How to Structure the Chapters in Your Memoir

I write short stories. There’s just something about being able to pass a profound theme or message in fewer words that just sits right with me. Don’t get me wrong, I write longer stories too (memoir ghostwriter over here). But I started with short stories, so they have a warm place in my heart.

The more I write short stories or personal essays, the more I realize that the benefit of writing short narratives becomes evident when you work on longer story forms. Why? You never let a chapter go to waste.

Have you ever read a story and got to a chapter that felt like a filler? It had no purpose except that the writer wanted to reach a word count or chapter number. Don’t you just hate those? Don’t you just hate when a writer takes you through a chapter that felt purposeless and did nothing to add to the overall plot of the book?

The best way to avoid that is to structure your chapters before you begin. That way, you are not simply meandering, but you are intentional. That way you can ensure that every part of the book that makes its way into the book is valuable.

Structuring chapters is so essential, especially for memoirs because there’s always a risk of falling into the trap of including everything in your memoir. If there’s anything I want to avoid for my clients and myself, it’s that.?

However, before we go right into structuring the chapters, let’s look at how a chapter works in a story. A chapter can take on any of these forms:

• Expository
• Transitional
• Defining

Expository

Expository chapters usually come at the beginning of the book, but they can show up in the middle too, or anywhere in the story that fits. The entire point of the chapter is to reveal new or additional information to the reader.?

It could be a new character or the main character (if it’s at the beginning of the book), a location, a setting, a situation, or a thing. In order for the chapter not to seem like a long, tedious report, the writer can wrap it up in narrative flashbacks, dialogue, or action.?

Transitional

Transition chapters take the reader from one point of the story to the other - it could show a time jump, or pick up in a different scene. Regardless of which it is, you have to guide your reader smoothly from one part of the story to another.

Smooth and effortless storytelling demands that you don’t have your reader hopping all over your book wondering what’s going on. With transitional chapters, your reader won’t feel like they’ve missed a page, they’ll fall easily into the story and continue.

Defining

A defining chapter is one where the writer exposes something integral to the plot of the book. Like a thriller writer revealing the killer, or a memoirist coming to a profound realization.

Note that in either an expository or transitional chapter, the writer can show a defining plot or moment in the book.

Alright, let’s dive in. To keep my memoir chapters compact, and to keep the flow easy and riveting, I outline my chapters like this:

Blurb

Usually, a blurb is a short, promotional description of a book that convinces the reader to buy it.?

However, when outlining memoir chapters, I use a blurb as a description of the chapter that tells me what’s going to happen in it. A regular blurb for marketing is more mysterious because the reader needs to be properly intrigued to buy the book.

But my blurb for chapters tells me exactly what to do in said chapter. I write how the chapter begins and ends, so it can serve as a guide when I write.?

Believe me, there’s always a need to write a blurb for your chapter. At any time, a writer can have different stories and scenes in their head tugging this way and that way. So, with a blurb, you have a focus, a place to keep your attention, so the story doesn’t sneakily take you elsewhere (yes, that happens).

For instance, let’s say I’m writing a blurb for an expository chapter:

Adaeze is a single Mom of three kids and she is overwhelmed and strung out. Her youngest daughter has a recital on Monday evening, and Adaeze struggles to get her there on time. During the recital, her daughter collapses and is taken to the hospital. The doctors tell Adaeze that her daughter’s case appears to be serious because they can’t revive her. Adaeze breaks down in tears and for the first time in years, Adaeze calls her ex-husband to give him the news.

This chapter will begin with Adaeze waking up groggy and exhausted and ending with her crying as she calls her ex-husband.

Focal Point

I use a focal point to know what I intend to focus on while in the chapter. I know what you are thinking, “but isn’t that what a blurb is for?” Well, no. A blurb gives you a general idea of what will happen in the chapter, while a focal point gives you more focus.

It helps you focus on emotions, traits, habits, actions, and the likes to highlight in the chapter. It’s focused on the detailing and nitty-gritty of the chapter. For instance, still using our example, I could list our focal points as:

• Show Adaeze’s intense exhaustion with raising her kids.
• Use the dismal and unkept state of her home to further drive home this point.
• Show the attitude of her kids and family towards Adaeze and her parenting.
• Highlight the fact she hasn’t had her husband with her in years.

Again, this zeroes your focus so you know exactly what to do in the chapter.

Descriptions

It’s important to list out the things, people, or places you need to describe. The things you should describe are things relevant to the story or things your reader isn’t familiar with. For instance, don’t describe your character getting into a bus unless there’s a point to it.

Remember, unnecessary descriptions are tedious and they restrict the flow of your chapter. So, using our example, the things I would describe are:

• The characters
• Adaeze's routine
• The state of the house.

Of course, as you write, other things will come to you so don’t stay stuck. Writing needs structure, but it also benefits a lot from flexibility.

Questions

I love this one, and I use it a ton with my memoir client. See the thing is, often, you assume you’ve given your memoir ghostwriter everything she needs to write your story, until she starts to write, and comes up with a ton of questions; I always do.

No matter how much material and detail you have given me I will always have questions as I develop your chapters. Not only do these questions keep my client very involved in the book, but it also gives me a clearer look into their thought process and emotions and helps them with introspection and reflections.

And those are very valuable.

So, still using our example, my questions to Adaeze would be:

• Have you ever thought of yourself as a bad mother?
• Do you ever wish you weren’t a mom?
• What are your thoughts about how society treats single mothers?
• Based on your experience, what would you say are the big differences between single mothers and fathers?

Characters

As you know, every chapter has its main players. And believe it or not, it’s very possible to forget a character, and because characters make up the story, forgetting a character can mean forgetting a part of the story.

Every character in a book is important, even if all they say is a single line. As long as that line drives the plot along, that character is important. So, as you write your chapters, make sure you have your characters in your sight. Doing that will also help you know which character to take out.

Remember to get the best out of your chapter, it’s important to treat it like a mini-story. It should have a beginning, conflict, and resolution, with plenty left over to make the reader turn the page.

FAQ About Writing Memoir Chapters?

Q1. How Many Words Should be in My Memoir Chapter?

The average chapter is anywhere from 1000 to 5000 words, as most short stories tend to be. However, there are no rules. I’ve seen single-page chapters that conveyed all they needed to, to the reader. So, instead of focusing on the word count, focus on writing a riveting chapter.

However, don’t make your chapter so long the reader begins to feel like it’s dragging on. So, anywhere from 1k to 5k should do it.?But, I always say the length of a chapter should be dependent on its value and content. Go over 5k if you need to, just make sure it's an easy read.

Q2. How Many Chapters Should Be in My Memoir?

Most memoirs have anywhere from 15 to 20 chapters. Again, this is not set in stone. There are non-fiction books with even 50 chapters. You’ll find that books with more chapters have a shorter word count in the chapter, while books with fewer chapters have a longer word count in the chapter.?

I’ll advise that you keep yours anywhere between 15 to 25. As you do that, be wary of the word count of each chapter, so reading doesn’t become tedious for your reader.

Q3. What Should Be Avoided in a Memoir Chapter?

Avoid meandering in your memoir chapter. What you want to do is stay on point, and go in a straight line. Don’t throw too many curves or plots in the chapter. It could disorient your reader and make them lose their flow.

Alright, there you have it! Don’t forget to like and share this article. See you in my next post!

Hi! I’m Ezinne Njoku; Ghostwriter of unforgettable memoirs. If you need help ghostwriting your memoir, reviewing your memoir manuscript, or breaking it into a compelling structure.

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