What makes a memoir irresistibly hard to put down? When it traces the journey from who you were to who you never imagined you could become.
In this Reedsy Live session, experienced editor and memoir coach Tracy Gold helps you craft a clear arc that captivates readers from the first page to the last. She breaks down the six essential beats that fledgling memoir writers should follow so that readers can truly experience the character’s (your) transformation.
This post summarizes Tracy Gold’s masterclass on building a memoir character arc. To hear her go into more detail about each element, follow the timestamps featured below.
Why your memoir needs a true character arc (04:51)
Readers don’t keep turning pages just to know the facts of what happened; they read to witness your character (i.e, you) transform because of it. Cast yourself as the protagonist — begin with a clear flaw or blind spot, then chart how experiences force you to change. By doing so, you’ll learn to understand which scenes to include and why. In such a competitive market (whether you’re traditionally or self-published), a visible inner journey is what keeps readers engaged.
Frame the whole book using two guiding questions (07:47)
To create a compelling character arc for yourself, begin by distilling the story of your memoir using two clear questions:
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What happened?
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How did it change you?
Together, these lines will give you a sturdy throughline, making it easier to decide what stays and what goes. Let’s take a look at Tebow Manquin’s Larger Than Yourself to understand this a bit better:
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What happens? A U.S. college grad starts a sports organization in South Africa to cross divides leftover following the end of the apartheid regime.
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How does it change him? A passionate but naive young man learns that real leadership means empowering communities to drive their own change.
Use this pattern to pressure-test your premise; if you can’t articulate both parts plainly, you may not yet have a book-length arc — or you just haven’t found it yet!
Keep the lens on you — and identify the flaw you need to overcome (11:54)
If you’re not already a public figure, a memoir “about” someone else rarely carries a book; readers come to watch you change in relation to that person or event. With that in mind, make sure to clearly define your starting point (guarded, naive, conflict-avoidant, whatever rings true) then track how the story reshapes that flaw.
Kareem’s When You’re Ready shows this principle in action. The girlfriend’s catastrophic accident is the circumstance, but the real subject is Kareem’s transformation: “a guarded, distrusting young man learns to trust in many kinds of love.”
As you draft, you may discover that the real change is even better than the one you expected. That discovery is writer’s gold: you can now tweak your opening chapters with this freshly earned hindsight so that the reader can truly feel the arc from page one.
✍️Pro tip: when you’re tempted to center another person, stop and ask: “How did this relationship force me to become someone new?" then build your arc around that.
It goes without saying that writing a memoir can be mentally exhausting. If the emotional burden ever feels too heavy, consider talking to a therapist. Remember: your health should always come first.
Map the six pivotal moments that shape a memoir arc (19:00)
Memoirs might be based on true stories, but they’re still stories. As such, we can borrow lightly from narrative structures in fiction and frame an arc around six narrative beats that reveal change:
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Who You Were Before
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Theme Stated
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Catalyst
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Midpoint
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All Is Lost
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Climax
Remember, you’re not inventing anything; you’re just curating true moments from your life that can perform these functions. Start with a small scene (not a résumé) that demonstrates who you were before, in action: show the status quo that life is about to challenge. A precise “before” calibrates the reader’s expectations and sets up the anticipation of watching you change. Then let the “theme stated” moment plant the seed of change. This small but powerful beat is where someone (or something) hints at what your transformation will need to be
Once you’ve established that, you can start setting up the catalyst — the event that knocks over your memoir’s first domino. A concrete catalyst forces the story to begin, and everything that follows can be shaped to highlight the transformation that those beats set in motion.
As you outline, brainstorm a few candidate moments for each beat, and pick the one that best does its job. Even if you later experiment with chronology, keep these beats intact to maintain the memoir's honesty while still delivering a satisfying narrative rhythm.
Build up to a midpoint where you pivot (27:00)
In the first half, let “yourself” tackle the problem the way you always have (i.e, the wrong way) so that the midpoint can mark a visible pivot. This turn heralds a new strategy for the emerging theme, and your actions start to gain real momentum.
Let’s go back to Larger Than Yourself for a moment and consider the role the midpoint plays in that story. Tebow focuses on splashy fundraisers and doesn’t listen closely enough to the community. The midpoint arrives when a wealthy white school agrees to play a black school; a breakthrough that only happens because he’s finally started paying attention to what the community actually needs. This shift from performative leadership to being genuinely engaged makes it easier for Tebow to step up as a true leader. Let your midpoint show the new, better strategy in this manner.
The midpoint shift may seem small on paper, but it’s seismic in effect! This is the moment your inner stance changes, and the memoir’s narrative locks onto its final trajectory.
Use a heartbreaking “all is lost” moment to set up the climax (30:33)
Right before the ending (even if it concludes on a hopeful note), include a beat where doubt crescendos and everything seems poised to slip away. When you add a faltering moment at this stage in the story, it helps the climax land as a decisive action that only the “changed you” could take. It reminds the reader of the stakes and how far you’ve come, which makes the emotional finale hit that much harder.
We see this in The Hunger Games, when Rue’s death intensifies Katniss’s resolve, setting her on the path to becoming the hero of liberation in Mockingjay.
Keep in mind that a memoir often handles this beat quickly: it’s the emotional spring, not a second finale. The test is simple: does the climactic move arise from who you’ve become, and not who you were? If yes, readers will feel the arc land.
Handle memory gaps ethically: research, then disclose (42:44)
When you’re writing a memoir, you won’t remember every single detail perfectly — you’re only human, after all! So check texts, official documents, social media, and even local news to triangulate details.
If there are still knowledge gaps, adopt a book-wide disclaimer in your front matter, like “best attempt at memory; some details changed for clarity and to protect privacy,” and limit on-the-page hedging (“I don’t remember exactly…”) so you don’t pull readers out of the reading experience.
