Unusual careers can make interesting reading for those whose experiences are more ordinary. Few people know what it's like to travel with a circus as a trapeze artist, work as an escort girl in Hollywood, or as an employee in the White House. Begin by noting down key events in a time line, then gradually expand these into a story. The writer may be helped by finding out which of their experiences generate the most interest from talking people who haven't shared them.
Memoirs that tell of courage and determination in adversity have been extremely popular with the reading public. A well-told story inspires others to cope with their own difficult situations. For the writer, being able to share these events with other people may also be a therapeutic experience. Surviving cancer treatment, a bike trip around the world or running a marathon with a prosthetic limb are all examples of the type of story that can be turned into a memoir.
There are many published examples of memoirs that focus on the writer's experience of various types of child-abuse, some of which went on to become worldwide bestsellers. Reading about the unhappy experiences of others, perhaps, reminds the reader of her own good fortune. The experience of rape, a former soldier's brutal tour of duty, or being caught up in the 2004 Asian tsunami are the sort of traumatic experiences which may be turned into a memoir.
The writer, or someone the writer knows, may have been involved in a significant period or interesting event of recent history. If writing about someone else, access to the unpublished personal letters and journals of a key player is invaluable. Following research, a family history may also reveal an interesting story in which a relative was involved and if this can be linked to well-known people during events such as the nineteenth-century California gold rush, this adds another dimension to the memoir.