Your life, told as a memoir
A memoir is not a list of everything that happened. It is the story that happened. We help you find it, shape it and write it down.
Memoir, life story or family history?
A memoir follows a theme or a period: a migration, a recovery, a career, a marriage. It is selective by design.
A life story is broader, often written for family, and moves through the decades in order.
A family history reaches back further, combining records, photographs and recollection.
Many projects blend two of the three. The discovery consultation is where we work out which you are writing and for whom.
How a memoir is written with us
Remembering
Recorded conversations, prompts and existing material. There is no need to have everything in order.
Finding the through-line
Together we identify the story the memories are telling, and the structure that will carry it.
Drafting
Chapters written in your voice, delivered in batches for review.
Refining
Revisions for truth, tone and pace, with sensitive material handled at your direction.
Handled with care
Memoir often involves other people, difficult periods and material you have not said aloud before.
- Confidentiality built into the agreement
- Your decision, always, about what is included and what is left out
- Guidance on writing about real people, including privacy and defamation considerations to raise with a legal adviser where needed
- A writer matched for temperament as well as skill
- Options for private printing if the book is for family only
Common questions
I am not a writer. Can I still produce a memoir?
Yes. That is what the service is for. If you can tell the story in conversation, it can be written.
Can you write from my parent's or grandparent's recollections?
Yes. Many memoirs and life stories are commissioned by family members. Interviews can be conducted with the subject, and we can work sensitively around age, health and distance.
Can the memoir be published, or is it just for family?
Either. Some memoirs are printed privately in a small run; others are published on Amazon and in bookshops. We prepare both.
Ready to talk about your book?
A confidential conversation, a clear scope and a written quote. No obligation.