Writing a memoir is more than making a list of life's big moments. A good memoir tells a true story in the same way as a novel tells a fictional one. Therefore, memoirists must employ the same tactics as novelists to tell a unique personal story.

The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Writing a Memoir enables readers to learn to:

* Select a focus--the period of time or series of events on which to concentrate and explore the theme that arises from this pivotal time in their lives.

* Invoke and recreate essential pieces of conversations and scenes that took place long ago in order to accurately recreate them in a narrative with a beginning, middle and end.

* Hone their craft--plot, dialogue, setting, pacing, and point of view are the essential ingredients for writing a compelling memoir.

* Add a pinch of drama

* Write, re-write, edit and consider the possibility of publication

Through prompts, exercises and inspirational examples from published memoirists, this guide will help readers learn and refine their personal writing in order to create a memoir they'll wish to share with others.