The Page & Podium Podcast with Dr. Amanda Nell Edgar

Writing your first memoir can feel especially unsettling because there is so much you can’t know at the beginning. Will you struggle with the outline? Will you know what to include? Will your family be upset? Will the book change the way you understand your own life? In this episode, we’re talking about what to expect when you write your first memoir—from developing your natural voice and building...

Writing can feel isolating, and many memoirists make it even harder by keeping their process completely private. But talking about your work—especially early on—is one of the most powerful habits you can build. It strengthens your clarity, deepens your confidence, and makes the entire journey more sustainable. In this episode, we’re exploring why looping your family and friends into your writing p...

Ideas feel electric when they first arrive—shiny, energizing, full of promise. But once you start trying to turn that spark into an actual memoir, the glow fades and the idea can suddenly feel heavy, ambiguous, or even burdensome. Is it really worth the effort, or was it only meant to live in your imagination? In this episode, we’re breaking down five traits of strong, marketable memoir ideas so y...

Writers often imagine the process as two extremes: totally stuck or pouring words onto the page like a divine download. And while that floodgate moment feels magical, many memoirists hit the “end” only to realize the draft that arrived so easily now feels confusing, incomplete, or not quite up to their own standards. In this episode, we’re talking about what to do after the dreamy, exhilarating ru...

There is more writing advice available than any memoir writer could ever fully consume—and somehow, it can still leave you feeling lost, overwhelmed, and underprepared. Not because the advice is bad, but because general writing advice can only take you so far. In this episode, we’re talking about why binging memoir advice can quietly become a form of procrastination, how to tell the difference bet...

You can pour hours into your memoir and still not be moving forward in any meaningful way. Sometimes the draft feels stuck, but other times the stuckness hides under all that effort—you’re writing, revising, generating pages, yet not getting any closer to the book you imagine: personal, true, and excellent. In this episode, we’re breaking down the subtle signs that your memoir might be secretly st...

Writing a memoir isn’t just about stacking sentences until you have a book—it’s about understanding the stages that shape long form work. In this episode, we break down the five stages of memoir writing—dreaming, development, drafting, revisions, and editing—and explore why clarity about each stage helps you conserve creative energy, avoid missteps, and build a stronger, more intentional manuscrip...

When you’re energized and ready to write, it’s easy to dive in without thinking about the simple systems that make a long haul writing practice sustainable. But after a break—whether a week or a year—most writers discover they first have to find everything they’ve already created. Outlines, notes, false starts, and even finished chapters can end up scattered across devices or buried in vague file...

After years of working with writers and crafting memoirs ourselves, we’ve learned what truly helps authors move from inspiration to a finished book. At Page & Podium Press, our goal is to demystify the writing process and make memoir feel possible for every writer who feels called to tell their story. This week, we’re breaking down the foundational philosophy behind our work and behind The Mem...

So many writers feel like they’re slogging through mud—not because they lack ideas, but because they’re buried under decisions about structure, scope, and what a memoir is “supposed” to be. With endless advice available and no clear way to apply it, progress can feel impossible. Today we’re breaking down why writers get stuck, how to recognize whether you’re suffering from option overload or const...

Writing a memoir is a huge undertaking, and one of the earliest hurdles many first time authors face is figuring out how long the process should take. With flashy programs promising a finished book in weeks and horror stories of drafts dragging on for years, it’s easy to feel pressure from both directions. But rushing your memoir often slows you down — especially if you care about producing a thou...

Writers are often told, “It should be as long as it needs to be,” but that well meaning advice can leave first time authors wandering in the dark. How can you know what a book “needs” before you’ve written it, and what happens when you ignore the expectations of readers and the realities of publishing? In this episode, we’re breaking down why constraints are not the enemy of creativity—they’re the...

If you’ve been with us for a while, you know we’re unapologetic structure queens—because a strong narrative spine is one of the most essential elements of a successful memoir. But structure doesn’t mean sameness. In this episode, we dig into how memoirists can honor the craft of clear, intentional structure while still bending expectations, experimenting with form, and weaving in creative twists t...

