or powerful; and your memoir may never “sell” to the book market. That doesn’t matter. Your life is important. It is part of history. No one else will have lived exactly What is a memoir? Let’s begin by stating what a memoir is not: It is not a genealogy—an outline of ancestors; nor is it, in the strict sense, an autobiography—a chronological account of a person’s life. It is a collection of memories; hence, the word—memoir. Agatha Christie’s memoir was titled, An Autobiography, but she wasn’t particularly pleased with the title. She wrote in the Preface: "Autobiography is too grand a word. It suggests a purposeful study of one’s whole life. … What I want is to plunge my hand into a lucky dip and come up with a handful of assorted memories." That’s what you, the writer, must aim for—a lucky dip.

You may not be a famous writer (yet), or wealthy or powerful; and your memoir may never “sell” to the book market. That doesn’t matter. Your life is important. It is part of history. No one else will have lived exactly a

al account of a person’s life. It is a collection of memories; hence, the word—memoir. Agatha Christie’s memoir was titled, An Autobiography, but she wasn’t particularly pleased with the title. She wrote in the Preface: "Autobiography is too grand a word. It suggests a purposeful study of one’s whole life. … What I want is to plunge my hand into a lucky dip and come up with a handful of assorted memories." That’s what you, the writer, must aim for—a lucky dip.

You may not be a famous writer (yet), or wealthy or powerful; and your memoir may never “sell” to the book market. That doesn’t matter. Your life is important. It is part of history. No one else will have lived exactly

ased with the title. She wrote in the Preface: "Autobiography is too grand a word. It suggests a purposeful study of one’s whole life. … What I want is to plunge my hand into a lucky dip and come up with a handful of assorted memories." That’s what you, the writer, must aim for—a lucky dip.

You may not be a famous writer (yet), or wealthy or powerful; and your memoir may never “sell” to the book market. That doesn’t matter. Your life is important. It is part of history. No one else will have lived exactly

o a lucky dip and come up with a handful of assorted memories." That’s what you, the writer, must aim for—a lucky dip.

You may not be a famous writer (yet), or wealthy or powerful; and your memoir may never “sell” to the book market. That doesn’t matter. Your life is important. It is part of history. No one else will have lived exactly

or powerful; and your memoir may never “sell” to the book market. That doesn’t matter. Your life is important. It is part of history. No one else will have lived exactly as you lived; nor have viewed life from your perspective. Your children, grandchildren, and maybe someone you’ll never know—someone born 50 or more years from now—will be glad you wrote your memoir. Don’t you wish you had such a memory book written by your great-grandfather, your grandmother, or even your mother?

A few years ago, I compiled my book of memories. It was a private publication, intended only for friends and family. My adult children treasure it. I did not begin with, "I was born on …" and write to the bitter end with boring chronology. I divided it into events, such as "World War II—A Child’s-Eye View," "My Cooking" (I’m a terrible cook!), "Things I Want to Do Before