You start with a burst of writing motivation. You are super energized! You have the best motivation for writing—ever!
“By gosh, this memoir is going to get written and it’s going to be good!” you tell yourself. And the writing flows for the first while. Your energy remains high. You write regularly and you think about how to make your memoir better and better. At last, you feel like you are a “real writer!”
Then, you stall.
A day—or two or three—goes by without any writing. Then that “not writing” repeats itself the next week.
“But that’s ok,” you tell yourself. “I’m just taking a few days off.” But…
The few days off eventually become many days off, and the memoir begins to seem a bit less interesting.
You realize you aren’t making much progress. You may even be losing the feel of what you were creating. Your commitment for writing your memoir is on the wane. You may ask yourself…
“Is this really worth my time to write?”
You have entered a dangerous path! It leads to quitting. Your motivation for writing your memoir is wavering. It is at risk of disappearing.
Don’t go down that way—at least for long!
If you want to renew your motivation for writing
Below are articles whose goal is to help you to sustain your motivation for writing your memoir for the long run of creating a memoir.
No one said it was going to be easy—just that you can do it. The fact is…
Many people just like you have written interesting and meaningful memoirs and so can you.
In conclusion
Keep your motivation for writing strong!
[watch this video for motivation to write your memoir]
What to Do to Stay in the Memoir-Writing Conversation—And Why it’s Important.
I read professional journals. Poets and Writers from cover to cover. I receive the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance e-newsletter weekly. It’s a membership newsletter and comes chock full of news about what other writers are doing, readings schedules, and announcements of book publications. Do you have… (more…)
Ten Questions On Memoir Writing
(The following interview appeared in the Nov. 19, 2010, Oral History Education blog.) How did you get started in your profession of memoir writing? I started writing autobiography-based fiction. Some of these have won literary awards, and, while I like that, I feel the most satisfaction from helping readers who are stimulated to tell their […]
Three Causes of “Writer’s Block”
Many writers suffer from writer’s block, yet few understand its possible causes. Memoir writing certainly has its difficulties which can cause writer’s block. (more…)
Eight Reasons to Share the Inner You
Our lives are composed not only of facts and dates but also of dreams, expectations–realized or denied–and hopes. You are not alone in having lived an inner life. Others too have experienced much of what you felt and dreamed for yourself and are likely to identify with some, or even much, of what you say. […]
Get Your Memoir Going Again
Writing a memoir is a long-term project. Like all long-term projects, it has its ups and downs. Get your memoir going again. (more…)
Writer’s Block Is Often Caused by Lack of Discipline
Some people successfully use the notion of writer’s block to convince friends and family that, while they’re real writers, they just happen not to be producing–but a person can do this only for a while. Remember: you can never successfully use writer’s block to get your stories written! (more…)
Your Subject—Where Write With Passion Starts
“What to write about in a memoir?” is a basic question. The right answer will keep you writing and the wrong may lead you to believe that writing a memoir is too hard and not for you. My answer to what to write about in a memoir is always to write about something important to […]
Writing Tips for Successful Writing
Recently, someone asked me what are the biggest barriers memoir writers face to being successful. Three came to mind right away… (more…)
Polish Your Autobiography Easily
Is Your Autobiography Compelling? Granted everyone has stories to tell, but can ordinary people learn the skills and techniques necessary to write meaningful and interesting autobiography? Yes! Anyone who wants to can learn the tasks necessary to write a memoir to bequeath with pride to their children and grandchildren. Every step in the writing process […]