Using the Before and After in your Memoir

In a compelling memoir, we have to show our readers the gap in our story:

• BEFORE: Where we are now?
• AFTER: Where do we want to get?

Or from a different perspective:

• BEFORE: Where did we start from?
• AFTER: What have we become (or reached)?

The middle of our memoir (its core content) is the story of this transition from the before state to the after.

A memoir is just another mystery story.

At the beginning of your journey your life was a mystery to you. But through the process of discovery you identified what actions worked and what didn’t, and your memoir is an opportunity to share those discoveries with your audience. They’ll be mystified at the beginning of your story, and they’ll get a resolution at the end. Your goal is to entice them to view the gap in-between.

Our memoir is how we bridged the gap of the before and after.

This gap becomes the hook to attract our readers. It’ll intrigue them to want to read our book, because they want to know how we solved our dilemma.

Our memoir is a  mystery story, and we need to be able to take the reader along on the journey. We’re presenting them with a problem they can relate to, and then we use our story to illustrate how we solved the problem.

I want readers to read my first memoir to discover how I went from corporate girl in Los Angeles trying to meet society’s expectations to living in a house in Turkey. Why did I do this? And more importantly, How?

Next Steps

So what are the next steps for my memoir? I’m looking at the key scenes and plot points I need to include in my memoir. These are the elements that will fill my gap.

If you’re on the same path, and want to write your memoir and are looking for some inspiration (or can provide some inspiration), please join in the conversation in the comments section below and lets get our memoirs written.

Currently Reading

Theme	Characters	Plot