My Memoir Project

Preserve What Should Not Be Forgotten

January 6, 2026

The Witch

With my little seven-year-old hand, I tried turning the knob to our front door, but it wouldn’t open. I tried again. This time, I used both hands and all the kid muscle I could summon, putting my whole body into the job like pro wrestler Hulk Hogan did against his rival André the Giant. The… Continue reading

Events From My Life, People From My Life

abandonment and belonging, childhood memoir, childhood resilience, coming-of-age story, creative nonfiction, finding safety, meaning from adversity, moments that shape us, personal essay, traumatic childhood
December 30, 2025

The Ryan

I was forty-one the first time someone told me I looked like a Hollywood star. It happened in the most unexpected place, while discussing a topic you usually keep to yourself in social circles. On that day, I was in a GI doctor’s exam room. I had come in with diarrhea that turned out to… Continue reading

Events From My Life, People From My Life

celebrity lookalike, coincidence and pattern, finding meaning in ordinary life, human connection, humorous memoir, identity and self-perception, memoir chapter, personal essay, Ryan Reynolds, stories we carry
December 26, 2025

How to Hook Your Memoir Readers in the First Ten Pages

Memoirs do not fail to resonate because the life was uninteresting. They fail to resonate because readers aren’t invited to embrace a hero. That may sound harsh, but it is also instructive. Just know this. You are a well-qualified protagonist. Your life isn’t the problem. The problem is craft. We can fix this. Matt Bird,… Continue reading

Advice

character development, first ten pages, memoir advice, memoir craft, memoir writing, narrative nonfiction, storytelling techniques, writing compelling openings, writing memoirs

The Witch

The Ryan

How to Hook Your Memoir Readers in the First Ten Pages

Categories