The focus of a memoir is usually to share a major memory
Focus on a specific theme or period of your life that is particularly significant to you. Authenticity and vulnerability are key in writing a compelling memoir. Allow your emotions and experiences to shine through in your writing.
A memoir is more about one career, as opposed to an autobiography, which is mainly personal. A memoir is usually about a person's career and not so much about their personal life a as an autobiography would be. A memoir is about how someone remembers their life to be and what accomplishments they have made. An autobiography focuses on a person's life usually in chronological order of life events. A memoir would focus on the details of those events. They are both books about first-hand memories of events. An autobiography is a biography of the person writing it. All autobiographies could have the title "The Story of My Life". A memoir, on the other hand, is not about the author, even though it contains first-hand memories of events. The focus is on other more famous people or things caught up in the author's life. So, if you want to know about the life of Santa Claus, you could either read his autobiography, "The Story of My Life", by Santa Claus, or a memoir, "350 Years in Santa's Workshop" by one of the elves.
The discursive memoir is usually one that discusses topics and events in a non-linear fashion. Frequently, the discussion jumps from topic to topic or thought to thought, instead of marching through events in a sequenced manner from beginning to end.
A memoir focuses on the author's personal experiences, memories, and reflections on specific events or periods of their life. It typically tells a story from the author's perspective, offering insights into their emotions, thoughts, and growth throughout the narrative.
An autobiography usually covers a longer period of time.
It includes moments that were personally meaningful for the author.
They cover a brief but meaningful period of time in the author's life.
The best way to decide how much time a memoir should cover is to focus on the core theme or message you want to convey. Choose specific events, experiences, or periods in your life that best illustrate this theme. Determine the key moments that have had the most impact on your story and structure your memoir around them.
A memoir is storylike.
Autobiography tells a longer story about a person's life.
There are three main differences:(1) The autobiography is necessarily written by its subject. A memoir can be written by its subject, but more often is written by a close friend of the subject.(2) The autobiography is usually about the whole history of its subject, whereas a memoir usually concerns a particular period or set of events in a person's life.(3) The autobiography is supposed to be as truthful as opposed to memoirs which are fictionalized to a small degree.
memoir : a narrative composed from personal experience.