So you want to write a memoir

From the archives: A memoir is not your life story—so here's how to zoom in and find the heart of the book.

Many authors are first called to writing by the lure of memoir. Exploring the interior of one’s own life is heady stuff. Bestselling memoirs (Wild, Becoming, Educated …) have captured the imaginations of readers eager to bridge gaps and slip into someone else’s shoes.

New writers are often taken aback by how difficult it is to determine what material sho…