Book Review: How to Write A Memoir in 30 Days By Roberta Temes, PhD

Do you feel like you have a story to tell? 

Are you wanting to record the stories of your ancestors for future generations? 

Have you learned a life lesson and want to help others by sharing what you have learned? 

Are you looking to explore a career in writing?

Do you keep a daily journal?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above questions, then I highly recommend you check out this book. In the most basic way, Temes walks you through the process of writing down your thoughts, recalling long-gone memories and giving you the framework for identifying certain aspects that will make your story one people will want to read.

First of all, the book offers different types of memoirs you could write including anything from an animal memoir to a travel memoir to one about your faith experience. By narrowing down your category, the author then takes you through a 30-day process of writing down your experiences. On Day One, you begin by writing just three sentences summarizing your life focusing on a time-period or experience that comes to mind. Just three succinct sentences for Day One. Each exercise after that gives you a writing task to accomplish. As you travel through the day-to-day process, you may uncover memories that you forgot or secrets you had buried. You may find that as you remember one memory, another will appear and so on. 

Besides the writing tips, Temes includes grammar instructions at the end of chapters.  Helpful tips including often misspelled words, use of commas, fancy words, and apostrophes can be beneficial to any writer. 

By the end of the the 30 days, if you have done all the steps, you should have at the very least, the beginnings of a memoir or manuscript that you can continue to work on. Once you have gone through some of the editing, the author even offers to read your memoir after you have done your final revising. That alone is worth more than the price of the book.  The end of the book discusses the process of getting your book published either through self-publishing or the traditional publishing route. The publishing section offers just a brief explanation of the multi-step procedure and glosses over the grueling and difficult process, but it at least gives you the highlights.    

If you are a high school or college student, write proposals or grants frequently for your job, or are just looking to start the writing process, I highly recommend this book. Even without doing the 30-Day writing process, you can gather plenty of helpful information to benefit you in whatever you decide to write.

Roberta Temes, Ph.D. is an accomplished author, editor and writing instructor, as well as a seasoned psychotherapist and psychology faculty member.  She lectures around the country at corporate meetings, medical conferences and health spas.  Dr. Temes has also written LIVING WITH AN EMPTY CHAIR and THE COMPLETE IDIOTS GUIDE TO HYPNOSIS.  Temes lives in New Jersey and Florida with her husband.  Temes loves being a mother and grandmother.  For more information, visit her website at http://drroberta.com/.

If you would like to purchase a copy of the book, click the photo below:

Thanks to FSB Associates for sending a copy of this book for review. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review. If you choose to purchase this book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com reviews.