Writing a book isn’t a straight shot from idea to finished manuscript—it’s a long, creative journey filled with pauses, slowdowns, and moments that feel like a full stop. This episode breaks down why those pauses are not only normal but essential, how to recognize the different kinds of slowdowns, and how to return to your project with clarity instead of shame. If you’ve ever worried that a break...

Every writer knows the intoxicating feeling of a memoir idea that seems complete before a single word is written. But once you start drafting, the shine fades, the path blurs, and the story that felt so clear becomes slippery. It’s tempting to skip outlining altogether, convinced it will box in your creativity. Today we’re unpacking that myth, exploring why inspiration alone can’t carry a full man...

Writing vivid scenes in memoir can feel like walking a tightrope: you want the immediacy and sensory richness of fiction, but you’re working with the famously unreliable material of human memory. Many writers panic over the details they can’t recall perfectly, worrying that anything less than total accuracy is a betrayal of the truth. In this episode, we unpack why perfect recall isn’t the goal, h...

Memoirists face a unique challenge: our lives offer endless beginnings, but endings can be elusive. Your memoir’s bookends aren’t determined by your lifespan—they’re defined by the arc of the topic you’re exploring and the transformation it brings. But what if you’re still living through the final chapters? Today’s conversation digs into how to choose your starting point, how to think about ending...

So many writers hesitate to start because they’re convinced everyone else knows the “real rules” of writing—rules they somehow missed. That fear often comes from school, where we were taught that mastery comes after learning a tidy list of dos and don’ts. But creative work doesn’t operate that way. In fact, many writing “rules” are oversimplified, outdated, or so broadly applied that they do more...

An outline isn’t a boring pre draft chore—it’s the backbone that keeps your memoir from collapsing under the weight of endless pages or endless restarts. In this episode, we dig into why outlining is the most powerful antidote to two of the biggest memoir killers: lack of structure and perpetual puttering. You’ll learn how a solid outline becomes both the spine of your book and the map that keeps...

A polished, professional book doesn’t happen by accident, but it doesn’t require a traditional publishing deal, either. As more authors bring their work to market independently, the old assumptions about what counts as “real” publishing are quickly fading. Today’s self published books can match the quality of major houses, and readers are responding with the same loyalty and excitement. In this co...

We talk a lot about “gatekeepers” in publishing—agents, editors, critics, readers—but the most powerful one is often the person staring back at you in the mirror. In this episode, we explore how writers unintentionally block their own progress by judging their ideas, their voice, and their worthiness long before anyone else ever sees their work. If you’ve ever felt like you’re standing in your own...

Writing a memoir isn’t about waiting for the perfect stretch of free time. It’s about building a writing rhythm that fits your real life. In this episode, we dig into why “write every day” is often unrealistic, why relying on rare big blocks of time keeps you stuck, and how to create a sustainable routine that actually supports finishing your book. If you’ve struggled to stay consistent, this conv...

If you’ve ever stumbled through the question “What’s your memoir about?” you’re not alone. Even though memoir springs from lived experience, you can’t—and shouldn’t—try to fit your whole life into one book. Instead, choosing a clear central topic helps you focus, refine your message, and create a more powerful reading experience. Today’s conversation explores three essential reasons to define your...

Writing a memoir stirs up a whole mix of emotions—excitement, fear, anticipation, and the quiet urge to wait “just a little longer.” Many writers worry about starting too soon, but waiting too long carries its own risks. Memoir is deeply personal, year long work, and stepping into it can feel vulnerable. In this video, we’re breaking down the four foundational steps that help transform early anxie...

Unlock the craft behind the memoirs you love. Last week, we explored why reading like a writer matters: how it sharpens your instincts, deepens your craft, and reveals the invisible architecture that makes a story work. This week, we’re going behind the curtain. Whether you’re drafting your first chapter or revising a full manuscript, reading like a writer is your most reliable training ground. We...