Our life's journey is certainly interesting to us, but it interesting enough to capture another person's interest? There's the rub, and it's the question you have to answer, honestly, before you publish your memoir.
If you're a celebrity it's a no brainer. Our society is obsessed with celebrities and can't get enough. However, most of us are not celebrities, so that takes care of that. Then again, you don't have to be a rock star to be famous. Most of us will get our, "fifteen minutes" sometime, and, for some, it may be worthy of a memoir. For example, Daniel Hernandez, the twenty-year-old intern who saved Gabby Giffords' life the morning she was shot, would certainly be a good candidate for writing a memoir.
Okay, so you're not a celebrity, and you're not tied to some major news event. Have you overcome an obstacle in your life that is beyond the ordinary? For example, are you someone who survived a violent crime? Did you survive some horrible disease that would be fatal to most people? Have you traveled to some faraway, exotic destination, such as Antarctica, that most people will never see? Have you had some other extraordinary life experience? Most importantly, would your story be an inspiration to others? If your answer to any of these questions is, "yes," then perhaps you should think about writing your memoir. However, if you answered, "no," you may want to reconsider.
Most people read books because they want to be entertained, inspired, or because they want to learn something new. In other words, there has to be something in it for the reader. If you life is fairly typical, then, I'm sorry to say, most readers just won't be interested in your memoir. It has to be a story that inspires others, and perhaps changes people's lives for the better.
My tip for the day.
GM
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