Must-know info about your memoir’s theme

Are you following Spiritual Memoirs 101 on Facebook?

If not, you’re missing a lot of helps and inspiration!

By definition, a memoir has a theme. A memoir is not an autobiography. A memoir is only a slice of life—a segment of life—related to a specific theme.

Think about themes illustrating universal values or struggles, timeless truths, or quests:

• forgiveness
• compassion
• justice
• integrity
• generosity
• faith
• courage
• respect
• honesty
• receiving and giving grace and mercy
• faithfulness, commitment, keeping promises

For example, you might write a memoir about working as a chef in a fancy Scottish castle, an experience which caused you to discover (or to re-think) how important honesty is.

Or you could write about your life as a set designer in Hollywood and how that taught you the difference between fair-weather friends and true friends.

Another idea: You could write a collection of vignettes based on the same theme as Spiritual Memoirs 101, “Always remember what you’ve seen God do and be sure to tell your kids and grandkids” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

Alternatively, you could slice your life in a different direction and write about a specific time period. My first memoir, Grandma’s Letters from Africa, covers my first four years working in Africa as a journalist-missionary. Within that time period, the book includes universal struggles relating to family and faith.

Strive to include timeless values, struggles, and quests that resonate with a variety of people. And, like Jeff Goins says, a good memoir “always connects the reader’s heart with a deeper truth. . . . Memoir is about something that is bigger than you. It’s about a part of life we can all connect to.”

Your memoir’s theme will convey the message you want readers to take with them. Your theme presents lessons they can apply to their lives.

So, the question is: Do you know your memoir’s theme?

If you’re still writing your memoir and don’t have your theme pinned down yet, don’t worry.

Not yet, anyway.

That’s because—and this is delightful—it’s amazing what we discover, what our stories become, in the process of writing.

While writing, we will probably notice a broad theme. Then, as we continue writing, we recognize more specific themes hidden in those words and chapters. Our stories can take us to places we could never have imagined!

Take note: By the time you finish your first draft of the whole memoir, you should know what its main theme is (and what its secondary themes are).

Dr. John Yeoman says that this way: “. . . Write a story that works. Then stand back from it and ask, ‘what does this story mean?’ And strengthen the latent theme . . . that’s already there.”

Dr. Yeoman also says, “If you can’t sum it up in a proverb, you don’t have a theme.”

Are you looking for proverbs, universal truths you’ve lived?

Wisdom quotes you’ve lived? Bible verses you’ve lived?

The living of them qualifies you to write about them!

Your story is important.

If you’re struggling to find a theme for your memoir, here are a few one-liners and quotes that might give you great ideas:

“If things are tough, remember that every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there.” Barbara Johnson

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

“What if this is a critical moment? What if this very thing, this very decision, is the most important piece of the puzzle comprising my purpose?” Beth Moore

“In the moment, it can be hard to see where God is leading us, but looking back we often see his fingerprints.”  Richard Stearns

“If you live gladly to make others glad in God, life will be hard, risks will be high, and your joy will be full.” John Piper

“. . . Reframe setbacks as opportunities. . . .” Sarah Young

“If you were to think of yourself the way I [God] think of you, how different you would be. . . . If you were to think of yourself as I think of you, how glad, how healthy, how satisfied you would be.” Marie Chapian

“If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark.” Oswald Chambers

“There’s a time to mourn and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4

“All around you people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, leap, skip, or dance, just don’t tiptoe.” Shane Claiborne

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” Arthur Golden

“Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading.” Oswald Chambers

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid. . . . The Lord your God goes with you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“Do it trembling if you must, but do it!” Emmet Fox

“Write today’s worries in sand. Chisel yesterday’s victories in stone.” Max Lucado

“What we resist in life is often our biggest opportunity to learn and grow!” Jody Stevenson

“Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it, ‘Shake well before using.’ That is what God has to do with some of His people. He has to shake them well before they are ever usable.” Vance Havner

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Paul in Philippians 4:12

“Our loving God will turn your mourning into joy, He will comfort you and exchange your sorrow for rejoicing.” Jeremiah 31:13

You’ll find rich material in these links relating to a memoir’s theme:

“Three Rules to Write World-Changing Memoir,” by Jeff Goins

“Better Memoir Writing—Two Tips for Conveying Theme Effectively,” by Denis Ledoux

“Why Your Story Needs a Theme,” by Amanda Patterson

“The power of THEME,” by Dr. John Yeoman

The value of photos: Brains process images 60,000 times faster than text

Did you know? Approximately 83 percent of human understanding occurs visually, and our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text—at least that’s what I read in an ad.

Wow! That means photos reach readers in ways your words can’t.

Photos add depth and dimension to your words.

They foster intimacy with your readers by introducing them to your memoir’s important people. Photos can help a character come alive. The right pictures let readers tag along with your family or companions. Pictures can even enhance a reader’s sense of attachment to you and your main characters.

Photos also allow readers to live within your setting, your geography, your building, your culture, your weather, and in your action.

Photos, then, make you, your main characters, your setting, and your experiences more relatable, more memorable. 

Danielle Lazarin writes of the impact author Stuart Dybek’s I Sailed with Magellan had on her, saying that the book took her, “a Jewish girl raised in the ‘80s and ‘90s in New York City, who’s never touched the waters of Lake Michigan, [and enabled her to] see some of herself in his boys in Chicago. He . . . did a bang-up job of showing me around, so that I felt like a local, comfortable and sure of where I was going.”

That’s precisely what you want to do with both your words and your pictures—show your reader around, convince him he’s a local.

Pictures can multiply such opportunities for readers.

The right photos can yield big results. They can help your stories stick.

In other words, photos offer readers opportunities to enter your story, to experience it alongside you, and feel involved.  

Do you want proof? This is fascinating: Check out Karen Keagy’s account, “Vintage Photo.” Do a little experiment: Don’t look at the photo until after you’ve read the whole story.

While you read, picture yourself living her story with her. Afterward, let yourself study the picture: Notice how much the photo enhances Karen’s words. (How cool was that?)

Photos can reach readers in ways your words can’t

so be sure to include key photos in your published memoir.

Have you decided where, in your memoir, to place your photos?

If you self-publish, you’ll decide which ones to include and where to put them.

Some authors group them together in the middle of their memoirs.

Others place their pictures at the end.

Other authors scatter images throughout their memoir.

Which is best?

Denis Ledoux of The Memoir Network writes:

“Where you place photos . . . will influence how readers appreciate your story…. There is in reading and writing a phenomenon called ‘suspension of disbelief.’ If I as the reader am constantly saying, ‘This is only a book. This isn’t happening as I read,’ then it impossible for that reader to get ‘lost in the story.”

Our goal as writers—and as designers of our layouts—is to avoid suspension of disbelief and, instead, to invite readers to live the story while they read. Strategic photo placement can help readers get “lost in the story.”

If we place photos throughout the memoir, within the chapters/vignettes (instead of grouped together in the middle or the end), we will increase readers’ likelihood of entering our stories—almost like seeing events on a movie screen, but better.

Photos can help readers learn from your story, remember it,

and change in positive ways because of it.

So plan ahead:

Which photos will you include?

 Where will you place them?

Do you have additional tips on photos?

If so, leave a comment below or on SM 101’s Facebook Page.

“A title that tolls off the reader’s tongue”

Choose a title that’s easy to pronounce and easy to remember.  Jerry Waxler points out that a good title helps a reader recommend a book to a friend.  I hadn’t thought of that before, but his point caught my attention. He says, “…the title should roll off the reader’s tongue when friends ask for a recommendation.” Good stuff, Jerry!

Denis Ledoux says a memoir’s title is “about the reader not about the writer.”

Choose a title that reaches out to readers and hooks them because, Denis points out, “Many things are competing for the reader’s attention [so] a title needs to be a player in the competition.”

Think about what your potential readers need. In his post, How to Choose a Title for a Memoir, Denis asks:

• “What is your ideal reader struggling with? Where is his pain? Place a word or two that describes that pain into the title….
• What outcome will the reader achieve when she reads this book?...
• How can you involve the reader’s curiosity?”

Analyze other memoirs’ titles. Study advertisements. Examine article titles in newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Ask yourself “What makes them work?”

And then have fun crafting a few possible titles for your memoir.

Choosing a working title for your memoir

I’m trying to pin down the perfect title for my memoir. I’m not ready to publish the book yet, but in the back of my mind I know I’ll need to craft its title soon.

If you’re like me, you have a list of potential titles, but the best one hasn’t yet jumped off the page at you.

What can you do in the mean time? You can give your memoir a working title—a temporary, unofficial title, a title under development.  It doesn’t have to be brilliant—only you, and maybe critique partners, will know what your working title is.

Did you know it might be better to give your memoir a working title until you pin down the just-right title?

Why? Because:

The process of writing

can take your story

in a different direction

than you planned.

Denis Ledoux explains it this way: “Over the time that you linger with your story, it will frequently begin to change—not the facts and the dates, but the interpretation and the metaphors and images you use, the vignettes you choose to include or omit.  You will see your stories in ways that you may not have seen it before….”

So if you choose a title before you start writing, you might discover, in the process of writing, that your story takes on a life of its own. If your memoir heads in a different direction than you planned, you’ll probably be left with a title that’s no longer just right.

With that in mind, choose a working title, expecting to change it later, depending on what you discover as you continue to write.

In fact, you might not pin down your permanent title until you’ve finished writing your memoir, but your working title can help you discover your final title.

So, now, put on your thinking cap 

and craft a working title, 

and be sure to come back next week 

for more tips on crafting a permanent title 

for your memoir.

Tuesday Tidbit: Where is the best place for your photos?

Have you noticed where people place photos in their memoirs?

Here's a pic from my little story, "My Blackberry Summer."

Some authors group them together in the middle of the book.

Others place them at the end.

Other authors scatter photos throughout the memoir.

Which is best?

Denis Ledoux of The Memoir Network writes: “…Where you place photos…will influence how readers appreciate your story…. There is in reading and writing a phenomenon called ‘suspension of disbelief.’ If I as the reader am constantly saying, ‘This is only a book. This isn’t happening as a read,’ then it is impossible for that reader to get ‘lost in the story.’”

Our goal as writers—and as designers of our layouts—is to avoid suspension of disbelief and, instead, to invite readers to live the story while they read. Strategic photo placement can help accomplish that.

If we place photos throughout the memoir, within the vignettes they pertain to (instead of grouped together in the middle or at the end), we will increase readers’ likelihood of experiencing our stories—almost like seeing the events on a movie screen.

So as you write and edit and rewrite and consider your publishing options, plan ahead for your photo placement. It’s important.

There you have it—your Tuesday Tidbit.

Here are two more significant pictures from "My Blackberry Summer."

Do you know your memoir’s theme?

Are you following Spiritual Memoirs 101 on Facebook? 

If not, you’re missing a lot of important, helpful, inspirational stuff! 

By definition, a memoir has a theme. Memoir is not autobiography. Memoir is only a slice of life in which your stories relate to a specific theme.

A memoir could be about your life as a chef in a Scottish castle and how the experience turned your life in an unexpected, but better, direction.

Or you could write about your life as set designer in Hollywood and how that taught you the difference between fair-weather friends and true friends.

Or your life as an abused spouse, how you found the courage to start a new life, and how you became an advocate for other abused people.

You could base your memoir on the same theme as Spiritual Memoirs 101’s theme: Remembering what you’ve seen God do for you and your family, and being sure to tell your children and grandchildren (see Deuteronomy 4:9 and 6:4-9, for example).

Base your memoir on a theme:

—highlight a universal value or struggle

—illustrate a timeless truth or quest

—address issues all humans wrestle with.

Themes: forgiveness, compassion, justice, honesty, integrity, tenacious faith, generosity, courage, respect, overcoming timidity, keeping your word, receiving and giving grace and mercy.

Another idea: You could slice your life in a different direction and write your memoir about a specific time period. My memoir, Grandma’s Letters from Africa, covers my first four years in Africa. Within that time period, the book has a couple of main themes—it deals with universal struggles, timeless truths, and issues many humans wrestle with.

In other words, a good memoir “always connects the reader’s heart with a deeper truth.” (Jeff Goins, “Three Rules to Write World-Changing Memoir.”)

Your memoir’s theme will convey the message you want your readers to take with them. Your theme lays out deep truths you hope they will apply to their lives.

Do you know the theme of the memoir you are writing?

Dr. John Yeoman says, “If you can’t sum it up in a proverb, you don’t have a theme.”

Are you looking for some proverbs? Universal truths you’ve lived? Wisdom quotes you’ve lived? Bible verses you’ve lived?

Here are a few one-liners and quotes I’ve collected recently. Perhaps one or more will work for your memoir’s theme.

"In the moment, it can be hard to see where God is leading us, but looking back we often see his fingerprints." Richard Stearns

“The more one does the more one can do. “ Amelia Earhart

“If things are tough, remember that every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there.” Barbara Johnson

“… Reframe setbacks as opportunities….” Sarah Young

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Helen Keller

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Paul in Philippians 4:12

“Selfishness … keeps us in a spiritual playpen.” Elisabeth Elliot

“Don't put limits on what you and God, together, can do.”

“All around you people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don't tiptoe!” Shane Claiborne

“If you live gladly to make others glad in God, life will be hard, risks will be high, and your joy will be full.” John Piper

“What if this is a critical moment? What if this very thing, this very decision, is the most important piece of the puzzle comprising my purpose?” Beth Moore

“There’s a time to mourn and a time to dance.”  Ecclesiastes 3:4

“If you were to think of yourself the way I [God] think of you, how different you would be.… If you were to think of yourself as I think of you, how glad, how healthy, how satisfied you would be.… It is My desire that you know My thoughts toward you

that your eyes be opened

and your mind enlightened

that you may know and understand.”  Marie Chapian 

“If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark.” Oswald Chambers

"We trust in all the love of God does; all He gives, and all He does not give; all He says, and all He does not say.... Let us be content with our Lord's will, and tell Him so, and not disappoint Him by wishing for anything He does not give." Amy Carmichael

“Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. Oh! The places you’ll go!” Dr. Seuss

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” Arthur Golden

"Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. But it does mean loving and knowing the One who is leading." Oswald Chambers

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid... the Lord your God goes with you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” Mark Twain

“The woe and the waste and the tears of life belong to the interlude and not to the finale.” F.B. Meyer

“Our loving God will turn your mourning into joy, comfort you, and exchange your sorrow for rejoicing.” Jeremiah 31:13

“Do it trembling if you must, but do it!” Emmet Fox

“The opposite of faith is not doubts, it is unbelief.” Mike Trenier

“The Lord has heard your weeping. He has heard your cry for mercy. He accepts your prayer.” Psalm 6:8-9

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, Woo Hoo! What a ride!” (Various versions of this quote are attributed to various authors, including Indian Larry The Ryan Clan)

“Faith is not necessarily the power to make things the way we want them to be; it is the courage to face things as they are.” Ronald Dunn

“Write today's worries in sand. Chisel yesterday's victories in stone.” Max Lucado

“Time is nothing to God. Prayers were offered years ago and God answered the soul with silence. Now He is giving the manifestation of the answer in a revelation that we are scarcely able to comprehend.” Oswald Chambers

“Banish selfishness.”

“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face... You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt

"Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it, 'Shake well before using.' That is what God has to do with some of His people. He has to shake them well before they are ever usable." Vance Havner

“...What we resist in life is often our biggest opportunity to learn and grow!” Jody Stevenson

“Oh, the things you can find if you don’t stay behind!”  Dr. Seuss

“When your world falls apart, when your life spins out of control, when your worst fear materializes, when the unspeakable, unthinkable becomes a reality, when your life turns upside down, God is always with you, holding you by your right hand.” Psalm 73:23

Here are three posts to help you pin down your memoir’s theme:

“Better Memoir Writing—Two Tips for Conveying Theme Effectively,” by Denis Ledoux

“Why Your Story Needs a Theme,” by Amanda Patterson (She offers three steps to finding your theme.)  

Jeff Goins’ “Three Rules To Write World-Changing Memoir”