This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Renegade Agency by Andrea Verbanic, and today is part 2.

This episode is for the writer who makes time to write and is committed to her memoir, but still isn’t making any progress. If willpower could finish and publish your memoir, my job as a writing coach and editor would look a lot different. In today’s episode, I’ll show you why willpower actually isn’t your problem and how this reframe can refresh your entire writing process. Let’s get into it.

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Renegade Agency by Andrea Verbanic, and today is part 1.

This episode is for the writer who sits down at her computer and realizes that she’s not having fun anymore. You may have started off feeling lit up, inspired, and creative, but now everything feels flat. You’re opening your document because you feel like you have to, not because you actually want to or feel that you’re making progress. But here’s the thing: You won’t ever finish if you’re writing to check a box. So today I want to help you tap back into what it would feel like to come at your memoir draft with creativity again. Let’s get into it!

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. In September I dived deep into Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones, and today we actually get to talk to Annie! Let’s welcome her to the show!

This episode is for the writer who has looked into an editor and is intimidated by the average investment required to partner with a publishing professional. I know that there can be some sticker shock, especially if you’re new to publishing. I want you to come into this episode ready to orient yourself with where you are in your writing and ready to think critically about how you want to use an editor’s expertise. We can’t talk about publishing (and especially independent publishing) without talking about money, so let’s get started.

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones, and today is part 2.

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Ordinary Time by Annie B. Jones. Let’s get started.

This episode is for the writer who is ready to take a serious look at their work. Part of becoming a published author is the ability to get honest and serious about your own writing and drafts. Memoir can make this especially difficult, but I’m here to show you how and when to go into editing your own work. I know it’s intimidating, and it’s also a skill that you can learn! Let’s get started.

This episode is for the writer who is writing, has a big chunk of a manuscript even, but isn’t sure about when to enlist the help of an editor. I’ve worked with a lot of writers who have had negative or lackluster experiences with editors before, and my intention in this episode is to empower you to choose the right editor at the right time with the right manuscript. Let’s get started.

This episode is for the writer who wants to make sure that the reader will be on her side and know what she’s thinking and what she’s experiencing. Writing yourself as a character can be tricky, because you can assume the reader either needs explanations that are actually too much information or that the reader can read your mind. Today we’re going to learn how to see yourself as a character and how to know when to trust your reader and when they need a little hand holding. Let’s get started.

This episode is for the writer who is afraid that no one will buy their book. You want people to read, buy, and share your book, but you don’t actually believe that it will happen. Breaking into the publishing world feels so out of reach that you’re paralyzed with the prospect of building an author platform and that fear that no one will buy your book is loud. I’m here in this episode to disrupt that internal narrative you have playing right now, because the truth is that you have readers waiting for you. You just have to start the conversation already! Let’s get started.

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Sociopath by Patric Gagne. You can find part 1 of this month’s breakdown back in episode 83.

This episode is for the writer who still calls themselves aspiring. I'm going to get a little salty in this episode because the truth is that that single word is cannibalizing your author career. Spoiler alert, if you think about yourself as an aspiring writer, it will take you a hell of a lot longer to publish your book than you want. Let's talk about it.

This episode is part of a series where I take already published memoir and break down what works and why (and what doesn’t work and why). I’ve found that when I’m teaching my Memoir Method concepts to my writers, they benefit from seeing how these principles play out in memoir that you can find at the bookstore. This month I’m looking at the memoir Sociopath by Patric Gagne.

This episode is for the writer who can’t even imagine what publication will look like for them. You are so stuck in the weeds of writing and editing that even thinking about what happens after you finish your draft overwhelms you. I want this episode to be a gentle invitation for you to rethink how you feel about the publication process. Perhaps it’s not the work of writing and publishing that is overwhelming but the way you think about it. Let’s have this conversation, and see what comes up.

This episode is for the writer who wants to better understand the publishing industry.

Pop culture has sold us a very shiny, very curated picture of the publishing industry—New York skyscrapers, champagne book launches, and the lucky author who got picked from the slush pile. But here’s the truth: publishing is an industry, and when you understand it for what it really is, you get to take back control over your own career as a memoir author. Today, I want to give you a crash course in how the publishing industry has evolved—and what that means for authors right now. The more informed you are as an author, the more power you have over your career, and my intention for this episode is for you to see that you actually do have all the control over your trajectory and career as a memoir author. Let’s get started.

This episode is for the writer who has had to refine what they think memoir is. We’ve been sold a specific concept of memoir through publishing, and you’ve likely gone into the process with certain beliefs and ideas about the genre and the writing process. And then, to no one’s surprise, the experience of writing is so much different from what you had thought it would be. In today’s episode I’m going into four things that I had wrong about memoir and how reframing my beliefs about writing and the genre transformed both how I write and how I edit.

This episode is for the writer who thinks (or used to think) that self-publishing is, for whatever reason, less than traditional publishing. When you think of self-published books you think of Comic Sans, cheesy covers, and awkward marketing. You’ve been taught to consider self-published as lower quality, that traditional publishing equates to “good writing.” In this episode I want to debunk the skepticism around self-publishing and invite you into a new way of seeing your memoir within the publishing landscape.