Memoirs Can be Tricky

​Songs, sights, smells, and sounds of the season invoke memories of days gone by. We encourage everyone to write today's events and memories down for future generations to enjoy and understand how your life was "back then," however...

When you write your memoir keep in mind that:

You must tell the truth. You can tell the truth to a point, but keep in mind what you say must be factual. Don’t embellish or invent anything if you are calling your work non-fiction. If you create dialogue or swap out physical characteristics, then call your work fiction based on real-life events, the designation of “fiction” to keep you out of hot water may not work because…  

Someone might be hurt by what you have written. Our lives are never easy, and something you think is an insignificant event or situation may have a different connotation to another person involved in the situation. Have the people you are writing about review and approve your work before you submit it for publication. If they are okay with what you’ve written, have them sign a document stating this just in case they change their mind when the book is put into print.

Writing dialogue for a memoir is tricky. If you have written transcripts, court documents, video or other firsthand materials then, by all means, use them for the dialogue. If you are writing dialogue from your memory alone be cautious because you may be subject to libel if what you write damages someone’s reputation and you have nothing to back up your facts but your memory.

Writing a memoir can be a liberating experience and is a great historical document to pass on to your descendants. If you do not feel up to the rigors of writing a memoir, then do a personal journal. Your family in the future will thank you for it.