Where Should Your Memoir Start?
Practically every memoir writer I've worked with has struggled with where to start their story.
In other words, what goes on Page One?
For example: Let’s say you're a member of the LGBTQ+ community and you want to write your coming-out story.
- Do you start with the moment you first realized you were queer?
- The moment you first felt an attraction to someone of the same gender?
- A time when you were committed to staying in the closet?
- Or a time when you tried to come out but didn’t?
I certainly am familiar with the Page One challenge. I tried so many different beginnings for The Only Way Through Is Out, including:
- Opening with something about writing, since writing was what set my coming-out story in motion.
- The moment I met the woman I fell in love with.
- A childhood memory that showed how risk-averse I was.
- And likely several others that I’ve forgotten about now!
In 2021, I wrote a blog post about beginnings and how I finally found mine. Read that post here.
**Note: Graveyard of Safe Choices was the previous title for my memoir.
There’s a lot of useful information in that blog post, but spoiler alert: The childhood vignette I mentioned as the perfect beginning turned out to be close, but not exactly right for Page One of my memoir. In the final manuscript, it shows up on Page Two. 🙂
Listen to this short audio clip to learn how I finally figured out what to put on Page One of The Only Way Through Is Out:
Listen to my full conversation with Ronit Plank on the Let’s Talk Memoir podcast. 🎙️
Here’s a simple 2-part test to nail the opening of your memoir:
First: think about your final scene, where you plan to end your story.
- How would you describe the protagonist (YOU) in that moment?
- How are YOU different because of the experience you are writing about?
- Have you resolved a conflict or answered a question about yourself or the world or a particular subject?
Second: Think about a particular moment that you can write as a scene that bookends your closing scene (pun intended).
- A moment that SHOWS YOU with a question or a misbelief about yourself or the world.
- That shows the YOU who is in conflict or turmoil about something.
- The YOU who has yet to be transformed.
If you think of more than one idea for that opening scene, not to worry. Try several out for size. You may not nail page one on your first try—I certainly didn’t. But you’ll be well on your way.
