Making Meaning of Your Memories

You’ve imagined it: the moment your memoir is finally in someone’s hands. But before you can get there, you need to make a foundational decision, and it’s one most aspiring authors underestimate. Not just how to publish, but which path is genuinely right for you.

The publishing landscape has change...

This week in Memories to Manuscript, my course to get started writing your memoir, three writers read scenes from their lives. Different decades, settings, and emotional terrain.

But as I listened, I found myself noticing something deeper; not just what they wrote, but what good memoir writing requ...

Memoir writing is more than recounting events; it’s about uncovering the deeper truths of how those events shaped you. As memoirists, we dig through the raw material of our lives, not just to relive the past, but to understand it, learn from it, and share our hard-won wisdom with others.

Marion Roa...

You want to write your memoir—but something keeps getting in the way. Time. Energy. Fear. Perfectionism. Life. All legitimate barriers.

But writing a memoir isn’t just about finding inspiration. It’s about building habits.

In Atomic Habits, James Clear’s best-selling book on how to make tiny chang...

Every writer has their version of it—that tightening in the chest before you sit down. The sudden urge to fold laundry instead of writing. The inner whisper that says, “What if this isn’t any good?”

We often think fear means something’s wrong. But in truth, fear is the gatekeeper to your real work....

Memoir writing is hard. Finishing a first draft—whether it took you weeks, months, or years—is a major milestone. But it’s only step one in the long, meaningful process of turning lived experience into a finished manuscript.

Many writers hit this moment and think: Now what? You have thousands of wo...

If you’ve ever struggled to decide where to begin your memoir—or how to include important backstory without confusing your reader—you’re not alone. Memoir writing isn’t a straight line. Life doesn’t unfold neatly from birth to now, and neither should your story.

That’s where flashbacks come in.

A ...

Writing a memoir is a bit like hiking a mountain you’ve never climbed before. At first, you’re filled with energy and excitement. The air feels fresh, the view is full of possibility. But as the path winds upward, you hit rocky sections. The climb gets steeper. You may even wonder if you’ve lost you...

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 du...

Writing a memoir takes time, energy, and courage.

And there will be days when you wonder if it’s worth it.

Days when the words won’t come.
Days when you feel like no one will ever read it.
Days when the doubts get loud.

That’s why every memoir writer needs a ‘why.’

Why Your “Why” Matters

Your “...

How many times have you thought, “I’ll start my memoir when life calms down”?

Here’s the problem: life rarely “calms down.”

If you’re waiting for a three-day writing retreat or a magically cleared calendar, your memoir might never happen.

But here’s the good news: you don’t need hours. You just n...

Every writer knows the feeling: you finally sit down to write your memoir…and then the voice in your head starts up.

“That sentence sounds terrible.”
 “You used the word ‘remember’ three times—fix it.”
 “No one’s going to want to read this.”

Before you’ve finished the first paragraph, you’re delet...