I Wrote A Memoir & Here's Why You Should Too

f you have been following my blog for a while, than you'd know that I talk a lot about journaling. Expressing my feeling through the art of pen to paper is just healing for my mental health. I'm that girl who has kept a diary since first grade. They are in a box under my bed, and the first thing I'd reach for if there was a fire. Well, during my junior year of college, I took an English course called Modern Grammar. The concept of the entire course was to write your own personal memoir in order to learn proper modern grammar.

It took an entire semester to write nearly 35 pages of my life, starting from my earliest memory. To be honest, it was the hardest yet fulfilling project I've ever completed. And even though I say 'completed,' this is a piece of work that I hope to always be adding to. I cannot begin to explain the motions I went through while drafting my memoir, but as a whole it was an experience that I believe everyone should feel once in their life.

Created personal growth. 
Of course, you can not write about your life without learning a piece of who you are. This is a given. It is the reason why I encourage you to spend time writing even a little bit about something in your life. For me, it was eye-opening to see that I am not that different than my 5-year-old self.

Improved my writing habits.
By writing 'chapters' in my memoir, I wrote a lot of content to fill the pages. Well, I have never been so self conscience of the structure of all my sentences. As an English major, this concept challenged my writing in the best way possible.

Write it down for memory.
Keeping a journal or sharing photos daily on social media is not the same as writing a memoir. The way you can capture memories and feelings is more in-depth and personal. I love that I have stories from my childhood, personal struggles, and an overall timeline of my family.

You realize what means the most to you. 
When writing and answering certain prompts, it stretches your memory and feelings like never before. While choosing how to answer my prompts in class, it was neat to see how I focused on all the things that mattered most in my life.

      
                  

Side tip: choose a theme in your life that has been constant. It can be a personal trait, friendship, personal struggle, or true passion. Then, allow your creative thoughts and past memories reflect only that theme throughout your memoir. This will help the flow and overall layout while writing! Here are some prompts to spark some ideas...

1. Write about your earliest memory.
2. Use present tense.
3. Describe a photograph.
4. Free write the last fifteen years of your life in fifteen minutes.
5. Use your favorite song for a past story.
6. Talk about a childhood location.
7. Choose a personal experience.
8. Write your own obituary.