Memoir Writing

Last time I told you about the woman who had been carrying her story for years and couldn’t make herself begin. The woman who’d told it privately but couldn’t go public with it. That woman was me, six years ago. And what I said was: I eventually figured out that what I was afraid of…

Six years ago, there was a woman who had already written the hardest parts of her story in her head. Probably a thousand times. She knew exactly which moments carried the most weight and which ones she’d have to find a way to write around. She just couldn’t make herself out there where other people…

Yesterday on Substack, someone asked if “pantser vs. plotter” was basically the Enneagram for writers. Note: That’s nerdy writer-speak for: do you plan, or do you write by the seat of your pants? So I had to follow that thread to think about the real reason writing your story feels hard, especially for memoir writers. Naturally,…

Why Sharing Our Stories Matters If you’ve ever wondered whether sharing your story is worth it — whether anyone will care, whether it’s too messy, too personal, or too much — this post is for you. I’m resharing something I wrote in April 2022 that articulates exactly why I believe so deeply in the power…

For the woman with notes, questions, and a story she has not said out loud yet Most women I know, especially women around my age, are carrying big questions. Have I made good decisions? Are my kids going to be okay? How do I care for my aging parents? What do I want this next…

A reflection on midlife disorientation, the fear of telling the truth, and why the story you hesitate to name may be the one that helps you make sense of your life. At some point, a lot of women look up and realize the life in front of them is not the one they thought they…