# Memoir planning template

From "How to write a memoir" by the Feldar team:
https://feldar.com/guides/how-to-write-a-memoir

Free to use, copy and change. Fill in parts 1 to 3 before you draft. Keep
parts 4 to 6 open beside the draft and add to them as memories come back.


## 1. The frame

Working title:
The question this book answers (one sentence):
What this book is NOT about (so you can leave it out):

The time span
Starts (date, place, age):
Ends (date, place, age):
Why it starts there:
Why it ends there:

Who I was at the start, in one line:
Who I am at the end, in one line:
What changed me (the turning point):

Point of view
[ ] The person I was then, close in the moment
[ ] The person I am now, looking back
[ ] Both: the scene as it happened, then what I understand now


## 2. Memory inventory

List every memory that might belong. Don't judge yet. One line each.
Mark the ones you can see, hear or smell clearly with a star.

| Memory | When | Where | Who was there | Clear? | Evidence (letter, photo, diary, record, person) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |

Prompts that bring memories back:
- A room you lived in: walk through it door by door.
- An object you still own, or one you lost.
- The first time you did the thing this book is about.
- The day you knew things had changed.
- Something you were told as a child that turned out to be false.
- A sentence someone said to you that you still hear.


## 3. The shape

Choose one, then sort the starred memories into it.

[ ] Chronological: from the start of the span to the end
[ ] Frame: a present-day thread with the past told in between
[ ] Thematic: chapters arranged by subject, not by date
[ ] Braided: two or three threads that alternate and meet at the end
[ ] One season: a single short period, told closely

Opening scene:
Turning point scene:
Last scene:


## 4. Scene cards

Copy this block for each scene.

Scene title:
When and where:
What I wanted then:
What happened (the outward events):
What changed (inside me, or between us):
Sensory details I'm sure of:
What I'm reconstructing (dialogue, order, details):
What I understand now that I didn't then:


## 5. Real people

One line per person who appears. Decide before you publish, not after.

| Person | Named, renamed or composite? | Their side, in one line | Asked or told? | Private details to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |

Before publishing (general caution, not legal advice):
[ ] Every claim about a living person is something I can support
[ ] Each private fact (health, sexuality, money, crimes) is needed for the story
[ ] Names and identifying details changed where a person didn't agree to appear
[ ] Talked to a media lawyer if the book makes serious claims about someone


## 6. Truth notes

Where memory is uncertain, say so in the text or in an author's note.

Things I'm sure of:
Things I'm reconstructing:
Things I checked (and how):
Author's note, first draft (changed names, compressed time, reconstructed dialogue):


## 7. Checklist

[ ] The question in one sentence
[ ] Start and end of the time span chosen
[ ] Memory inventory has at least 30 lines
[ ] Shape chosen; opening, turning point and last scene picked
[ ] First draft finished
[ ] Read it as a stranger would: does each chapter serve the question?
[ ] Real people pass done
[ ] Author's note written
[ ] Two or three readers who don't know the people involved