Every good story has a memorable cast of characters. But when it comes to your memoir, these are real people. That makes things complicated, and you may have a hard time figuring out what role people should play. So, who should be the bad guy in your memoir?
You.
Wait, I’m Not the Bad Guy!
I agree. You’re not the bad guy. Despite what this article by The Critic claims, authors never are bad people. They’re just misunderstood, right?
Possibly.
Whatever they are, memoir authors are storytellers. And who wants to be the villain? (Don’t answer that, Cruella.) Deep down, we want to be heroes. We want to be applauded and loved, regarded for our great wit, strength, generosity, kindness, or success. Even those who fancy themselves villains want to be loved.
Weird, eh? But it’s true.
So why do I recommend you take the role of arch nemesis in your memoir? It’s simple.
Don’t throw others under the bus unless you’re willing to get under a tire yourself.
-The Southern Ghostwriter
Like Everyone Else, You’re Human
No matter how good or bad someone seems, they’re just human. They’re products of their environment. They suffer heartache and loss, victories and successes, and their future actions often reflect those previous experiences.
If this strikes home, that’s because it reflects your human experience.
Granted, that doesn’t mean you have to position yourself as the bad guy in your memoir. You do, however, need to treat your characters as the real-life people they are. Give them their humanity so people feel more than one emotion toward them. Force readers to experience anger one moment and pity the next.
Then do the same with yourself.
Why Cast Yourself as the Bad Guy in Your Memoir
Because we’re all human, we all have faults. If you can’t see them, you’re blind. That’s okay. We all are at times.
Ask a friend to help you uncover your faults. Then sprinkle them through your memoir. Otherwise, you come off as a picture-perfect character with no flaws, and no one can relate to that person. If they don’t relate, they don’t read.
But if you take off the mask and show how you, too, are broken and bruised, you’ll grab readers’ attention and keep it.
Fear you won’t give all the characters in your memoir—including yourself—a fair shake? My memoir ghostwriting services may be just what you and your story need.