* Chronological: This is a common approach, telling the story in the order events happened. However, even chronological memoirs often use flashbacks or flashforwards to enhance the narrative.
* Thematic: Instead of following a strict timeline, a thematic memoir focuses on a particular theme or idea, weaving together relevant events and memories to explore it.
* Episodic: This structure presents a series of self-contained stories or episodes from the author's life, often connected by a central theme or recurring motif.
* Nonlinear: Many memoirs utilize a non-linear structure, jumping back and forth in time to create a more complex and nuanced portrait of the author's life and experiences. This often serves a thematic purpose, highlighting connections between seemingly disparate events.
Therefore, what's "true" about the structure of a memoir is its flexibility. While some structures are more common, the best structure for a particular memoir depends entirely on the story the author wants to tell and the effect they want to create on the reader.