--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you write memoir, it can't be about…" description: "\"If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative.\" — Dani Shapiro" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/dani-shapiro-2273_be-creative_if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-bl_729681.png" --- # If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it… ![“If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative.” quote by Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/dani-shapiro-2273_be-creative_if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-bl_729681.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/dani-shapiro-2273_be-creative_if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-bl_729681.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/dani-shapiro-2273_be-creative_if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-bl_729681.png) > “If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative.” [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Memoirs should focus on creative storytelling rather than assigning blame or dwelling on pain. **In simple terms:** Tell stories creatively, not as blame. Key Takeaway Write with imagination, not accusation. Themes creativity self‑reflection storytelling Mood introspective inspirational Type literary motivational When to use this quote - writing workshops - personal healing - public speaking - publishing Key Concepts narrative therapy emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - What creative angles can transform painful memories? - How does focusing on creation affect healing? A Different Perspective Blame can be a natural part of truth‑telling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Memoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memoir/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/maybe-i-will-write-a-memoir-perhaps-i-ll-do-some-essays-or-maybe-i/) [David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/) > [I actually find it pretty tedious when magazines ask me to write articles based on my real life, because I've already lived it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-earls/i-actually-find-it-pretty-tedious-when-magazines-ask-me-to-write/) [Nick Earls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-earls/) > [When you write a song, the goal is not to convey the details of your life. You should write a memoir or something if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/when-you-write-a-song-the-goal-is-not-to-convey-the-details-of-your/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [I never wanted/expected to write a memoir, but this life thing, it has a way of sideswiping our worlds, scaring us so thoroughly that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-mohr/i-never-wanted-expected-to-write-a-memoir-but-this-life-thing-it-has/) [Joshua Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-mohr/) > [“If I can only write my memoir once, how do I edit it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-kelley-harrell/if-i-can-only-write-my-memoir-once-how-do-i-edit-it/) [S. Kelley Harrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-kelley-harrell/) > [Now I say I'm a diarist with an explanation I'll get back to you on. Someday I may try and write in memoir form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/now-i-say-i-m-a-diarist-with-an-explanation-i-ll-get-back-to-you-on/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [I'm not sure I ever would write a memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ford/i-m-not-sure-i-ever-would-write-a-memoir/) [Susan Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ford/) > [“When you write your memoir you will understand, perhaps for the first time, the significance of your life through the language, images and emotions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-murdock/when-you-write-your-memoir-you-will-understand-perhaps-for-the-first/) [Maureen Murdock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-murdock/) > [What I wanted was to write a memoir that was immersive rather than reflective, to resurrect a long-gone version of my own consciousness. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brockmeier/what-i-wanted-was-to-write-a-memoir-that-was-immersive-rather-than/) [Kevin Brockmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brockmeier/) > [I don't read memoirs. But if you write a memoir, I would think you'd want people to know, "O.K., look, I've taken some liberties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-don-t-read-memoirs-but-if-you-write-a-memoir-i-would-think-you-d/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [I would never write a memoir, because it would be too boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/i-would-never-write-a-memoir-because-it-would-be-too-boring/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [I knew it would be painful to write a memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-knew-it-would-be-painful-to-write-a-memoir/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [ It was actually fun to write \[memoir\], because I went back to interview people my parents had taught or who had worked with them,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condoleezza-rice/it-was-actually-fun-to-write-memoir-because-i-went-back-to-interview/) [Condoleezza Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condoleezza-rice/) > [The minute I landed back in Alaska, it was back to hip boots and fish guts. This cultural flipping wasn't easy - especially on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-newman/the-minute-i-landed-back-in-alaska-it-was-back-to-hip-boots-and-fish/) [Leigh Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-newman/) > [I don't feel any ethical dilemma when I write. In my memoir, I was able to write with candor about the two most difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/said-sayrafiezadeh/i-don-t-feel-any-ethical-dilemma-when-i-write-in-my-memoir-i-was-able/) [Said Sayrafiezadeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/said-sayrafiezadeh/) ## More by Dani Shapiro > [“The writer’s life requires courage, patience, empathy, openness. It requires the ability to be alone with oneself. Gentle with oneself. To be disciplined, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-writer-s-life-requires-courage-patience-empathy-openness-it/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never troll for material. It simply presents itself, and is always unmistakable. This is why I want to roll my eyes when people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-troll-for-material-it-simply-presents-itself-and-is-always/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I had never really felt settled in Brooklyn. I think it had to do with growing up in New Jersey and being someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-had-never-really-felt-settled-in-brooklyn-i-think-it-had-to-do-with/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [When I near the end of a book, it feels as if the entire universe meets me more than halfway and supports me. