Why Writing Your Memoir is Good for Us

By Jessica J. Hill

My client recently sent me a link to an article by Arthur Brooks from The Atlantic titled, “Why You Maybe Shouldn’t Write a Memoir.” She’s writing a memoir, and I’m the mentor and developmental editor she hired to help her. She wrote that she “laughed out loud” when she saw the headline. I wish I’d had the same reaction.

Brooks writes a weekly column about happiness. His argument is this: People should consider their mental health before they think about writing a mem...