The Memoir Method Podcast

This episode is for the writer who wants to actually finish their memoir manuscript. This episode is also part of a four-part series that I’m running here on the podcast that I’m calling the 12-Month Memoir. Over the holidays I was thinking about you and what you might want heading into the new year, and what came through was a month-by-month plan for how to use your time, energy, and money as a m...

This episode is for the writer who wants to actually finish their memoir manuscript. This episode is also part of a four-part series that I’m running here on the podcast that I’m calling the 12-Month Memoir. Over the holidays I was thinking about you and what you might want heading into the new year, and what came through was a month-by-month plan for how to use your time, energy, and money as a m...

This episode is for the writer who is looking back on the last year and feeling more discouraged than not when it comes to your memoir. Today I want to validate the frustrations you’re experiencing, highlight why what used to work for your writing doesn’t anymore, and show you how to reset your writing for the new year into a sustainable energy and structure. Let’s get into it. Ready for your own...

This episode is for the writer who wants to finish their memoir in 2026. You’ve already invested years and years into this work, and you just want to be finished with your draft. Heading into 2026, this is what I want for you: Yes, I want you to finish your memoir manuscript. I also want you to love it. The thing is that if writing your way worked, you’d have finished and published by now. So let’...

This episode is for the writer who has thought about throwing in the towel, but something keeps stopping you from giving up. Maybe you think about publishing your memoir, but often you can’t even think that far ahead. What you are actually waiting for is a moment in the drafting process that I’m going to highlight today, and hopefully this small perspective shift can make your writing feel more do...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the self-published memoir, The Light that Shines Through: On...

This episode is for the writers who know they’re really good writers. You know how to turn a phrase. You know how to tap into your voice and you have a style. You love the craft of writing, and you know that the quality of your writing is exemplary. I say this with so much love, friend: Just because you’re a good writer doesn’t mean that you’re going to write a good memoir. Today I’ll show you the...

This episode is for the writer who is actually really good at sitting down to write. Procrastination probably isn’t your kryptonite (at least when you’ve made writing a habit). I can bet that you’re disciplined and committed to the projects that matter to you. You wouldn’t have even considered writing your memoir if you didn’t have some chutzpah behind it! But, for reasons you can’t quite figure o...

This episode is for the writer desperate to reconnect to her memoir. You’ve felt meh about your memoir for months, and you’ve realized that you hate feeling that way about your story. You hate feeling frustrated and discouraged about this manuscript that actually means so much to you. I walk my clients through very deep and vulnerable moments of doubt and discouragement, and without fail, when the...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir / true crime hybrid The Tragedy of True Crime, an...

This episode is for the writer who keeps coming back to the same chapters to rewrite. I won’t ask you to tell me how many drafts you’ve worked through, but I’ll chance a guess that it’s more than three or four. I’ve seen this happen with brilliant writers, and it’s a spiral that will cannibalize your offer. You can get to a point where you’re OVER editing, OVER working your memoir, and you’ve lost...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir / true crime hybrid, The Tragedy of True Crime, a...

This episode is for the writer who thinks that if they just found the right editor then they could make sense of their memoir. When creativity gets hard, it sometimes stops being fun, and when that happens, you start wondering if there isn’t an easier way to make this memoir happen. Spoiler alert, there isn’t a shortcut. You do have to do the hard part. But the way you walk through the hard part?...

This episode is for the writer who has been burned by editors before. You’ve invested time, money, and trust into an editor, and you feel if not betrayed, at least disillusioned. Your memoir isn’t any closer to being finished and now your document is marked up with comments and changes that you don’t know what to do with. Today I want to dive into why that is and how to re-empower yourself as the...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This episode is special for three reasons: First, we sit down to discuss this month's...

This episode is for the writer who is embarrassed to tell me how many times you’ve rewritten your draft. You’re committed and resilient, but yet that’s not resulting in a manuscript that you’re proud of and want others to read. The big reframe we get to explore today is that rewriting is not the same as revising. This is a big one, so let’s get into it. Free video 3 Hidden Reasons You Haven’t Fini...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Renegade Agency by Andrea Verbanic, and today is...

This episode is for the writer who makes time to write and is committed to her memoir, but still isn’t making any progress. If willpower could finish and publish your memoir, my job as a writing coach and editor would look a lot different. In today’s episode, I’ll show you why willpower actually isn’t your problem and how this reframe can refresh your entire writing process. Let’s get into it. Get...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Renegade Agency by Andrea Verbanic, and today is...

This episode is for the writer who sits down at her computer and realizes that she’s not having fun anymore. You may have started off feeling lit up, inspired, and creative, but now everything feels flat. You’re opening your document because you feel like you have to, not because you actually want to or feel that you’re making progress. But here’s the thing: You won’t ever finish if you’re writing...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. In September I dived deep into Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones, and today we actually...

This episode is for the writer who has looked into an editor and is intimidated by the average investment required to partner with a publishing professional. I know that there can be some sticker shock, especially if you’re new to publishing. I want you to come into this episode ready to orient yourself with where you are in your writing and ready to think critically about how you want to use an e...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones, and today is par...

This episode is for the writer who is intimidated by AI, especially as a creative writer. It can feel like ChatGPT is taking over everything, and the creative spaces are feeling the squeeze of technology. You wonder what AI actually means for creative spaces, for your writing, for your story. While I can’t cover every aspect of the AI conversation today, I do want to start a dialogue about how to...

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones. Let’s get starte...