The Mentor Who Changed My Course
Reflect on a mentor or teacher who dramatically influenced your life direction. Describe your first encounter, a key lesson they taught you, and how it has influenced your decisions or philosophy over the years.
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.
- Start in the middle of one scene you can see clearly.
- Be honest about what you didn't understand at the time.
- Cut the background and trust the reader to keep up.
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
- An Overlooked InnovatorChoose a pioneer or innovator in a field you admire (science, art, education, etc.) who has not received widespread recognition. Research their life…
- A Passion Takes RootExplore a personal passion or hobby that has significantly impacted your life. Trace its origin, how it has grown over the years, and what it has…
- A Family Turning PointThink of a turning point in your family’s history and narrate the story. This could be an immigration story, a pivotal career change for a parent, or…
- The Challenge That Changed My CourseReflect on a time when you faced a significant challenge that defined your future direction. Explore your thoughts, feelings, and the ultimate…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
Plans from $9.99 a month. Cancel any time. Your words are always yours.