Memoirs Editing

"I've given my memoirs far more thought than any of my marriages. You can't divorce a book."
—Gloria Swanson

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WHAT IS A MEMOIR?

A memoir is an account or history composed from personal experience and memory. It may be a memorial of an individual; an autobiography or biography that is written without special regard to any particular method or notion of completeness, or an account, an essay about an event or record of investigation of any subject, and may be drawn from journals and proceedings of a society or group.

From such a brief description of the genre, it could appear a deceptively simple matter to write a successful memoir. The remarkable sales achieved in the overlapping areas of biographies and autobiographies are confirmation that human beings are endlessly fascinated by the lives of others, but while having your memoir published is a way to be remembered, and to validate your own experience and reflections of the journey, it requires a discerning eye.

That discerning eye must be able to distinguish between that which is important though commonplace to your readers, and those events that are also important but not commonplace and which will therefore engage your readers. You are not obliged to record your complete life story in the actual chronology and indeed, often your memoir is all the more effective and telling if you do not, and especially omitting that which is commonplace to both you and your reader.

SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A MEMOIR INCLUDE:

A focus on a person (or animal), place or thing of special significance to the author who then recreates for the reader the events that involve that subject.
In recreating these events, there is a ‘big idea’ that is open to emphasis.
In sharing feelings, thoughts and reflections, the subject becomes as real and important to the reader as to the author.

Whether you are writing a memoir, an e-book or a novel in any of the genres — adventure, romance, fantasy, science-fiction, Gothic horror, mystery, or historical, the professional team of editors at WordsRU appreciates how strongly you feel as a writer about preserving your own distinctive ‘voice’ and keeping your writing true to your original concept.

HOW WORDSRU WILL HELP YOU

WordsRU understands that authors are looking for a combination of editorial services; an editor who can improve the quality of their writing; tease out that which may be proving elusive; someone who will not change the style of the writing nor the narrative. Whether you are attempting your first manuscript or you already make a living as a professional writer, the experience of WordsRU’s professional editors and proofreaders means that your work is checked for trouble spots, leaving you free to concentrate on the creative side of your writing.

Many people enjoy the actual process of writing their memoir so much that it can become an endless pursuit; indeed, it can be an extremely therapeutic — sometimes cathartic — experience. For others who may feel less confident about the actual writing of their memoir (or any other form of manuscript including scripts), then WordsRU’s team of experienced writers and ghost writers can take your instructions and write the work for you, liaising with you at every step of the way, and making very sure that it remains true to your concept, your vision of the work in every sense.

Our editorial service will thoroughly check your manuscript; checking for grammar as well as correcting punctuation, tense, spelling and typographical errors. We help where necessary — sentences will be strengthened or reworked as may be required to heighten the impact, flow and readability of your narrative. In addition to academic editing, our fiction and non-fiction editors and proofreaders edit all genres, including autobiographies, biographies, self-help books, poetry, technical manuals and even cookbooks!

And yes, our experienced, professional editors and proofreaders will look at such things as word choice and sentences. We will help you with sentences, paragraphs and chapters and make sure that the overall presentation of your manuscript is consistent and carries your story in a fluid and readable way, and that the layout and formatting is suitable for submission.

WRITING YOUR MEMOIR

There are certain questions that apply to writing — both fiction and non-fiction — equally and they are really a series of questions, five in all: who, what, where, when and why. Answering these questions at the outset will unlock the door to writing your own successful memoir:

WHO is the focus of your memoir?
WHAT are the key events, and what is your ‘big idea’?
WHERE do the main events take place?
WHEN do those events take place?
WHY did they happen (possible link here to your ‘big idea’)?

WHAT TO DO NEXT

Write an outline of your memoir

The story outline will become your roadmap as you work through the researching and writing of your manuscript. At first simply describe the opening to the work, then what happens in the middle and how it resolves. Once that is clear in your mind, fill in all events that take place between those three points – presto! You have a memoir – or are well on the way to having created one!

Write your story

Allow for changes that may be necessary as your research into your subject,the time or the place deepens. You may find that you develop different ideas about how to present the story. This is fine – just make a note on your story outline so that you remain in control, and your map tells you at every stage of the process where you are at, what’s happening and what remains to be told to your readers.

Remember

Writing is an adventure where we explore our deepest selves. In that adventure, there are many discoveries. Memoirs are often deeply instructive, inspirational even and most deeply in revisiting a seemingly ordinary life that despite adversity has been lived extraordinarily well. A great deal of the charm of the genre is the degree to which it enables the reader to make parallel discoveries, and for their own imagination to kick in. This is the point at which you, the author, really connect and keep the reader page-turning. If you make the writing of your memoir an experience of joyous exploration for yourself, then it follows that it will surely be one where there is every chance that your readers will find themselves as well.

And finally,

If you are a first-time author, remember that WordsRU has writers and ghost writers who can do the hard work for you. If you are eager to try your hand and do the writing yourself, keep in mind that it is always best to complete your manuscript before approaching an agent or publisher. Write your memoir, work on it until it is in the best shape possible, and then — to give it the best chance of that hoped for favorable reaction — ensure that it is professionally edited and that means turning to WordsRU – We edit, you take the credit!

View our book testimonials from published authors.

WordsRU Writer Services:

WordsRU will ensure that your memoirs are edited and proofread to attract the highest possible quality outcomes.

SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST FOR A COMPLIMENTARY, NO OBLIGATION
ASSESSMENT AND DETAILED QUOTE NOW!

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