There are all kinds of mothers in the world, and many things are written about mothers every day. Mothers have inspired everyone from world leaders to kids on the same block. However, most of these moms will never have their moment of glory beyond their immediate circle of family and friends. By learning how to write a book about your mother, you have the opportunity to create something truly special that will be a lasting tribute.

Tip One: Decide on a Memoir or Fictional Representation

To begin your journey of writing a book about your mother, you first need to know what kind of book you want to write. You can write a memoir, including memories and stories about various aspects of your mother’s life.

Or, you can choose to make your mother a fictional character in a book inspired by her life story. Both options will require you to know a lot of background information about your mother. A memoir will likely be more of an emotional experience for you than a fictional account.

Tip Two: Gather the Facts

Okay, now that you know what direction you’re going to take with this book, it’s time to gather a lot of facts about Mom. Sure, you grew up with her and have lots of memories of her, but you’re not the only one she interacts with.

But still, you have to start with your own special memories about her. You can then interview various family members, friends, and acquaintances about what they know or remember about her. You will be surprised at the things you don’t know about dear mom.

If your book isn’t going to be a surprise gift for your mom, then go ahead and interview her about her life story. She will probably be more than happy to sit down with you over your favorite food and chat about past events. Of course, if it’s a gift, you can be sneaky and secretly engrave the memories of her.

Tip Three: Create an Outline

Even though you’re writing about your own mother, the book should still be organized in a way that makes it easy for readers. The easiest way would be to start at the beginning and bring it up to today. Or, you can focus on a very specific time or event in your life and use it as the basis for the book.

Each chapter will talk about a specific time and place or event.

For example, Chapter One: Running Errands for a Nickel and an Ice Cream Cone

This chapter sets up the story of how a mother often ran errands as a child and had some funny things happen to her while she was doing it.

Tip four: stay objective

Because it’s so close to the subject of the book, it can sometimes get too emotional and fall into too much sentimental mush. Or, if you have a testy relationship with your mom, too much negativity can tarnish a good story.

If you are going to commit to being the author of your mother’s memoir, then think of yourself as a writer who has been hired to write this book. Your main goal is to write about your mother’s ups and downs in an entertaining and enlightening way. He can only do this if he can keep his own deep emotions out of it. Save all those repressed feelings for your own memories.

Tip five: take your time

If other people are going to read this book, then take your time to cover your mother’s story well. If this is your first time writing, you’ll soon discover that writing a book is a step-by-step process that involves putting your thoughts into the right words.

I suggest that when you’re working on the first draft, you just let the words flow freely, without giving much thought to trying to make it perfect. This way, what you really want to say will come out much easier. You can always come back later and edit what you’ve written.