Ever Thought About Writing Your Memoir?

February 20, 2026 — If someone asked me last year if I was going to be writing a memoir I would have chuckled. “What have I ever done that was that interesting. Memoirs are for luminaries like movie stars, inventors, military heroes, and athletes.”

That all changed after I received an unusual Christmas present from my daughter Molly. Yes, the only memoirs that anyone would be willing to pay for are those about famous people. But, a memoir can be interesting for a much more limited audience – yourself and possibly your descendants some time in the distant future. I know I wish I knew more about the daily lives of my ancestors.

Her present was a subscription to Storyworth.com Every week it sends me an email asking me to write about a specific topic. Molly chose them from the exhaustive and extensive list the service provides. I have the option to accept that subject, modify it, or ignore it and pick one out myself. The piece I write can be as brief or long as I want.

The most interesting thing about writing a memoir this way is the range of subjects that bring out who you are, where you’ve been in life, and the relationships to the people you are closest to in life.

Its getting into late February and I now have written 9 “chapters”. They are easy to write because the subject is so familiar to me, myself! Here are some of the topics I had the most fun with.

• What are some of my favorite Christmas memories
• What my mom like when I was a child
• The most beautiful place I ever visited
• A small decision I made that had a big impact on my life
• Memorable moments with my kids and grandkids

The chapters listed above were all “assignments” from Storyworth. I have also written a few that were either my own topics, or modified from their suggestions.

One of my own topics was on a cold war childhood”. I am betting that almost every baby boomer has some stories on that one. You can read my version here: I Grew Up in the Cold War.

I find Storyworth interesting and easy. It has a great proofreading function, and it easily collects your work for eventual publication. At the end of the year you have the option to purchase the book you have created, complete with photos. There are many competitive services that do more or less the same thing: Meminto, Remento, and MyLIfeinaBook. There are companies that allow you to record your stories, good if you don’t feel good about your writing.

You don’t need a service to write your own memoir

It’s easy to write your own memoir if you put it together from topics that interest you. Yours can be chronological – early childhood, school, college, military service, your first job, how you met your spouse, etc. You can also structure one by chapters on interesting topics – your first friend, the first news event you remember, your favorite teacher, something you’ve made that you are especially proud of. The list of potential topics is only limited by your imagination. And if you need help on that, just ask AI.

Some tips

I recently took a class on how to write a memoir. It was excellent. One of the best things was the writing exercises. We were asked to write 500 words about something or someone that had special meaning to us. Following helpful guidance from our teacher, each of us struggled, and ultimately prevailed. The exercise was useful, and the constructive feedback from our fellow classmates was very helpful.

Here are some of the things I learned that have been helpful in building my Storyworth memoir:

• Be specific (the dish you are cooking, the movie you were watching, where you were, etc.)
• Appeal to the senses (smells, pain, etc.)
• Where is the conflict? All good stories have something that has to be resolved.
• Try to have a central theme in each chapter, and don’t leave people hanging. Wrap everything up at the end.

A satisfying experience

Once I got started, writing my memoir has been fun. One of the most surprising things in the process is how much I can remember about things and situations that happened long ago. I might not remember why I just walked into a room, but events like the time I saw my mother crying came out of the woodwork.

No one may ever read what you produce, and that’s OK. You will enjoy remembering so much detail about your life. The process is easier than you think and very satisfying. Good luck!

Comments: If you are writing a memoir or thinking about it, please share your thoughts and experiences below.