Making Meaning of Your Memories

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...

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...

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...

Here’s one of the biggest reasons why would-be memoir writers stay stuck: They try to sit down and write their entire life story in one go.

No wonder it feels overwhelming. No wonder the cursor blinks on the screen like it’s mocking you.

But here’s the secret: you don’t have to write your whole li...

If you’ve been carrying the dream of writing your memoir for years, there’s a good chance something invisible has been holding you back.

Maybe you’ve been waiting for someone to tell you your story matters. Or for the perfect block of time to magically open up in your life. Or for some kind of offi...

 If you’re writing a memoir, you’ve probably heard it before: “You should keep a journal.” But you might be wondering—why bother? Isn’t my memoir already doing the work of recording my life?

Not quite.

A journal isn’t a rough draft of your book. It’s something different entirely—a private space to...