amandaonwriting:

[This excerpt is from our Secrets of a Memoirist course.]

Even Memoirs Need Suspense

Suspense is not conflict. Suspense means keeping readers on the edge of the page, guessing and wondering what will happen next. 

Even if the readers of your memoir know your story, and they obviously know you have survived, you can keep some things back. This will keep them interested enough to go all the way to the end to find out how you coped.

Seven Ways To Create Suspense in Memoirs