The writer of a memoir takes us back to a corner of his or her life that was unusually vivid or intense-childhood, for instance-or that was framed by unique events. It may be a slice of that life, a time in that life (the childhood, say, or a particular summer in the childhood), a window into the life (through the author's lens), the shaping of a single piece of experience, a crystallized version of “I remember.” In the view of William Zinsser, “memoir assumes the life and ignores most of it. (Similarly, a biography is a complete life told by someone else.) William Zinser says, “Unlike autobiography, which moves in a dutiful line from birth to fame, memoir narrows the lens, focusing on a time in the writer’s life that was unusually vivid, such as childhood or adolescence, or that was framed by war or travel or public service or some other special circumstance.” As Judith Barrington ( Writing the Memoir) puts it, 'An autobiography is the story of a life: the name implies that the writer will somehow attempt to capture all the essential elements of that life.' Publishers increasingly call autobiographies memoirs (plural).Ī memoir (singular) is not the larger story of a life (from birth to death), but a story from the life. As Marc Pachter, beloved leader of the Washington Biography Group, puts it, an autobiography is a complete life-often but not always moving in a line from birth to fame-which may or may not be the author's inward journey. I am often asked ‘What is the difference between a memoir and an autobiography?’ Both are typically true stories from a person's life, typically written (or co-authored) by that person, told in first person ('I then went.'), though sometimes co-authored by someone else (typically a professional writer). What Is the Difference Between a Memoir and an Autobiography? The Self We Tell Ourselves We Are Influences Our Decisions.Books to help lead life story writing or reminiscence groups.Anthologies of life story writing and reminiscence The art and craft of memoir and biography Memoirs, healing, and self-understanding Corporate and organizational histories (company storytelling and commissioned histories).Blog posts (Pat's) on memoir, personal histories, and life story writing.More stories about the art and business of personal history.How to find a personal historian (links to local organizations).Personal and family histories and legacy memoirs.Become a personal historian-help ordinary people tell their life stories.Writer's Digest series on memoir writing.Memoirs, memoir writing, and autobiography.

The Paris Review Art of Biography series.

The art, craft, and politics of biography.The art and craft of memoir and biography (books about).Organizations for biographers, memoirists, and other life story writers.What is the difference between a memoir and an autobiography (or memoirs)?.

Using aeon timeline for genealogy