The Friendship That Changed Me
Chronicle the unexpected friendship that has significantly impacted your life. Describe how you met, the adventures you've shared, and the challenges you've helped each other overcome.
Suggested length: A personal essay: 1,000 to 3,000 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- End with what you know now that you didn't know then.
- Start in the middle of one scene you can see clearly.
- Be honest about what you didn't understand at the time.
Writing biography and memoir books
A real life, told with the shape of a story.
A biography tells someone else's life; an autobiography tells your own, start to finish. A memoir is narrower: one stretch or theme of the author's life, told with a novelist's tools. Memoir is where most new writers start.
What readers expect
- A true story with a narrative arc
- An honest, distinctive voice
- Scenes, not just summary
- Meaning drawn from experience
A tip before you start
A memoir isn't your whole life. Pick one thread, such as a year, a relationship or a question, and cut everything else.
More Biographies and Memoirs prompts
- Letters to My Younger SelfPen a series of letters you wish you could have sent to your younger self at critical turning points in your life. Reflect on the advice you would…
- The Stories of Our AncestorsDraft a biography of your own family, tracing back as many generations as possible. Use personal stories, historical context, and family myths to…
- The Hardest RoadCraft a narrative about your most challenging journey—whether a physical trip, a psychological or emotional adventure, or a career path. Detail the…
- The Family Heirloom's MemoriesWrite a memoir from the perspective of an object that has been in your family for generations. Describe the historical and emotional events it has…
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