You Don't Have To Remember Everything To Write Your Story

Have you ever thought about writing your story and immediately stopped yourself because you don't remember enough?

Maybe you remember the big moments, but not the dates. Maybe entire years feel fuzzy. Maybe you remember what happened but can't recall the exact conversation. Or maybe you've compared memories with a sibling and discovered the two of you remember the same event very differently.

Here's the good news:

You don't have to remember everything to write your story.

In this episode of The Edit With Holly Totten Writing, Editing, Publishing, I'm continuing my series inspired by a listener who asked how to begin writing his story when he simply couldn't get anything onto the page.

This time, we're talking about memory—and why an imperfect memory doesn't disqualify you from writing a memoir, personal story, family history, or other nonfiction book.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Why memory doesn't work like a filing cabinet
• How to start with the moments you do remember
• Why you shouldn't stop writing just because you can't remember a date or detail
• What to do when someone else remembers an event differently
• How to write from your own perspective without claiming to know someone else's thoughts or motivations
• How to handle dialogue when you don't remember the exact words
• Why it's okay to acknowledge gaps in your memory
• The difference between reconstructing a scene and inventing details
• How writing one memory can lead you to another—and another

I also share a personal story about witnessing a serious car accident and the surprising realization I had when the police asked me what I had seen.

I was there.

I was close enough that I thought the speeding car was going to hit me.

And yet, I didn't actually see or hear the moment of impact.

Someone standing nearby experienced the exact same event and remembered things I didn't.

That experience is a powerful example of something every personal storyteller needs to understand:

Your story is your experience of what happened.

You don't need a perfect recording of your past to tell the truth about your life. You need to be honest about what you remember, what you don't remember, and what you experienced.

So if you've been waiting until you remember more before you begin writing, don't.

Start with what you remember.
Write it down.
Then follow it and see where it leads.

Sometimes the memory that seems insignificant is the one that opens the door to everything else.

This Episode Is For You If:

You want to write a memoir, family story, personal experience, business story, or nonfiction book but worry that you don't remember enough details to do it well.

It's also for anyone who has ever wondered:

What if I get something wrong? What if someone else remembers it differently? And how can I write honestly about something that happened years ago?

You can.

And you don't have to remember everything to begin.

Opening Quote

"Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us."
— Oscar Wilde

About The Edit

The Edit With Holly Totten Writing, Editing, Publishing is for writers who have a story to tell and want help getting it onto the page, making it stronger, and eventually getting it into the hands of readers—without editing away the voice that made the story theirs in the first place.

You can contact Holly at:
https://www,writelynotable.com

writelynotable@gmail.com

Your story without your voice is only words.