Reclaim Your Writing Rhythm: 4 Ways to Reset and Move Your Memoir Forward
Sep 22, 2025
Let’s be honest—writing a memoir takes more than passion and a good story. It takes rhythm, reflection, and regular course correction. The end of each quarter is the perfect moment to pause, check in with your progress, and get back on track. Although you can reset your writing goals at any point during the year, I find that reviewing and resetting my writing plan near the end of each quarter is the most productive and effective way to hold myself accountable to my writing goals.
If you’ve made great strides recently, now is your time to build on that momentum. If you’ve barely touched your draft in weeks (or months), don’t beat yourself up—just come back to the page.
Either way, the path forward starts with one simple practice: reviewing where you are and recommitting to what matters.
Step 1: Reflect Before You Reset
Writing a memoir isn’t a sprint—it’s a long hike through memory, meaning, and motivation. So take a breath and ask:
- What progress have I made? (Even one memory captured matters.)
- What have I learned about myself or my story so far?
- What’s been slowing me down or stealing my focus?
Don’t just think about your output—look at your mindset, routines, and expectations. You might discover that perfectionism or scattered note-taking—not laziness—has been the real issue.
💡 Pro tip: Progress isn’t just about word count. It’s about clarity, consistency, and your willingness to keep showing up.
Step 2: Choose What Comes Next
You don’t need a 12-month editorial plan. You just need to decide: What does forward motion look like right now?
Maybe it's drafting three new scenes.
Maybe it's revising one chapter.
Maybe it's carving out two writing sessions a week.
Set a clear, doable target for the next 4-6 weeks—something that fits your life, stretches you a bit, but doesn’t overwhelm you.
Ask yourself:
- What’s the next logical piece of this story to write?
- What smaller milestone could I hit that would feel satisfying and doable?
- What would “enough” look like by the end of this month or the next?
🎯 Remember: You don’t have to finish your memoir. You just have to move it forward.
Once you’ve identified a clear goal for the first month, try to identify a goal for the second month, and then the third. This will become your writing roadmap for the next quarter.
Step 3: Reconnect to Your Why (and What’s at Stake)
This is a good time to pause and ask:
- Who am I writing this for?
- Why does this story matter?
- What would be lost—emotionally, spiritually, generationally—if I never wrote it?
Sometimes, reconnecting to your why is the difference between giving up and finishing the next chapter. Your “why” is the internal fuel that keeps you going when motivation lags.
Step 4: Give Your Writing a Place to Live
If your drafts and notes are scattered across too many notebooks or files, momentum gets lost in the clutter.
Pick a container—just one—for the next phase of your writing. That could be:
- A single Google Doc
- A dedicated physical journal
- A Scrivener project or digital folder labeled “Memoir – Fall 2025”
✍️ This simple act of organizing your writing space can revive your energy more than you expect.
Momentum Is Something You Build
If your memoir has been on pause, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means it’s time to start again—with a little more clarity, structure, and support.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire life or finish your book this month. You just need to make your next best move.
If you're ready to stop drifting and start drafting again, I’d love to invite you to my free upcoming Memoir Momentum Workshop. This 90-minute live workshop is designed to help you:
✅ Reflect on what’s working (and what’s not)
✅ Set a clear 4–6 week writing goal
✅ Create a weekly rhythm that supports your progress
✅ Reconnect with your “why” and protect space for your story
✅ Leave with an action plan to make meaningful progress
You’ll walk away with clarity, confidence, and a next step that makes sense for your writing season—whether you’re just beginning or halfway through your draft.