Writing a memoir is to represent a part of your life to your readers. Memoir writing is one of the tasks that writers call intimate because in this they share a chunk of their life, such as the memoir “Crying in H Mart,” in this memoir the author shares the loss of their mother, identifying herself and others.
But even when writing a memoir, writers mostly face writer’s block. It is suggested to outline your memoir to prevent this. An outline will give you a roadmap to write the memoir and avoid any hurdles in the process.
Here are some ways to outline your memoir and avoid writer’s block.
Brainstorming And Mind-Mapping
You must allow your thoughts to be free freely before you start formally structuring your outline. You can start by jotting down the memories, special events, and emotions that are associated with your memoir. For this, as an author, you have to start brainstorming.
Mind mapping is a visual tool that can help in connecting these scattered thoughts into a simple structure. Place the main theme of your memoir at the core and then branch out to related anecdotes and feelings. This technique encourages a holistic view of your story and prevents the overwhelm that might accompany writer’s block.
Create a Chronological Outline Of Your Story
Once your thoughts are in one place, you can arrange them in chronological order. A chronological outline serves as the skeleton of your memoir and provides a clear sequence of events. You can begin with the starting point of your narrative and follow by subsequent milestones concluding with the resolution.
The roadmap offers a framework to flesh out your story while avoiding the common trap of feeling lost or disoriented. You can get help from the memoir ghostwriting services to set up the outline in a more effective way.
Organize Around Key Themes
Memoirs often revolve around central themes such as resilience, love, growth, or transformation. One way to outline your memoir is to organize it around key themes. Each theme becomes a thread that weaves through multiple chapters, tying together seemingly disparate events and missions.
The approach will provide you the coherence and help in maintaining focused events and minimizing the chances of writer’s block which is caused by tangential storytelling.
Sketching The People In Your Memoir
Characters are the most essential aspect of the memoir and you should create a character map, and outline the individuals who play significant roles in your story. Also, include details about their personalities their impact on your life, and their involvement in important moments.
You should understand the nuance of these characters and infuse depth into your writing, preventing stagnation when describing their roles within your narratives.
Plotting Emotional And Narrative Arcs
Every compelling memoir has an emotional and narrative arc that drives the reader forward. You must plot these arcs in your outline, mapping the highs and lows of your journey. The emotional arc is the reflection of your personal growth while the narrative arc outlines the progression of the events.
You can visualize these arcs in your outline to make sure the balance and create an engaging storytelling experience.
Experiment With Different Outlines
Don’t confine yourself to a single outlining technique and try different structures to see what resonates best with your story. You might discover that a hybrid approach such as combining chronological and thematic elements works wonders for your narrative flow.
Also, you be flexible in your outlining process as it allows creative exploration while safeguarding against the inactivity of the rigid structure.
Break Down The Writing Process
Overwhelm often leads to writer’s block. And that is why you should break down the writing process into small manageable chunks. Set achievable goals whether it is writing a specific number of words per day or completing a chapter within a set timeframe. By focusing on smaller tasks, you will avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Freewriting Sessions For Unrestraint Creativity
During the outlining phase, engage in freewriting sessions. You must set aside time to write without constraints or any judgment. The freewriting will encourage a stream-of-consciousness style and allow the ideas to pour onto the page without worrying about structure. It is the most powerful way to polish your creative side and bypass the barrier of writer’s block.
Conclusion
So, these are the ways that can be helpful in writing a memoir without any writer’s block. When you follow these ways, it will be easy for you to write and complete your memoir in the timeline you have set. Apart from this, an outline will also help to understand how far you have reached in writing your memoir. Now, keep yourself ahead of writer’s block in these ways and give your readers a polished memoir to read and inspire.
