{"id":38904,"date":"2026-10-13T15:31:28","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T15:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewriteplacerighttime.com\/?p=38904"},"modified":"2026-10-13T15:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T15:42:19","slug":"write-your-memoir-with-the-right-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewriteplacerighttime.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/13\/write-your-memoir-with-the-right-support\/","title":{"rendered":"“Don’t try this at home”\u2014Write Your Memoir with the Right Support"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\n\t\t“In some ways, writing a memoir is knocking yourself out with your own fist, if it’s done right.”<\/em> -Mary Karr, The Art of Memoir<\/em>\n\t<\/h3>\n\t

Which is why you won’t want to “try this at home….” Keep reading…<\/h3>\n\t

Recently, I was teaching the second week of my From Memory to Memoir class. We were talking about storytelling and, specifically, the difference between the experiencing voice-the version of you who was there when something happened-and the reflective voice-the version of you who has lived long enough to look back and make meaning of it.<\/p>\n

And here’s the tricky thing about memoir: to write it well, you have to access both. You have to put yourself back there.<\/p>\n

Into the room. The conversation. The relationship. The loss. The joy. The version of yourself who didn’t yet know what you know now.<\/p>\n

And sometimes your body and your emotions have a whole lot to say about that-even when you thought you’d already dealt with it.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, you’re also trying to figure out how the hell to write a book. (Cool cool cool….She says facetiously.)<\/p>\n

Which brings me to this: “Don’t try this at home.”<\/p>\n

Okay, I’m kidding. Sort of.<\/p>\n

WHY PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION IS ADVISED<\/h2>\n

I’m not suggesting memoir writing requires a helmet, power tools, a warning label (well, maybe that one would be helpful, actually.) However, professional “supervision” is strongly advised.<\/p>\n

I am<\/em> suggesting that writing a memoir entirely on your own asks an awful lot of a first-time author.<\/p>\n

You’re navigating the emotional vulnerability of revisiting your life while simultaneously learning the craft of turning that life into a compelling story<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Those are two very different kinds of work.<\/p>\n

And you don’t get extra credit for doing both alone.<\/p>\n

THE PROFESSIONAL YOU’RE LOOKING FOR<\/h2>\n

The right professional support can:<\/p>\n