When Your Memoir Needs a Reboot

Maya Angelou famously said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." Your untold story, your untapped potential, is a fire smoldering within you. If you've let your memoir project languish, it's time to rekindle that flame. Here are six steps to help you reboot your memoir writing:

1. Reconnect with your "why." 

Make a bulleted list of all the reasons why you want to share your story. This list is for you, so don’t hold back. There’s no judgment and no shame, even if some of your reasons feel self-serving or ego-driven. (Nothing wrong with wanting to see your name in print.) 

When I first started to write my memoir, I created a list of all the reasons why I wanted to work on it. I returned to this list regularly to remind me of why I felt it was worth my time to keep going on it. This was especially helpful to review on days I had no energy to write and after putting my writing on pause for long stretches.

After you’ve brainstormed a full list, sift through it and highlight the ones that capture the urgency behind why you don’t want to pass from this life without having written your story. Write these on Post-it notes and put them on your computer monitor, your bathroom mirror, in your journal, or on your car dashboard. Remind yourself regularly why you’re investing time into telling your story. The first step to restarting your memoir is getting clarity on what’s driving you to write it. 

2. Commit to a writing schedule. 

Your writing needs a date with the calendar, not an indefinite “someday.” I routinely schedule writing time in my weekly planner. It’s a concrete action to make time for my writing. Sometimes the best I can do is schedule 30 minutes to write first thing in the morning. Like making time for exercise, it’s not the duration that matters as much as developing the habit. 

Carve out daily windows for your craft, no matter how small. Be relentless in prioritizing these moments. Mark your writing time with dedication and protect it zealously. Share your goals with a friend or a writing group, and allow them to keep you accountable. It's time to take your writing seriously. It deserves a date on your calendar.

3. Write regularly for 30 days.

Thirty days — the perfect duration to kickstart your writing habit. Thirty days is a commitment, but it's also an escape clause. A month is enough time to develop a writing habit, and it gives you an end date to let yourself off the hook if you don’t want to keep going. Sometimes you need to know that you can kill the project if want to — especially when you’re restarting a writing project. After 30 days, you’ll have enough words on the page to honestly assess whether or not you want to keep going. It’s your story. You get to choose whether or not you want to tell it.

4. Set firm deadlines. 

Last year, I set a goal to finish my memoir by the end of June 2022. Had I not squandered so much of the time I had allotted to finish my book, the writing process would have been relatively pressure-free. Instead, I waited until the last minute to kick into high gear. Having a deadline, which I had shared publicly as a way to keep myself accountable, lit a bonfire under me. The thought of having to tell my readers that I hadn’t hit my deadline was just too humiliating to bear. I finished the book on June 30th, and let me tell you, it felt great to hit my self-imposed goal. 

Deadlines are powerful writing catalysts. Choose a specific completion date for each phase of your memoir project, no matter where you are in the process. Your self-imposed deadlines will push you to achieve your dream of writing your memoir. 

5. Share your plan and progress. 

After I publicly declared my deadline to complete a full draft of my memoir by June 30, 2022, I wrote a couple of blog posts between January and June to update readers on my progress. These were tough posts to publish because I didn’t have good news to report. I was behind on my writing. Way behind.

Finally, I decided to change the way I was approaching my writing. Transparency was key. I gave my partner permission to gently ask me throughout the week if I was maintaining my writing schedule and hitting my goals. Just having this daily accountability helped keep me on track. I also started to track my progress in my planner so I could visually see my writing streak.

Share your writing journey with a friend or an accountability partner. Admit when you're behind or stuck. Invite them to inquire about your progress. Daily check-ins can work wonders. Track your progress in a journal or planner; keep a running tally of your writing streak. Seeing your continuous progress can be incredibly motivating.

6. Celebrate your wins.

Whether you conquer a major milestone or crushed your word count goal for the week, celebrate your triumphs, large and small. Forward is a pace. The journey is long, and sometimes, just showing up and pushing forward, even if it's one small step, is worth celebrating. As you wrap up each day, take a moment to savor your writing wins. Acknowledge the incredible progress you've made. Lift a glass and I'll raise a virtual toast with you — cheers to you and the remarkable story you're about to tell!