Structuring any novel or book can be the hardest part of the writing process. While most authors love the thrill they get from structuring their stories, some authors find this impossible to do. Writing a memoir is already an emotionally tiring process for many authors, so thinking about the structure and trying to make it appealing can be difficult. Experimenting, updating, and rewriting can take a lot of time, so having a structure in your mind can be exceptionally helpful, especially when you are writing something as personal as a memoir.

To help you out, here is how you should structure your memoir to leave a maximum impact on the reader.

Think About the Order of Events

Writing your story can be hard and keeping the order of events as they were can be harder. Usually, authors write down their stories, only to find that they messed up the order of some very important events or events that led to some major decisions in their lives. The best way to deal with this mess and to prevent it from happening is to sit down and write everything in chronological order so you don’t mess anything up. Sure, you will be writing everything from the perspective of an adult who is wiser and more mature, but it will help you anyway.

Make Your Storyboard

A book is a book and it needs a storyboard. Even if it is your memoir, you need to have a storyboard. You need to have questions and issues posed in the beginning so that you can give readers a reason to look for answers in the end. This is a trick taken right from the movies and it is very helpful. You can make a road map of all the highs and lows of your life, add in the action where it is needed or slow it down as per the needs of the story.

Sectioning Your Story

Once you have your order, you need to see if you can section them properly in your story. You can section your story in two or three parts, but it all depends upon what you want to do with it. Some authors prefer to break down their stories in different sections to highlight their growth and show how far they have come.

Time and Tense

The tense of your narrative is very important. Present tense makes the memoir a little intimate while the past tense will make it nostalgic and familiar. Usually, authors prefer to use the past tense as it is much easier to carry and sustain throughout the story. As for the time, some authors jump from one timeline to the other to add depth to the story. Flashbacks, memories, and flash-forwards can be a handy tool if you want to make your story more interesting.

While all of these techniques can be great for structuring your memoir, you need to take your time to perfect them. Give yourself some breathing room, try to plan your story from the perspective of a reader and see how the structure feels. Your priority is to get your story right but make it enjoyable for the reader too.