Memoir writing tip 5: How I Organise My Manuscript
When I start writing a memoir, I don't begin with a blank Word document and simply write until I reach the end.
I create the skeleton of the book first.
I open a Word document and create a working table of contents. It doesn't have to be perfect. I can change it later as the book develops.
First, I create an introduction. This explains what the book is about and why I am writing it.
Next, I divide the book into parts. For my Growing Up Years memoir, I have 16 parts, with each part covering a different theme. I try to complete one part each week.
Within each part, I create several chapters.
I write the chapter titles first, even though I haven't written the stories yet. The titles tell me what kind of memories belong there.
For example:
- The Games I Played
- My Earliest Memory
- The Kampong Where I Grew Up
Once this skeleton is in place, it becomes much easier to organise my memories.
Suppose you suddenly remember the childhood games you used to play. You already know where that memory belongs. Put it under The Games I Played.
You don't even have to write the whole story immediately.
If you are busy when a memory suddenly comes to you, simply write a few words:
Five stones. Marbles. Chapteh. Catching spiders.
That's enough to capture the memory before it disappears.
Later, perhaps in the evening after work, return to those few words and start filling in the details. Where did you play? Who played with you? What happened? How did you feel? What can you still remember seeing, hearing or smelling?
Gradually, the empty spaces in your manuscript begin to fill with stories.
There is another advantage to creating the skeleton first. You can see your progress. Instead of thinking, "I still have an entire memoir to write," you can look at your manuscript and think, "I have finished this part. Now I will work on the next one."
Your structure does not have to be permanent. Memories are unpredictable. You can add chapters, move stories around or change your themes later.
The skeleton simply gives your memories somewhere to go.
Try this today: Open a Word document and create the skeleton of your memoir. Don't worry about writing the stories yet. Just create the parts and chapter titles.
Tomorrow, you can start putting some flesh on the bones.
Want to Start Writing Your Own Memoir?
If you have been thinking about writing your life story but keep putting it off, come and join my free memoir writing project, My Growing Up Years.
You don't have to be an experienced writer. I will share simple writing prompts, practical memoir-writing tips and ideas to help you recover your memories and turn them into stories, one small piece at a time.
Don't worry about writing an entire book yet.
Start with one memory. Then write the next one.
Join the free memoir writing project on Facebook:
