How To - Meaning Memoirs

MeaningfulMemoirs.com

MeaningfulMemoirs.com

Wondering how?
Your Questions, Our Answers
1. How do I get started?
Ask yourself, what happens if I write this; what happens if I don’t? If you feel a genuine commitment, without knowing the details, that will provide the motivation you need to start and keep going.
2. I don’t like writing, is there another way?
You can dictate and what you say will be transcribed, if you know how to use A.I. (it’s simple). We’re researching a dictation tool called The Pocket and may recommend it. Meanwhile, you can record memo’s on your phone or dictate strait to A.I. on your phone or computer.
3. I just want a book for my family and friends. Is that OK?
Of course. That’s the primary purpose of a meaningful memoir. And you can always change your mind later, if you decide to self-publish.
4. How long does it take?
That depends entirely on the scope of what you undertake and your commitment / discipline. When we help people write their memoirs it can take anywhere from three to ten months.
5. I’m not a writer; can I do this on my own?
Absolutely. And we provide freetools to help you. We’re committed to helping people review their lives thisway so don’t worry if you’re not a writer. There’s plenty of help available.
6. If I wanted help from you, what do you offer?
We customize our support for every person, all the way from coaching to writing the whole memoir from interviews with you. We offer a free zoom call to discuss what you are considering, and we’ll soon have an online scheduling system integrated right here. In the meantime, just shoot us an email here.
7. It seems overwhelming. Is it?
Remember that joke: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Same with your memoir. Take a small bite. For instance, write one story. Imagine a small book of your top 15 stories. Start with modest intentions and see where things go. And, back to question 3, the first person you're doing this for is yourself. Reviewing your life is awesome therapy!
Let's talk
Write Your Life
The act of writing your memoir takes you through your personal heroes journey.
Your published book will be treasured by family and friends when you are gone, and you'll gain value for yourself by reviewing your memories to process the residue, preparing you to leave this human world unburdened
by an unfinished past.
free e-book
It's easy.
We love writing. Most people don't. This process doesn't require you to write anything, just tell us your stories and read the edited transcripts we email back to you. Talk, read transcripts, tell us what should be different, read our revisions... before you know it (within three months) you're reading your book. So can anyone else because it's now available on Amazon.
It's inspiring.
Until we examine our lives it's impossible to know how remarkable they have been. You will end up inspiring yourself, simply by recalling the highs and lows, the challenges you met, the opportunities you pursued, the relationships, the wins and losses... every one of us is a walking encyclopedia called My Life that can inspire others... but the first one to benefit is you!
It's surprising.
Who knew? Something happened when you were eight. Something else happened when you were 31 and then when you were 59... and they are all connected. You have lived an amazing life and that's what readers will tell you... something you didn't probably know until you let them tell you! All that self-talk, decades of judgement and woulda coulda shoulda's... vaporized by applying your awareness. What's left is your unique heroes journey, better than fiction because it's real!
It's healing.
Visiting troubling memories gives you the opportunity to process emotional debris, to release burdens of regret, simply be confronting those relics in your past and letting them go. Similarly, reconnecting with wins lets you celebrate the marvellous moments scattered throughout your life. We all have them, yet they tend to come and go, when they deserve a few drum rolls and standing ovations, which we can give ourselves! Peace comes, as we settle every past score, simply by seeing and feeling and being grateful. It happened.
The Life Massage
Our signature Life Massage process helps uncover the memories, patterns and unfinished experiences your life may still be carrying. This isn’t therapy, and we don’t impose lessons on your story. We help you look again, discover meaning and decide what you want these experiences to set in motion now.
YouWriting your memoir in 8 steps:
Preparing
Why are you called to examine your life? Are you preparing for retirement, for death, or is there some other reason why you feel compelled to record the story of your life? For guidance with the all important preparation phase, download our free Preparing to Write one-pager here.
Downloading
Your memoir adventure begins with identifying one word that captures the core meaning of your life, then downloading the stories from birth to now during zoom interviews or we can show you how to do it on your own. In this first stage, it's vitally important NOT to edit. Just let it flow. Get our one page of instructions here.
Shaping
Next, it's time to shape the stories into a cohesive narrative that begins to identify the patterns and through lines of your heroes journey, leading towards an unknown final act. Beginning with the chronological account of your memorable life experiences, we overlay a template of The Heroes Journey, to identify the emotional arc within the stories, then arrange the stories to carry and amplify a more coherent feeling tone. This turns your memoir from the mere story of your life into the story of the unfolding meaning in your life. Download our free Shaping one-pager here.
Refining
Now we refine the copy, polishing off the rough edges, and highlighting the key elements that make your memories more than recollections from the past. You've surfaced the raw material, we've shaped it, now we apply the finishing touches to create a faithful rendering of your life, as a work of unique art. Even the most ordinary seeming life has magic moments in it. We'll find those, gather and organize them together in an intuitive way. And something magical begins to appear. Really? That was MY life? Our Refinement one-pager is available here.
Aligning
After letting the manuscript sit and season for a brief interlude, we re-assess everything in light of what can only be seen when enough excavating has been accomplished to uncover the buried treasure hidden in every life. Often a significant U turn shows up at this point, a major re-alignment that reveals the unique gifts you are meant to bring into the world. Beyond family and career and "things" left behind, we discover the unique essence of your character that will echo forever as the most important part of your legacy. For instructions on how to align your work, click here.
Resting
Every project needs breathing space. This is where you let your work marinate. Friends can read, input, you can dream, then come back with a new perspective. To discover more of the value of this interlude, click here.
Reflection
It's time to reflect back on your memoir and write out your third act. From this present moment, you look back on your life, as represented in your memoir, and draw out the meaning of it all. You are discovering your third act. Guidance here.
Legacy
You’ve done something extraordinary. You’ve taken the time to honor your life, to make meaning of your experiences, and to share your truth with courage and honesty. Nowm is this for others to read or has this exercise been primarily for your personal benefit? Check out our one page guide for sharing your legacy here.
How to Get Started

1
Connect
Drop us an email to schedule a free 30-minute zoom call to discuss your memoir.
2
Be Inspired
We'll send you a report you can study, to determine how best
to proceed.
3
Create
DIY, or choose from our menu of support options, based on available resources and time.
Options
Three ways to write your memoir with our help.

1
DIY
If you are a writer and want to do the bulk of the work yourself, we can give you useful tips for proceeding. Get our free e-book, schedule a free zoom call, and begin!
2
Writing/Coaching
Customized assistance, includes zooms and emails and phone calls
as required.
Pictures, self-publishing with cover design are optional.
3
The Full Monty
This is the full on ghostwritten version.
It will take close to a year and includes personal attention throughout.
We don't have time to do many of these.
It all starts with an email.

Get the free e-book, book the free zoom call.

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