When I was in school, I dreaded the thought of rewriting papers for English class. To me, the assignment meant I hadn’t done a good job of writing the first time. But as I progressed to writing articles and novels, I came to regard rewriting as a great opportunity to make my work “say what I meant to.”

As you learn how to write memoirs, you will discover that the first draft of your story may be so focused on getting to the point that you forget to put in the things that make the story interesting or uniquely your own. It may be a single detail or a nuance that you add. It may be something that you always say when you tell a story that you left out when you wrote it.

And on some occasions, you may find that you wandered away from your story (maybe with material that is right for another memoir?) and rewriting is an opportunity to get back on track.

We suggest that as you rewrite your memoir, start with a fresh sheet of paper. Rewrite the entire memoir by hand, copying the parts you are keeping, leaving out those you aren’t, and adding those unique details that make the story your very own. The process of rewriting the story from scratch will enable you to tap into that intricate relationship between the mind and the hand that will enhance your story and your readers’ appreciation of it.