Finishing My Memoir – The Memoir Network | RSS

The Work of Writing a Memoir Can Be Hard, But You Can Succeed!

Denis Ledoux — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 15:10:14 +0000

No one said it would be easy to show up and do the work of writing a book! “This is hard,” you think as you look at your production. “perhaps I’m not cut out for this.” (more…)

What Kind of Stalled Writer Are You – And What to Do About It

Denis Ledoux — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:36:27 +0000

An unfinished manuscript haunts a writer, sapping energy that ought to go into more writing. Over the years of editing and coaching, I’ve noticed that there seem to be two sorts of people who do not finish their manuscripts. (more…)

How to Write the Last Chapter of a Memoir

Denis Ledoux — Tue, 06 May 2025 20:00:00 +0000

“How do I write the last chapter of a memoir?” coaching and editing clients will sometimes ask me, wondering how to end a memoir. It is a good question because the last chapter of a memoir is your final shot at affirming your theme and at creating a satisfying and meaningful ending to the story […]

Another memoir finished: what was the writing process?

Denis Ledoux — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:33:57 +0000

Writers can doubt their process. This is understandable as writing a memoir is a long undertaking that can—and usually does—have many discouraging moments. (more…)

Monday Focus: “Commit to staying the course.”

Denis Ledoux — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 16:16:32 +0000

Your commitment to writing your memoir must be ongoing. Today, I’m offering tactics to help sustain your motivation to finish your memoir. (more…)

Showing up for my memoir– again!

Denis Ledoux — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000

DL: This is a reprint of a post that appeared in September of 2022. It strikes me as pertinent for many readers of The Lifewriter’s Digest. The final publication of French Boy took another year. I republish this both to present a proven process and to own that I have my challenges, too. I’m not […]

Use Time Wisely to Write Your Memoir

Denis Ledoux — Tue, 02 Jan 2024 13:05:35 +0000

Use time wisely to write your memoir. Writing is important and you have less time than you think you do. (more…)

When Writers Lose Interest,  It Might Actually Be Healthy

Denis Ledoux — Thu, 14 Dec 2023 16:59:43 +0000

It’s common for a writer to find that she has written much about a period of her life that is now uninteresting to her. Though she wrote with enthusiasm, intending to include this material in her memoir, it doesn’t seem to merit inclusion now. She may be despondent. “I worked so hard! Now I want […]

12 Reasons People Quit Writing a Memoir… and how to reverse some of them.

Denis Ledoux — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 20:13:22 +0000

Have you quit writing your memoir? Why? What would help you keep writing? Here’s a list of reasons why people quit writing a memoir. (more…)

Beginning the End Stage Before Publication

Denis Ledoux — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 20:51:54 +0000

Last week, I realized I needed to acknowledge to myself that I was in the end stage before publication of writing my memoir. For one thing, I finally came up with a name—French Boy / A 1950s Franco-American Chidhood—that I’m likely to keep. (So many titles in the trash!) This title reveals the content of […]