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/when-i-near-the-end-of-a-book-it-feels-as-if-the-entire-universe/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything you need to know about life can be learned from a genuine and ongoing attempt to write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-you-need-to-know-about-life-can-be-learned-from-a-genuine/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We don't choose what's going to wake us up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-don-t-choose-what-s-going-to-wake-us-up/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Everything changes. The more I try to hold on to the moment, the more it slips through my fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/everything-changes-the-more-i-try-to-hold-on-to-the-moment-the-more/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [There is no end to the promotion. There is no end to the possibilities. You can continue to promote a book for years, literally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/there-is-no-end-to-the-promotion-there-is-no-end-to-the-possibilities/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [We can't protect ourselves from pain and heartache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/we-can-t-protect-ourselves-from-pain-and-heartache/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [A writer with her work needs to be like a dog with a bone all the time. She needs to know where she's hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/a-writer-with-her-work-needs-to-be-like-a-dog-with-a-bone-all-the/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [“Oh, child! Somewhere inside you, your future has already unfurled like one of those coiled-up party streamers, once shiny, shaken loose, floating gracefully for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/oh-child-somewhere-inside-you-your-future-has-already-unfurled-like/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I never feel so alive as when I'm writing and the work is going well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-never-feel-so-alive-as-when-i-m-writing-and-the-work-is-going-well/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [I do strongly identify with being Jewish. I was raised Orthodox and had a childhood complicated by the fact that my father was deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/i-do-strongly-identify-with-being-jewish-i-was-raised-orthodox-and/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [The fact is that most husbands, regardless of religion - it's an old-fashioned gender divide where the husband wants to stay home and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/the-fact-is-that-most-husbands-regardless-of-religion-it-s-an-old/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) > [Novels are my favorite to write and read. I do like writing personal essays, too. I'm not really a short story writer, nor do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/novels-are-my-favorite-to-write-and-read-i-do-like-writing-personal/) [Dani Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) [Explore all 175 Dani Shapiro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/) ## More Be creative quotes > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [To be creative means to connect. It's to abolish the gap between the body, the mind and the soul, between science and art, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi/to-be-creative-means-to-connect-it-s-to-abolish-the-gap-between-the/) [Nawal El Saadawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawal-el-saadawi/) > [Attempt to be creative for the joy it brings… Select something like music, dance, sculpture, or poetry. Being creative will help you enjoy life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-scott/attempt-to-be-creative-for-the-joy-it-brings-select-something-like/) [Richard G. Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-scott/) > ['Born This Way' is shaping up to be creative ecstasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/born-this-way-is-shaping-up-to-be-creative-ecstasy/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) > [Women need a space to be creative -- creativity thrives in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sark/women-need-a-space-to-be-creative-creativity-thrives-in-solitude/) [Sark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sark/) > [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/) Robert M. Hayes > [To lose your everyday life of surfing and being creative on waves, enjoying the ocean - that's scary to me. It was essential to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-hamilton/to-lose-your-everyday-life-of-surfing-and-being-creative-on-waves/) [Bethany Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-hamilton/) > [Trusting people to be creative and constructive when given more freedom does not imply an overly optimistic belief in the perfectibility of human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/trusting-people-to-be-creative-and-constructive-when-given-more/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [I do like to be creative and I'm very lucky that I've been given different areas in which I'm able to do that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-brien/i-do-like-to-be-creative-and-i-m-very-lucky-that-i-ve-been-given/) [Richard O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-brien/) > [I miss the city Bret and I live in, Wellington. It's a good place to be creative, in the same way New York is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jemaine-clement/i-miss-the-city-bret-and-i-live-in-wellington-it-s-a-good-place-to-be/) [Jemaine Clement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jemaine-clement/) > [I do explore the emotion every once in a while. I'd like to think you don't stop being creative once you get happy. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-do-explore-the-emotion-every-once-in-a-while-i-d-like-to-think-you/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I stopped doing comics because I found the pressure really high to nail it every time. It's really difficult to be creative all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-beaton/i-stopped-doing-comics-because-i-found-the-pressure-really-high-to/) [Kate Beaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-beaton/) > [If you never venture outside the box, you will probably not be creative. But if you never get inside the box, you will certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-peterson/if-you-never-venture-outside-the-box-you-will-probably-not-be/) [Christopher Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-peterson/) > [I got into acting because I wanted to act and I love acting. That's my true north: to be creative and to be challenged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-got-into-acting-because-i-wanted-to-act-and-i-love-acting-that-s-my/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [ I don't know that Brandy \[Burre\] would ever categorize herself as being trapped, but I felt like I saw her being trapped. When she's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/i-don-t-know-that-brandy-burre-would-ever-categorize-herself-as-being/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) Browse all 489 Be creative quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dani Shapiro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-blame-or-hurt-it-has-to-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Be creative" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-blame-or-hurt-it-has-to-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/dani-shapiro-2273_be-creative_if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-bl_729681.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/dani-shapiro-2273_be-creative_if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-bl_729681.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/081/dani-shapiro-2273_be-creative_if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-bl_729681.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you write memoir, it can't be about blame or hurt; it has to be creative.” — Dani Shapiro", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dani Shapiro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-shapiro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you write memoir, it can't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-blame-or-hurt-it-has-to-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-shapiro/if-you-write-memoir-it-can-t-be-about-blame-or-hurt-it-has-to-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```