READY TO write?
Memoir in Miniature: The Guide
A life doesn’t fit into 500 words—but a truth can.
A single, well-chosen moment can hold everything—emotion, meaning, resonance. That’s the magic of micro-memoir: shaping personal experience into something clear, sharp, and unforgettable.
Download my free 28-paged workbook to learn how to tell true stories in small spaces.
🧡 "Esmé's Memoir in Miniature workbook challenged me to start somewhere. — Alyssa E.
— The essentials of micro-memoir—what makes a tiny story powerful and complete.
— Simple structures to help you shape your stories without getting stuck.
— Prompts and exercises to get you writing right away.
— Techniques to bring clarity and depth to your memories.
Everything You Need to Know About Writing Micro-Memoir
What's Included?
💛 "Memoir in Miniature is a generous gem of a book." — Tina S.
Does this sound familiar?
You want to write your memoir, but every time you sit down, you feel paralyzed by possibility—so much life to fit on the page, so many places to begin.
Maybe you have notebooks full of memories, but when you try to shape them into something cohesive, they resist you.
Or perhaps you’ve been carrying a story inside you for years, but it feels too big, too messy, too much to get onto the page.
You’re not alone in this. The truth is, memoir doesn’t have to start with a massive book project—sometimes, the best way in is small.
You want to write your memoir, but every time you sit down, you feel paralyzed by possibility—so much life to fit on the page, so many places to begin.
In this free 28-page workbook, I’ll guide you through the art of writing micro-memoirs—small, contained pieces of truth that carry deep emotional impact.
You don’t need to be ready to write a whole memoir. You just need to begin.
WHY WE MADE THIS
I created Memoir in Miniature because I know how daunting it can feel to write a memoir.
The sheer size of the project, the weight of our stories, and the fear of not doing them justice can stop us before we even begin. But memoir doesn’t have to start with sprawling pages and years of effort—it can begin in small, meaningful ways.
WHO MADE THIS?
Hi! I'm Esmé Weijun Wang, a bestselling, award-winning author.
I’m a writer and essayist—the author of the New York Times-bestselling essay collection The Collected Schizophrenias (2019), as well as the novel The Border of Paradise (2016); My personal essay collection was one of TIME's Best Books of 2019 and one of the Best Books of 2019 in People; it garnered the prestigious Whiting Award in Nonfiction, the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize, and the Northern California Book Award for Creative Nonfiction.
True story: I'm a New York Tims-bestselling writer and my disabilities often get in the way of what I want to do.
Now, I help ambitious writers living with life constraints to master the skills they need to become more confident, skilled memoir writers.
“I have desired to write a memoir for years but as a perfectionist with a vivid memory, I often struggle to take small actions to making this a reality. Whenever I sit down to write I am overwhelmed by what I could write about and all of the different approaches to writing. Esmé's Memoir in Miniature workbook challenged me to start somewhere. Immediately I saved it to my writing resources I review when I am stuck. After absorbing all the wisdom I feel a sense of clarity and direction on how to start writing micro memoir pieces for Substack that will eventually lead me to writing my macro memoir.”
ALYSSA E.
CAT S.
“I’ve been unofficially writing bits of memoir and smearing them all over the internet since the early 2000’s, but I promised myself this was the year I’d take it seriously and learn more about the craft.
It was nothing short of serendipity that I was able to get my hands on this generous offering from Esmé Weijun Wang, and it’s a beautiful gift to my writing practice. Despite the title, this resource is oversized in excellent tips, helpful starting points, delicious worksheets, and beautiful visuals. It was more than I expected, and I’ve already started a morning ritual of using Esmé’s prompts to guide my writing while my dog snores beside me and the rest of the house is still asleep.
Memoir in Miniature is the perfect nudge of inspiration for any level of writing experience. It takes away the overwhelm and brings back the joy of writing. Trust me, you deserve this treat.”
tina S.
“Memoir in Miniature is a generous gem of a book. Clear, concise and elegant, Esmé distills the essence of what makes an emotionally resonant piece of short-form writing into playful prompts and simple crafting techniques. By page two, I already had an idea for my next Substack; a couple of pages later, I had the structure.
A fresh take on classical writing principles, this book makes the creation of short-form essays, mini-memoir or micro-fiction an affirming, joyful experience."
Kristin D.
“I had been trying to work on memoir-essays-personal writing in my notebooks, while feeling somewhat unorganized in my efforts. I felt like I lacked structure and had a hard time coming up with workable ways to get the words on paper in a way that felt right.
Esme’s Memoir in Miniature has been a great help. Her guidance about what to include in memoir, writing with impact, attention to detail, and getting the words out through several forms of writing in mini (500 words or less) got me trying new methods of writing and rethinking some of my recent work that I’ve been slow to develop as I try to find my writer’s voice.
I have tried the Braided Mini Memoir and the Epistolary method under the guidance of this 28 page workshop. Other forms are also discussed, and this is by no means a “one size fits all” approach to teaching writing. There is plenty of room made to work alongside the suggested exercises and prompts that are provided. The workbook feel of the guide would be great to print out and work with, but it works equally well on my computer screen while I follow along and write in Word.
I will be referring to this guide as I continue on my writing journey, and I am thankful that this is a free offering for us writers who need the knowledge but through circumstances aren’t able to afford an online seminar. Many thanks to Esme Wejun Wang for creating supports such as Memoir in Miniature for us writers living with some limitations, as well as all writers in need of guidance.”
Neva T.
"Started on Esmé's recent ebook Memoir and Miniature and it is so helpful. Esmé really has her fingers on the pulse of the liminal stages of development of a writer and these mini steps forward are not only encouraging, they also help tip something over for the rest of the writing to flow again."
Imagine sitting in front of your keyboard or your pen & notebook and not thinking: What am I supposed to do now?
Instead, imagine feeling confident and resourced enough to write boldly and beautifully.
as seen in:
BY THE END OF THIS GUIDE, YOU'll KNOW:
How to craft a compelling micro-memoir
Discover how constraint can sharpen your voice, heighten meaning, and create powerful, memorable stories.
Why brevity can deepen emotional impact
And why it's not as hard as you think.
Discover how constraint can sharpen your voice, heighten meaning, and create powerful, memorable stories.
Start Small. Write Something That Lasts.
Learn the essential elements of storytelling in small spaces, from striking openings to resonant endings.
What are you waiting for?
GET THE FREE GUIDE NOW
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to begin your memoir, this is your invitation.
Download Memoir in Miniature and take the first step—no pressure, no perfection needed. Just a story, waiting to be told.