One thought on “ 100 Word “Flash Memoirs” ” Kathy Lynch June 11, 2013 at 7:25 am. Flash Memoirs is a great concept on so many levels. The potential to create with it is entertaining, current, therapeutic, achievable (for someone like me to begin) interesting, cutting edge. Thank you for sharing this.

When Franz K. was taken off the train in the middle of the night, he came to on a street of futuristic glass towers that, from an architectural perspective, were already passé. “What are those buildings?” he asked his keeper, a tall, thin, priestly figure who emanated an aura of gentle authority. “You’ll find out,” the keeper said, smiling. He never did. By the time the sun rose, he was tied to a post, watching in terror the firing squad assemble. It was sort of like avant-garde cinema where a series of incidents doesn’t necessarily add up to a plot.

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Alexis Grant asked: Would you consider a post on memoir guidelines, since memoir falls somewhere between fiction and nonfiction in many ways? For my travel memoir, should I query when I have a proposal and several sample chapters, like nonfiction, or wait until the manuscript is complete, like fiction? What’s the usual word-count window for memoir? Are there any other areas—aside from reading like a novel—where I should follow fiction guidelines instead of nonfiction?

Great questions! I think memoir requires the most out of a writer, because it’s non-fiction, so platform matters. But it’s also story-driven and the writing is the most important aspect, so it requires the level of attention to the art and craft of writing that fiction does.

• Memoirs don't have to be novels with 100-plus pages. These unique musings based on memory can come in a short or small package. Mini memoirs give us a look into an experience through fewer words. Explore examples of famous short memoir examples, including some that are as short as just six words!
• Memoir comes from the Latin word 'memoria' meaning memory. A memoir is an evolution of the autobiography. An autobiography is a story written by yourself about your life. Your life story so far. A memoir, in the style which the publishing market are flooded with at the moment, tends to deal with a more specific period or theme in your life.
• Time needed to read: 7 minutes. How To Start a Memoir – 6 Bestselling Ways. Make them wonder. Humans are by nature curious, so if you start a memoir with a puzzling statement, there’s a good chance people will keep reading—they’ll want to unravel the mystery.

I don’t think there’s a hard and fast rule about whether to query with sample chapters or a complete manuscript. With a first-timer, I always prefer to read the whole thing before I make a decision whether to take it on. At the very least, I want to read three or four chapters, and perhaps rough versions or outlines of the remaining chapters.

I DO recommend finishing the manuscript before you query. Like with a first novel, you are going to discover so much in the writing process. I believe your book will morph and evolve throughout the writing, and so those first few chapters, though written, will not actually be complete until you’ve finished the book. A memoir is a work of art much more than the typical non-fiction book.

Think of it like a sculpture, such as The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. Perhaps he could have sculpted the feet and those muscular legs, and shown somebody his work to see if they wanted to buy it. They would certainly have been impressed with his ability to render a set of feet and legs. But they couldn’t possibly understand the piece—the feel, the mood, the statement it makes—without seeing the entire sculpture in its complete form. That’s how I see memoir. It’s a whole that can’t truly be understood in pieces.

100 Word Memoir Examples Sentence

As far as length, popular memoirs range quite a bit from about 60,000 words to 120,000 or more. If you’re a new author, I’d recommend staying on the shorter side, perhaps around the 75,000 word mark. The important thing is that your length fits your book. Write as much as it takes to tell the story, and no more. (Helpful, huh?)

6 Word Memoirs About Yourself

Rather than focusing on the fiction/non-fiction aspect of a memoir, read books specifically about writing memoir. I like Your Life as Story by Tristine Ranier, but there are many others.

100 Word Memoir Examples

Anyone else with insights about memoir, feel free to chime in!
Rachelle Gardner, Christian literary agent, WordServe Literary Group, Colorado.