The Memoir Method Podcast

This is a series where I take published memoir that you can find at any bookstore and run it through the perspectives and lenses and frameworks that I use with my writers to help you figure out what works in memoir and why it works or what doesn't work in memoir and why that might not work. Our first book, I'll be spending a couple episodes on this with you, is Careless People by Sarah Wynn Willia...

This episode is for the writer who keeps saying, I just need more time, or maybe I'm just not ready yet, or need to have one more round of edits. I'm going to say the thing that no one else is saying. I'm going to talk about what's really holding you back. Because your publishing fate is not with an agent. It's not with an editor. What happens to you as an author in the publishing industry is 100...

This episode is the kickoff for a new series on The Memoir Method podcast where I examine already published memoir with an editorial eye: what works, what doesn't, and why. Our first memoir on the examination docket is Careless People by Sarah Wynn Williams, a behind-the-scenes, tell-all memoir about working for Facebook and Meta. This is part 1 of 2. Buy your copy of Careless People here. If you...

This episode is for the writer who looks at the headlines and freezes. The world is overwhelming and scary and uncertain. It can be hard to know what your role is, because there seems to be so much that we could do but sometimes we wonder if any of it actually makes a difference. This episode is your reminder that what you bring to the table matters, especially with your writing. Let’s get into it...

This episode is for the writer who is ready to be an author. The writers who find themselves in my world do not just want to write a book, they want to be a published author. I’m here to show you that what happens with writers in my spaces goes beyond the manuscript and invites them into a whole new identity as an author. The work of The Memoir Method is transformational in every way, and I’m exci...

This episode is for the writer who dreads the querying process. You know how things are supposed to go when it comes to traditional publishing, and you believe that traditional publishing is the only legitimate way to get your work out there. But secretly, you hate the hoops you have to jump through with traditional publishing. You hate the rejection and feel that there has to be a better way. The...

This episode is for the writer who is afraid to call herself a writer. If I had a magic wand, she'd want me to use it to make her feel like who she wants to be. She's looking outward to find that validation as an author that she deeply desires, but the secret that we're going into today is that no one can give you that identity except yourself. We're going deep today, friend. Let's go. Instantly a...

This episode is for the writer who is ready to reimagine memoir. There's a lot about the publishing industry, about memoir, about storytelling, about creative nonfiction that doesn't necessarily serve us. And there are a lot of rules that we feel are a part of the publishing industry, and you're not wrong. And so this episode is for the writer who is ready to challenge those rules, who's ready to...

This is an episode for the writer who thinks they just need more time to figure out their book. I get it, you’re a perfectionist. You’re waiting for everything to be just right. Just one more beta reader, one more editing pass, one more read-through—and wait! You can change that and rework that and move those scenes around. Your writing time is beginning to feel more like a groundhogs day (and whe...

This is an episode for the writer who wonders if their story is even worth telling. We’ve been talking a lot over the past few episodes about clarity and purpose in your memoir, but what happens when that imposter syndrome creeps in. While I like to keep Tuesday episodes specifically about writers that I work with, today I want that writer to be YOU. I speaking directly to and about you today, and...

This is an episode for the writer who keeps rewriting the same chapters—without getting anywhere. I’ve talked a little bit about the memoir rewrite cycle, where you slip into overwriting and overediting, because you think that one more pass will magically make things click. Today I want to go deeper into this concept and talk about how to use your clarity to support your manuscript. Let’s spend so...

This episode is for the writer who is over-complicating the process. I'm going to share a bit about my own writing process and projects and show you how what I teach actually works and how I apply it to my own work. Publishing is a weird industry with a lot of smoke and mirrors to it, and I want to help you see the craft of writing differently so that you can interact with your writing in a refres...

This is an episode for the writer who keeps searching for the perfect structure. You have rewritten the same sections over and over. You've worked on flow. You've adjusted pacing. You've been rewriting and rewriting and rewriting, but you still don't feel finished. You still don't feel like you're ready to move on to the next stage. So this episode is for you, my friend. Let's get into it. Take my...

This episode is about a writer who was worried about the wrong things when it came to her memoir. She thought that her writing was the problem, when really the vision behind her manuscript was foggy. I want to take you behind the scenes of my high-level editing work and show you how to figure out what your actual problem is (because it’s not that you’re a bad writer). Take my free memoir quiz here...

This episode is for the writer who stares at their computer screen wondering what to do next. You scroll through your manuscript document and feel at a loss for how you actually need to be spending your time. You’re at the stage where everything about your manuscript feels messy—and it is. Today we’re going to decode that for you and give you your next right step when it comes to your writing and...

This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. It is for the writer who has written a LOT. Like, thousands and thousands and thousands of words. Writing that much material can eventually feel crippling, and then you’re sitting there, staring at your computer with no idea what to actually do with it. Today I’m sharing a story of a writer...

This episode is for the writer burned out on Google searches. You’ve Googled “memoir advice” so many times that you know what to expect in that first page of search results. You may have even found this podcast through a search like that! Before you waste any more time combing through free memoir content, I want you to take a step back and assess what is actually helping you. That’s what this epis...

This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. I’m talking today about a writer who had tapped into every free piece of content she could find—and it kind of backfired on her. I’ll show you what she was doing, what mindsets and perspectives we shifted, and how that impacted her memoir manuscript. Sign up for my email list here. You can...

This episode is for the writer who doesn’t know what she doesn’t know. If you are feeling stuck, feeling that block, but can’t put your finger on why , then you’re probably right in the middle of a blindspot. And the hard thing about blindspots is that they can sabotage your memoir without you even realizing it. I want to dig into that today and shine some light on what you might not know you don’...

This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. I’m talking about a writer who, like many of you, came to me with tens of thousands of words but no direction for them. I want to tell you about how she took those words and used an editorial strategy to make sense of the draft that she’d already written. Join my email list to be the first...

This episode is for the writer who has what novelist Ann Lamott has coined the “shitty first draft.” You’ve written thousands and thousands of words, and truth be told, it’s not that great. But what do you actually do with a shitty first draft? That’s what I want to talk about today. Unlock instant access to the Memoir Strategy Collection here . This Memoir masterclass collection  is a series...

This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. I’m talking to the writer who wants to be an author , holding their published book in their hands and connecting with real readers on the other side. I’ll share insights and breakthroughs a past writer of mine had when we worked together when she came to me frustrated that her completed man...

This episode is for the writer who is operating under the misconception that every single detail and story has to be included in her manuscript for her memoir to be true. This is a common misunderstanding about memoir, and the truth of this is that if you can create an editorial strategy or filter for your manuscript, it will be clear which stories belong in your memoir and which ones don’t. I’ll...

This episode is for the writer who has received some lackluster feedback. Maybe she’s already invested in an editor, but they didn’t tell her how to fix any of the manuscript’s problems. This episode is all about the importance of developing an author’s perspective and how that will translate into the work you do in revisions. Let’s get into it. So, after I recorded this episode I actually changed...

This episode is for the writer who is over-editing and over-writing (you know who you are!). You look at the same paragraphs over and over and think if you just tweak it a little more you’ll find the sweet spot. But what ends up happening is that you actually just spend your time in the same passages not making any real progress at all. This episode is for you. Enroll in Memoir Clarity for just $3...