9 Steps to Finishing Your Memoir
I did a market research survey a couple of months ago, and the results told me two things: 1) You want to finish your manuscript and 2) You want personalized support. While I can’t draw up a personal editorial plan for each and every person reading this*, I can show you how to create your own plan to finish your memoir. The secret? Incorporate mindset with actual writing strategies.
1) Open (or close) your manuscript.
This one is funny, because it depends entirely on how you’ve been interacting with your manuscript up to this point. Are you a writer whose manuscript has been haunting you, languishing in an unopened folder on your computer? If you’re a writer who has been so overwhelmed by the process, then I want you to take a few minutes and reacquaint yourself with your draft (however messy). Read through what you have and get your bearings.
On the flip side, if you’re a writer who cannot stop fiddling with your words, who is so in your own head that you can’t even think straight, I want you to close your manuscript. Close your computer, and take a break. While dedicating time to your writing is important, we want that time to be effective, and at some point you reach a stage where opening that manuscript doesn’t really get you anywhere. So if that’s you, step back, breathe, and feel that heart rate lower.
2) Remind yourself that you are a writer.
Doubt and imposter syndrome come so easily. Especially if we are new writers, new to the publication journey, doubt can rush in as a flash flood, prompting us to doubt every dream we ever had and consider dropping them forever.
But here’s the secret: You are a writer.
If you want to write, you can learn to write. If you want to write your story, then consider yourself called to write your story.
When you can repeat to yourself, “I am a writer, and my story matters,” then you will rewire your brain over time to believe this. Every writer at some point has doubted whether or not they can do this. You’re in good company. You are a writer.
3) Decide what you want to say.
What do you want to say with your story? I’m not asking what story you want to write, but rather what do you want to say with your story? A memoir is a narrative, not an account, and you need to be crystal clear on what you actually want your reader to take away from your story. (If you’re unclear on why this is important, you’ll want to listen to this episode of the podcast!)
When you know what you want to say, then figuring out how to say it will be so much easier.
4) Define your finish line.
When you say, “I just want to finish my memoir!” what does that actually mean for you? Because publishing is such an intricate and involved process, you could have several types of “finish lines.” If your finish line is “publish my memoir,” you’re more likely to stall out. That goal is vague, broad, and overwhelming. You want a more concrete finish line.
Finish your first draft
Complete your current round of revisions
Clean up with copyedits and proofreading
Format, design, and prepare for self-publishing
Research literary agents and create a book proposal
When you know what your definition of “finished” is, the next step will be so much easier.
5) Sketch out a plan.
We’re going to take that finish line and break it down into smaller landmarks for you to reach. If your finish line is just to have a first draft, then your plan could include creating a more detailed outline, a list of chapters to finish, and won’t need to include things that you will want to address later on (like line edits, copyedits, and proofreading). Take your finish line and make it smaller. Sketching out a writing plan doesn’t mean that you’re chaining yourself to inflexibility. A plan allows you to see the smaller parts of your goals and gives yourself a valuable reference point to move forward. This plan is a tool that can be fiddled with, changed, and morphed into whatever you need it to be.
6) Take your manuscript and run it through your core message.
Remember what we did back in step 3? I want you to take that core message (a thesis, if you will) and use it as a filter for what you’ve already written. Take whatever you’ve written, no matter how messy, and run it through that core message. What fits within that message? What doesn’t? When you encounter content that doesn’t fit the thesis, you set it aside. (You definitely don’t change your core message to fit what you’ve already written; you adjust what you’ve already written to fit the thesis.) Setting aside writing that doesn’t fit doesn’t mean that what you wrote doesn’t have a place anywhere; it just doesn’t have a place in this particular manuscript. Your thesis offers you a less emotional way of deciding what fits and what doesn’t.
7) Set timers.
Timers can be so helpful to the writing process. You can use timers in two different ways: to hold yourself accountable and to remind you to take a break. In The Memoir Method Live (my signature group program), we have weekly co-writing sessions where we all come together virtually and write for 90 minutes. This weekly meeting is a fantastic tool in ensuring that these writers sit down to focus and write.
If you can focus for too long (I’m looking at you, ADHD writers!) you might need a timer to remind you to take a break. You don’t want to push yourself so hard that you burn out for a week. Use timers to pace yourself and maintain your creative energy.
8) Set up a discouragement game plan.
Just as doubt comes in (from step 2), discouragement will set in. It’s practically baked into the writing process. You will reach a point where you don’t know what you’re doing or why you’re doing it. That’s why setting up a discouragement game plan now is such a good idea. A discouragement game plan will help you know what to do before you hit that slump. This plan can include just about anything:
Take a break! (One day, one week, whatever you need to reset)
Do something else you’re good at (bonus points if it’s something more tactile, like baking, sewing, or rock climbing)
Move your body (ignite those endorphins and flush out that stress)
Reread part of your memoir you’re really proud of
Journal through the beliefs you’re carrying about your writing and your memoir (some of them may not be serving you well)
Check in with a friend (or even an editor!)
When you have a discouragement game plan, you’ll be able to bounce back faster and dive back into writing with a refreshed and renewed mind.
9) Establish an accountability system.
Are you someone who can easily hold yourself accountable? Or do you need someone to check in with? However you’re wired (I like to give myself presents when I reach milestones!), set up a system that will keep you accountable to your goals. I know that it can be scary to share this dream with someone else, but keeping it secret for too long will make it easier to bury it when you get overwhelmed. You can confide in a friend or partner, join an online writing community, or parter with an editor. However you need accountability, set that up now so that it’s in place for when you really need it.
You’ll cross that finish line.
If you go through these steps and think critically about your writing and your writing process, you will carve a clear path to your finish line. The magic of these steps is that they combine real writing techniques with reliable mindset strategies, and as a writer, both are essential. You’ve got this, friend. I cannot wait to see what you create next!
If this post resonates with you, you will love my program The Speedway. Head here to hop on the waitlist and be the first to know when enrollment next opens.
*Though, if you do want 1:1 support, head here and we’ll chat.
