How to Differentiate Your Version on a Common Theme

A RECENT STUDY OF Baby Boomers revealed that the single thing they most want to do in retirement is write a book. The single biggest topic? Themselves. Hmmmmm. Does that raise any issues? It does. Specifically, that of how to differentiate your version on a common theme.

In writing what we know, are all of us of the same age group merely voicing the same concerns? I would argue that we are not, since everyone has a story, and that each of those stories is unique.

Here’s tip in how to illustrate that: To avoid sounding like everyone else, the key is to avoid grand sweeping statements about our generation and instead look to the small moments of life to illuminate those grand themes.

If you avoid making yourself the story and instead think of yourself of the illustration of a universal theme, you’ll succeed. Of course, all of this is made easier with the use of The Memoir Project Algorithm, which one recent student referred to as my God Particle. I love that, and I agree.

What does that mean? In physics, the God Particle is the Higgs-Boson, and is fundamental to all other particles by providing them with their mass. I get it: Everything here emerges from that small sentence.

Don’t believe me? Use it.

It’s about x as illustrated by y to be told in a z.

It’s about something universal, as illustrated by your personal tale to be told in one of the five forms of memoir — blog post, essay, opinion piece, long-form essay or book.In writing what we know are all of us of the same age group merely voicing the same concerns? I would argue that we are not, since everyone has a story, and that each of those stories is unique. To avoid sounding like everyone else, perhaps the key is to also avoid grand sweeping statements about our generation and instead look to the small moments of life to illuminate those grand themes.

If you avoid making yourself the story, and instead think of yourself of the illustration of a universal theme, you’ll succeed.

Want more help? Join me in live, online memoir classes

Start here, with The Memoir Project System Page, to understand the breadth of all the classes we teach.

Want to jump right in? Here’s a sampling of our classes.

Memoirama: Live, 90 minutes. Everything you need to write what you know.

Memoirama 2. Live, two hours. Limited to seven writers. What you need to know to structure a book.

How to Write Opinion Pieces: Op-eds, Radio Essays and Digital Commentary: Live, 90 minutes. Get your voice out into the world.

And keep in mind that we are now registering names for the next Master Class, the prerequisites for which are Memoirama and Memoirama 2. Live, once a month. Limited to six writers. Get a first draft of your memoir finished in six months.