Writing Prompt Week 2:

Are you floundering? Many memoir writers get to a point where they feel as if every moment lived deserves a place in the book. Chasing after a memory sends the writer off on a tangent that leads to a new thought that leads to, well, you know. 

Let me set you back on course.

The writing you have been doing these past weeks is leading you deep into your memory bank. Now we’re going to start to pull things together by finding the thread that your book is about. This is where your book turns from being about only you to being about something universal. Here’s the key: Your book has to be about something you learned. 

I can feel your resistance. Many memoirists hate the idea of teaching something specific. “Isn’t it enough that I climbed that mountain?”

It’s an accomplishment, but if you want to stand out you have to tell us what you learned.

Here are universal themes that show up in bestselling memoirs….

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