Why You Maybe Shouldn’t Write a Memoir
Talking about ourselves too much hurts our happiness—and can signal deeper problems.
by Arthur C. Brooks
Nov 16, 2023
4 minutes
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Have you ever thought of writing an autobiography? Lots of noncelebrity people are doing that these days: Memoirs are more common, as we become more comfortable sharing intimate details of our personal lives with strangers. But before you start yours, consider this: What you think is riveting about your life might not seem so to others. As one publisher put it, too many submissions are “just the writer’s own story, which is ultimately boring.”
And now that you’re reconsidering your memoir project, you might even think about taking it a step further, and talk less about yourself
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