When Viga Boland, the author of 4 memoirs, was asked by participants to write a "how-to" book on writing memoir, the one thing she didn't want to do is write another textbook style guide. She decided the only way to give her followers what they wanted, was to tell them how she wrote her memoirs by "writing with abandonment" which she believes is the essence of putting "ME" ie. yourself into your memoir. In a voice that her workshop attendees will recognize as the one she uses in her sessions, she wrote "Don't Write Your MEmoir without ME!" to inspire and motivate with humor and an "in your face" style. The result is an easy-to-read and very motivating workbook that will have readers believing that they too can write a memoir.

Completing this book is a selection of articles by other noted teachers of memoir writing along with stories Viga featured in her printed magazine and on her online site for memoir writers, Memoirabilia. She has also included her reviews of memorable memoirs that she thinks you'll want to read. After all, "if you want to write memoir, you need to read memoir" she says. According to Viga Boland, "Your memoir is a selfie in Words" and this book will show you how to take the best selfie.

What are reviewers saying about "Don't Write Your MEmoir without ME!" ?

"Huge kudos to Viga for getting down her own four memoirs and for becoming of champion of getting others to do so. I love the title: Me in Memoir is at the heart of what a memoir should be and her book's message. “A selfie in words” is sheer genius. Writing with abandon is a great idea and this writer clearly does it well. I read the first few pages and couldn’t wait to read the rest. The whole book impressed me. I would recommend this book to anyone thinking about writing a memoir – especially those being pushed by others to do so because of their exceptional stories. It’s the meaning behind a life story that is important, and so if you have a life that you should share you should only be encouraged to write your memoir. This book just helps you find the words to tell it and Viga is proof it works." Dr. Dawn Field, PhD and author

"I love the way the whole thing reads and the information it contains. Your goal was to write and easy-to-read, motivational manual on memoir writing, and without doubt, you have done that. I can truly hear your voice and there were in which I laughed out loud. I loved that you stopped the book several times for a writing exercise for the reader. Viga, you have another winner here." Heather Lamb, writer and live workshop attendee.