What Is a Memoir? Definition, Examples, and Tips

• Dec 15, 2025
• 6 min read

• Tags: Author, Writing Tips

It is not uncommon to see celebrities (actors, politicians, sportspeople, spiritual leaders, etc.)—once they have reached a pivotal point in their lives or crossed a major milestone—deciding to pen their memoirs. Functioning as detailed, personal accounts of their experiences and innermost thoughts, these books offer a window to the reader into the inner life and emotions, and give the reader a front-row seat to that particular period in the celebrity’s life.

Do you want to learn exactly what a memoir is and how it differs from an autobiography or biography? Do you have plans to write your own memoir someday? Then, our article is the right place for you!

What is a memoir?

A memoir can essentially be described as a short account of a particular period in a person’s life. It typically does not tell their entire life story. It focuses on the author’s memories or could follow a particular theme, eg, the race to a presidential election. Its purpose is to help the author, who is usually a public figure, connect with their audience and preserve their personal experience.

A memoir differs from a personal diary in that while the latter is usually a private account of day-to-day matters or thoughts and feelings meant for the writer’s eyes alone, the former is for public consumption. Diaries, even when published, usually tend to be more general in their scope, describing the various facets of the author’s day-to-day life and their emotions, and are usually meant to record the more mundane aspects of daily life, while a memoir usually works towards telling a particular story.

A personal essay, on the other hand, is a shorter document describing one specific event and how it impacted or affected the author. This is usually used as a blog post, column in a magazine, or submission to meet the admission criteria of a college or university. 

Memoir vs autobiography vs biography (key differences)

Memoir vs autobiography

Memoirs differ from autobiographies in the following ways:

1. Scope: The scope of an autobiography is usually to tell the entirety of a person’s life story, while a memoir usually focuses on a particular period in a person’s life.

2. Theme: While an autobiography may not have a particular theme, a memoir usually aims to tell a story centering around a certain theme, eg, overcoming a particular difficulty, or life as a child star. 

3. Research depth: While a memoir usually draws on memories, notes, and memorabilia pertaining to a particular time frame, eg, five years, an autobiography spans an entire lifetime, thereby requiring information, photographs, and diary entries pertaining to a much longer time period.

Example of a memoir: Miles to Go by Miley Cyrus (deals with growing up in the spotlight as a Disney child star).

Example of an autobiography: Lone Fox Dancing by Ruskin Bond (spans over 80 years of the author’s life, from childhood to around 2019).

Memoir vs biography

Memoirs differ from biographies in the following ways:

1. Voice: While a memoir is a first-person researched account written by the personality themselves (sometimes in conjunction with a ghostwriter), a biography is a third-person researched account written by a separate biographer.

2. Theme: While a biography may not have a particular theme, a memoir usually aims to tell a story centered around a certain theme.

3. Research depth: While a memoir usually draws on memories, notes, or memorabilia pertaining to a particular time frame, a biography spans an entire lifetime.

Example of a biography: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (describing the life of a revolutionary woman who brought major changes to modern medicine).

Types of memoirs 

Here are the different types of memoirs and their features:

1. Personal memoir

Fairly straightforward, a personal memoir is a first-person account of a particular period or event in a public figure’s life, eg, Becoming by Michelle Obama, which chronicles the former First Lady’s journey to the White House.

2. Graphic memoir 

The graphic memoir is commonly used to tell a personal story in pictures, relying heavily on visual storytelling. It is illustrated either by the author or by a hired illustrator, eg, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which tells the story of the author’s life in Iran after the Islamic Revolution.

3. Hybrid memoir

Blending different formats such as diary entries, traditional first-person prose, lists, and research snippets, hybrid memoirs combine a variety of styles in a single memoir and cover a broader scope, eg, Brother in Ice by Alicia Kopf, which blends diary entries with the author’s research.

4. The 6‑word memoir 

As the name suggests, a 6-word memoir is the author’s life story stripped of its embellishments and told in the most minimalist way possible. Pioneered by writer Ernest Hemingway, it usually tells a powerful story within a strict word count of only six words. Here are some cool examples:

1. “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Written by Ernest Hemingway, this brief sentence tells the heartbreaking story of losing a child through miscarriage or stillbirth.
2. “Much married: fourth time is a charm.” Written by Erica Jong, this memoir humorously speaks of the love life of a hopeless romantic.

“I still make coffee for two.” Written by Zak Nelson, this heartbreaking memoir speaks of love living on long after the author has lost his partner.

What makes a good memoir?

A memoir must have the following elements in order to be considered a good read:

1. A clear theme and takeaway are important to avoid rambling and losing focus on the main event(s) the author wishes to construct the book around.

2. Identifying the central question helps give proper flow and direction to the writing and enables the use of a proper structure and timeline that tells the story to its best possible advantage.

3. Using both showing and telling techniques helps the reader to have a sensory, visual reading experience while also maintaining the author’s personal train of thought and perspective, thus feeling a connection with them.

4. Since the author is coming out with their personal story, it is important to adhere to certain ethics, such as providing accurate facts (cross-checking would help where memory fails to serve). Some authors would prefer to be more private with certain personal details, while others have no qualms about laying their entire story bare. It is important to factor in personal privacy preferences while writing a memoir.

Now that you know all that goes into a memoir and the different types of memoirs that exist, you are ready to write your own! Remember, there is no story quite like yours, so tell it with honesty, integrity, and authenticity!

Do you enjoy writing? PaperTrue offers expert, hassle-free book self-publishing services that allow you to get your work edited and published by professionals. Check them out!

Here are some more resources that may help you:

Found this article helpful?

0

0

Tanvi

With a foundation in Life Sciences, Tanvi enjoys curating technical writing tips tailored for ESL students. When she's not translating complex concepts into bite-sized nuggets, she can be found playing with dogs or painting landscapes.