Many first-draft memoirs start with a familiar impulse: “Here’s everything I want to tell you about me.” It makes sense. After all, the urge to write a memoir often comes from a desire to make sense of one’s own story, to shape memory and meaning into narrative. But when a manuscript leans too far into this mode, it can slip into monologue—dense, personal, inward-looking. Readers want something different.

Calling out to business leaders, social activists, change-makers, and sports champions – this one’s for you. Ever thought about writing a...