IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

POLYTECHNIC
Sta. Maria, Bulacan, Philippines Inc.
Marian Road, Poblacion, Sta. Maria, Bulacan
Chapter 9

Memoir
Memoir comes from the French word ‘memoire’ which means “memory”
or “reminiscence”. It is a sub-genre of creative nonfiction that recounts the
experiences of someone’s life. It usually involves a public portion of the
writer’s life as it relates to a historic event. It falls under the same broad
category that includes biographies, autobiographies, and diaries.

Differences between memoir and other kinds of reminiscent writing:

 BIOGRAPHIES are account of one’s life written by another person. These
are heavily based on research, whereas memories rely mostly on memory
and recollection.
 MEMOIRS, AUTOBIOGRAPHIES, and DIARIES are all written by the
individual whose story is being told.
 However, Memoirs concern a very specific life event, whereas an
Autobiography recounts a more general, broader story of one’s life.
 A Diary on the other hand is a day-to-day account of a person’s life, and
is thus an immediate recording of personal experiences.
 A Memoir, because it is written some time after the significant period of
one’s life, allows for profound reflection on the part of the writer.

Significance of Memoir
 A Memoir can be a powerful means of chronicling a historical episode
through one person’s firsthand experience of that event.
 It preserves a moment of history, not just a documentation of dates and
occurrences, but through the eyes of a person who has really lived it.
 There is a certain degree of emotion and subjectivity involved because it
includes the author’s personal feelings and is told solely from his
perspective.
 Memoirs can be a great opportunity to focus awareness on issues that
may not otherwise be given much notice.

Steps in Writing a Memoir

1. Choose an event in your life that is important to you. A situation that
caused something significant to you, this event can be an event that
changed your views or perspective in life.
2. Begin at the beginning. Start your sharing on the beginning of that
specific life event.
3. Layer in the details and use imagery. Give the details, the things that
you think added to the importance of that event. You may narrate it in a
creative way not damaging or exaggerating things up. You may also use
figurative languages to make it more beautiful.
4. Add a reflection. This is the most important part of your memoir aside
from the experience you’ve got. End your memoir by stating your
reflection or the things that you have learned from that specific life event
of yours.
“No one knows the story of your life better than yourself. It is only you who
can illustrate it to others.” Aldrin G. Sequitin