Either I hadn't known, or had not registered, the difference between a memoir and an autobiography. I guess I had always thought they were similar pieces of work with different names. But today I read "The Story of Your Life" by Joe Kita in the newest Reader's Digest (January 2009). I haven't completed the article yet, but it offers 5 tips for starting your memoir. I need to type them up; they can apply to any piece of writing, not just memoirs. The first tip was the one that told me the difference.
"1. Write memoir, not autobiography. An autobiography is the story of an entire life, but a memoir is just one story from that life. You can only ever write one autobiography, but you can write countless memoirs. It's a much less intimidating project if you view it that way." (emphasis and bold added)
How true. And after reading what I have of this article, I wondered about writing a memoir about our struggles and battle with my dad's cancer.
What a great idea Mary.
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