The Life Story Relatability Factor

There are a million things you can write about in a memoir. However, you know a million things is too much.

Finding the theme and the point of your memoir is important. It’s essential.

Backyard winter scene

There is a lot to choose from in your life journey. The point of a memoir is not to write your entire life story or autobiography. I believe that the best memoirs are ones that pick a particular slice of life, a time and place that has been important to both you and others.

Writing a memoir important to others requires something I call the relatability factor.

For instance, in the picture above, a snow covered backyard scene, you will get others to relate to wintertime and perhaps the memories they have of playing in the snow. Pictures help, but painting pictures with words will help to up the relatability factor of your life experiences.

Pull your readers into the scene and help them "see" what you have been through. 

Remember playing frisbee? Photo courtesy of Unsplash

When you set out to write about your life, to share important moments and interesting facts about yourself, it requires being vulnerable. You are going to share some truth, your truth, and that can be scary. But it also can be amazing when your readers discover that they have also felt some of the same things as you, have been through the same or similar experiences, and how that helps them tap into their own thoughts, memories and dreams.

For you to make that connection you need to write about parts of your life story that others can relate to. The relatability factor is essential to make a real connection with a reader, one that gets them to take notice of what you’ve been through and hopefully see a bit of themselves in that journey.

Write With the Reader In Mind

Writing with your reader in mind will help you make connections with them.

Yes, you are telling a story, your story, but not every detail needs to be shared. The ones that can get a reader to say “me, too!” are super valuable.

When I write about my own life I look back on life experiences and pull from things that have meant a lot to me, but that I think also have commonality with others.

Some examples include music and concerts, sporting events, or spending time in nature by walking, hiking, exploring and camping.

Those are just a few areas. For me some others include my experience in school, both learning and later the years I spent as a teacher.

That is just one of my careers. I also spent a few decades in radio broadcasting. Not to mention some different jobs I’ve had over the years, often out of necessity, but all of them providing experiences and lessons.

The Importance of Relationships

The most important area we should consider in our memoirs and life stories, and one that I think ranks high on the relatability factor, is relationships. Family, friends and partners, all rich in material and all potential connecting points with a reader.

Relationships can be beautiful as well as painful. And writing about them helps me to do something really important, which is to get out of myself and my own point of view. This only happens when I am truly honest about my interactions with others and not only what I think about them, but the way I treat them.

This, of course, also leads into a great area for memoir and that is what kind of people we are. How are we growing? What path has life led us down? The nitty gritty of life challenges such as health problems, addictions, and past mistakes are often overwhelming. Yet, when we come through them as better people, experience healing, and really learn from it all what a great story that is. This can be a story that has many potential readers who will relate and perhaps be inspired enough to share their own truth, be it in a memoir or some other way. It could just be a conversation that needs to take place with someone in their own life.

Our life journeys and our self-discoveries, overcoming adversities, triumphing in the face of hardships, and lessons learned are incredibly valuable. But caution is encouraged.

Avoid being too indulgent, preachy or vengeful. Look for the good that should be shared. And give your reader some space and time to interpret and reflect on your story.

That will make the relatability factor all the stronger.

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