies to make the process easier.

Introduction to writing personal memoirs and autobiographies

An autobiography, sometimes called a memoir, is a story about your life written by you. William Taylor coined this word in 1797 in a monthly periodical called "The Month Review."

Autobiographies are fact-based and written from your point of view, unlike a biography, which is written about a person by someone else. It encapsulates all of your life's experiences – good and bad – including your life's journeys, lessons learned, and personal growth.

You can have a long autobiography depicting your life in volumes or a summarized autobiography with key moments broken into chapters. To know which is best, you should first identify your audience and decide on the purpose of creating your memoir or autobiography.

Defining your audience and purpose

Most people write a memoir or autobiography for a specific purpose or intent. However, some people write them as a matter of personal reflection. The key to drafting a memorable autobiography is to write with your intent.

Ask yourself:

What impact do I want to make?
What action do I want a reader to take after reading my memoir?

Next, decide for whom you are writing personal memoirs and autobiographies. Are you writing it for people who went through similar life experiences or those who are interested in your accomplishments? It's easier to guide your story to its purpose and intent if you first know who you're writing for.

To identify your target audience, create a reader persona. Here is a quick outline to help you get started:

Reader Persona

Demographics
- Location
- Age
- Education level
- Income
- Ethnicity (if necessary)
Psychographics
- Why do they want to learn about your niche?
- How important is your niche to your audience?
- How knowledgeable are they about your niche?

Once you identify your audience – it's time to structure your autobiography.

Structuring your narrative: Organizing your life story

Most autobiographies unfold in chronological order, with each chapter focusing on different themes. This is the best structure since it's easier for your audience to follow. However, some authors choose a thematic organization that builds their story around a central theme.

Once you decide what's most appropriate, organize your life story according to this structure. One way to accomplish this is with physical or digital flashcards. Write the main topics of each chapter on the front of each card. Then, experiment with different arrangements by placing the cards in different orders.

Recalling significant life events

Everyone's timeline of events will differ, and the number of events on their timelines will also differ. If you have an extraordinary number of topics to cover due to your life experience, it might be difficult to recall vital details.

Jog your memory with pictures

The memories of specific events begin to fade with time. Looking at photos can help you jog your memory. According to the Association for Psychological Science, taking photos boosts visual memory. When looking back on these images, an individual can better recall the events depicted in the photo.

Sift through old messages and letters

Another way to track memories is through messages, emails, or letters. You might find that these messages include details about specific memories that you'd long forgotten.

Contact your loved ones and ask

Write questions related to the information you need, then call family or friends. You may be surprised how differently others recall your life events and how well they remember them. When you speak to them, ask them for a statement or quote to add to your memoir.

Include personal reflections

When it comes to writing personal memoirs and autobiographies, include your take on the events in your life. Including reflective moments shows the reader that you not only went through an event but also learned a lesson. Self-reflection also elevates your story and makes it more relatable to your audience.

Practical writing tips

Before you get started with your autobiography, there are a few things you should consider to help your writing flow. First, write what you know, then write your introduction.

Write what you know first

To help construct your story quicker, write everything you know first. Follow this with the information you must research. This helps you put together the story with a good flow.

Write your introduction last

Most writers get hung up on the introduction mainly because it's hard to introduce a subject that hasn't been written about yet. Even if you know what you want to write, consider your introduction a summary of your story. One that doesn't give anything away but sets the expectation for your story. By leaving this until the end, you can easily walk your audience into your first chapter.

Preserving the authentic voice

If you want to keep your audience engaged – write in one consistent voice. Your voice is the narrative in which you'll write your autobiography. Your voice should reflect your personality. If you like to joke around, inject your sense of humor into your writing. Your autobiography should reflect your voice from beginning to end.

Editing and revising your memoir

You might be tempted to correct your grammatical errors or look for mistakes while writing. However, this could add considerable time to completing your manuscript. Editing at the end is less time-consuming and allows you to focus on just one task.

Here are a few additional tips to help you revise and edit your memoir easier:

Use a grammar tool like Grammarly to spot common grammar and readability errors.
Use an AI program to help you correct sentences that are hard to read.
Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for overused words.
Edit a few pages a day. You need a fresh pair of eyes to catch mistakes.
Have someone else proofread your edits to ensure you didn't skip any by mistake.

Common challenges and their solutions

Writing a memoir is fun, but you might run into challenges along the way. Writer's block is one of them. Sometimes, it might seem that your words flow effortlessly, but other times, not so much.

To help you through writer's block, follow these tips:

Create an outline for your memoir and write to the outline.
Eliminate distractions by writing in a quiet area or with soft music in the background.
When you feel stuck, walk away and decompress before returning to your manuscript.

Another challenge you might run into when writing your manuscript is perfectionism. Sometimes, it's easier to imagine what you want to say than typing it out. You might find your initial draft unpolished or not reflective of what you imagined. The good thing is you don't have to get it right the first time.

Write what you want to say exactly how you're thinking at the moment. Later, review your first draft and edit it by adding better adjectives and correcting your voice.

Publishing and sharing

There once was a time when you needed an agent to have your autobiography published. In addition, you'd have to be famous for an agent to be interested. Nowadays, this is no longer the case. People are more interested in relatable stories than they are in celebrity narratives. You also have the option of self-publishing.

Choosing a publishing house

Don't send your manuscript to any publishing house unsolicited when writing personal memoirs and autobiographies. Contact an agent to determine the next steps if you choose to go the publishing route. Keep in mind that many agents will want to see your manuscript or a synopsis before making a decision. Writer's Market is the perfect place to find a directory of agents. Not only does it list their contact details, but it also lists the requirements for getting your manuscript seen.

DIY publishing

Self-publishing removes the middleman between you and book vendors. You don't have to submit a synopsis of your manuscript or any information besides your memoir to get started. You set the price, and you decide how your book will look.

If you don't know where to start, don't worry — some services can help you self-publish. Alternatively, you can upload your book directly to Amazon or a similar marketplace to publish it immediately.

Getting started with Mixbook

Illustrating your journey in photos can make your memoir stand out. A Mixbook Studio photo book, a personal collection of images in a storybook format, can create a vivid storytelling experience.

Mixbook Studio provides multiple customization and personalization options for photo books. This includes size, orientation, cover type, page type, and layouts. Design your background or use a template to make your images stand out. There are also a variety of stickers and font options to add variety to each page.

Here's how to create one of your very own:

Navigate to PHOTO BOOKS and choose a category to begin exploring templates.
Once you find a template, click it to view a preview. Then click START BOOK.
Add photos using the options provided on the pop-up.
Choose your page layout using LAYOUTS on the left menu.
Select your background from the BACKGROUND MENU. Use what's provided or upload a background by using the UPLOAD button.
Click STICKERS to add stickers to your page, or create a sticker by removing the background from your favorite image and uploading it.
Click TEXT to add a text box to your page. This is where you'll paste parts of your memoir.
Click ORDER from the top right of your screen. Here, you can select the cover type, book size, and paper type.
Choose your shipping, then ADD TO CART.

Order as many copies as you want and pass them to your loved ones.

A Mixbook memoir to remember

Mixbook Studio makes it quick and easy to design a photo book memoir. Choose from many customization options and personalize one or more copies to give to loved ones.

If you're ready to start, head over to Mixbook and browse our catalog of categories – or get inspiration from Mixbookers worldwide.