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Note from the Editor: The following post is taken from Writer’s Time: Management That Works. This program functions with an open enrollment.

How do you prioritize your memoir writing time? Time management calls for understanding how you think of yourself and what you are willing to consider as important in your life. It entails becoming conscious of your priorities.

Prioritize your memoir writing time

While you cannot say “first priority”—prior means first in Latin and there cannot be a “first first”—you can have a number of things that are in first rank in your life: (more…)

Note from the Editor: The following post is taken from Writer’s Time: Management That Works. This program functions with an open enrollment.

The first step to maximize your writing time is to commit to writing your memoir—really commit. More than other choice, committing to write will focus you and make every other decision easier—and even sometimes unnecessary.

“But I already want to write my memoir!” I can hear some hypothetical writer protesting. “I am very interested.”

How “committed” manages time and how “interested in” does not

No, commitment is not about wanting to write a memoir, not about trying to write one, and not about being interested in writing one… (more…)

Note from the Editor: The following post is taken from the introduction to Writer’s Time: Management That Works. This program functions with an open enrollment. Registrations are being accepted now. Make time to write your memoir—now! There’s no denying that writing a memoir takes time—a lot of time. In this program, you will learn strategies for making time to write your memoir—and you probably have more time than you think! We understand your desire to write a memoir. We’re writers ourselves, and just like you, we have also yearned to preserve our stories in writing. We know all too well (more…)

Most of the people I work with opt for self-publication. As independently published authors, they are the ones who organize their own book launch. Writing a memoir is a long haul and it is refreshing to have an event to gather friends and family and fans together to acknowledge that an end and a beginning are occurring. The Memoir Network has participated in a number of book launches. Here is a distillation of what has made these launches successful.  Follow the tips below to organize a book launch. (more…)

A narrator problem can ruin a memoir.

A narrator problem can ruin a memoir. In 1996 and 1997, I composed about 200 pages of a memoir about my high school years and then could not continue. It was blocked; I was blocked. As a result, I stored the manuscript in various computers for all the while since then.

After having completed my mother’s memoir (We Were Not Spoiled), I was looking for a personal writing project I might devote myself to. The high school memoir was always in the back of my mind—had been for years. As I picked it up to peruse it, completing it seemed the next project. It is what I am working on now. (more…)

What to Do When There Are No Photos

The Memory List that you completed when you first began writing your memoir is integral to the writing process. The Memory List will suggest topics to write about, but what follows is additional tips you can use when you don’t have the photos. (more…)

Today, technology, better distribution and a growing interest in reclaiming regional identity makes publishing a memoir the right way a viable option for many authors who want their books to reach a wider circle than their immediate family and friends. It is not true that your book is not worthy to be read unless it has been purchased by a New York corporate publishing house. Self-publishing has many benefits, not the least of which are that you can control production decisions and can recoup your expenses.

(more…)

Journal Keeping Benefits

When keeping a journal—regular (even daily), some people feel a release of energy they don’t have in other writing forms. Because of that, journal keeping can be an important developmental experience for you both as a person and as a writer. Because the journal is private by definition, you can write in it without fear of how an audience might react. No one will ever see it. Not ever—unless you want them to!

Your journal is a kind of writing laboratory. Scientists use a laboratory to conduct experiments. They check what results from adding this to that, from changing relationships and quantities and sequences. Sometimes when the results are interesting and prove worth pursuing, they continue conducting experiments in similar areas, pairing these findings with those from other experiments.

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Who is writing your Memoir?

This may sound like a trick question but it’s not. In fact, it is a very serious question that will determine—or at least greatly influence—the tone and the theme of your narrative.

“But, I’m writing my memoirs! I’m the narrator,” you might answer. Yes, of course. You! But, which you? (more…)

prioritize your memoir writing time

Prioritize your memoir writing time

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Note from the Editor: The following post is taken from Writer’s Time: Management That Works. This program functions with an open enrollment. How do you prioritize your memoir writing time? Time management calls for understanding how you think of yourself and what you are willing to consider as important in your life. It entails becoming conscious […]

commit to writing your memoir

Commit to writing your best memoir with a time management strategy

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Note from the Editor: The following post is taken from Writer’s Time: Management That Works. This program functions with an open enrollment. The first step to maximize your writing time is to commit to writing your memoir—really commit. More than other choice, committing to write will focus you and make every other decision easier—and even sometimes […]

making time to write your memoir

Making time to write your memoir–Time management that works

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Note from the Editor: The following post is taken from the introduction to Writer’s Time: Management That Works. This program functions with an open enrollment. Registrations are being accepted now. Make time to write your memoir—now! There’s no denying that writing a memoir takes time—a lot of time. In this program, you will learn strategies […]

publish a book

Solving A Narrator Problem

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A narrator problem can ruin a memoir. I had put off completing the book because I could not resolve its thematic challenge—ultimately a narrator problem. (more…)

how to publish a memoir

Publishing A Memoir the Right Way

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Technological, better distribution systems and a growing interest in reclaiming identity makes self-publishing a memoir the right way a viable option for many authors who want their books to reach a wider circle than their immediate family and friends. It is not true that your book is not worthy to be read unless it has […]

The Memoir Network

3 Benefits of Keeping a Journal

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Keeping a journal can be a useful tool when you are writing your memoir. When keeping a regular journal, some people feel a release of energy they don’t have in other writing forms. (more…)

Memoir Writing

A Narrator Issue: Who is Writing Your Memoir?

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Who is writing your memoir? This may sound like a trick question but it’s not. In fact, it is a very serious question that will determine—or at least greatly influence—the tone and the theme of your narrative. “But, I’m writing my memoirs!” you might answer. Yes, of course. You! But, which you? We’ve all had […]