Making Meaning of Your Memories

Everyone who embarks on a journey to write their memoir inevitably hits a wall. You have a dream of telling a slice of your life story, but you meet resistance—a too-full calendar, kids who...

Many people worry they don't have enough time to write a memoir. Life is busy and finding time to write can be challenging. However, writing a memoir doesn't have to be a full-time job. Even if you...

My index finger hovered over the ‘send’ button for several seconds. I rechecked my document one more time. Was it good enough to ship off to my editor? This was the first draft of a...

Several years ago, I trained for my first marathon. I wasn’t a runner when I signed up for my first race, so I spent months following a training plan to literally get me up to speed.

I hated...

Last year I was working on a memoir project with a client. Every couple of weeks we’d meet to discuss various aspects of their life related to the story they wanted to tell. I’d...

The hardest part about writing a memoir is getting your first draft done. I know this because I spent about five years tinkering with my first draft. You start with energy and good intentions. You...

Writing a memoir is hard work, especially if you're struggling to remember some of the most pivotal moments in your life. If you’re having a hard time accessing key memories and sensory...

I was sitting at a picnic table, eating food cart pierogies, minding my own business. I wasn’t even thinking about my memoir. Suddenly, a thought intruded out of nowhere: What if people...

I never planned to write a memoir. Even though I had spent a good part of my career ghostwriting and editing other people’s stories, it never occurred to me that I might one day want to tell...

Every November I host a 30-day Memoir Writing Challenge (National Memoir Writing Month—NaMeWriMo) modeled after the longstanding National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). My challenge...

One mistake I consistently see memoir writers make is being guarded in their first draft. Likely, they're following the commonly accepted advice to "write from your scars, not your...

The first time I wrote a memoir, my editor suggested I add more elements of fiction to it. While I had done a good job capturing the facts, it lacked vivid descriptions to draw readers into each...