The Memoir Method Podcast

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.

Enroll in The Memoir Method today, (Phase 1 and Phase 2 are available instant access!).

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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.

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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 t...

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.

Sociopath by Patric Gagne.

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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.

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Enroll in The Memoir Method today, (Phase 1 is available instant access!).

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

Sociopath by Patric Gagne.

Enroll in The Memoir Method today (phase 1 available instant access!).

You ca...

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.

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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 evol...

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 an...

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.

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This is a series where I take published memoir that you can find at any bookstore and run it through the perspectives and lenses and frameworks that I use with my writers to help you figure out what works in memoir and why it works or what doesn't work in memoir and why that might not work. Our first book, I'll be spending a couple episodes on this with you, is Careless People by Sarah Wynn Williams. This is part 2.

Learn how to use the narrative techniques I talk about in this episode inside...

This episode is for the writer who keeps saying, I just need more time, or maybe I'm just not ready yet, or need to have one more round of edits. I'm going to say the thing that no one else is saying. I'm going to talk about what's really holding you back. Because your publishing fate is not with an agent. It's not with an editor. What happens to you as an author in the publishing industry is 100 percent in your control. Let's get into it.

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This episode is the kickoff for a new series on The Memoir Method podcast where I examine already published memoir with an editorial eye: what works, what doesn't, and why. Our first memoir on the examination docket is Careless People by Sarah Wynn Williams, a behind-the-scenes, tell-all memoir about working for Facebook and Meta. This is part 1 of 2.

Buy your copy of Careless People here.

If you want to refine your own editorial eye and apply these principles to your memoir manuscript, check out my free, private podcast series...

This episode is for the writer who looks at the headlines and freezes. The world is overwhelming and scary and uncertain. It can be hard to know what your role is, because there seems to be so much that we could do but sometimes we wonder if any of it actually makes a difference. This episode is your reminder that what you bring to the table matters, especially with your writing. Let’s get into it.

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This episode is for the writer who is ready to be an author. The writers who find themselves in my world do not just want to write a book, they want to be a published author. I’m here to show you that what happens with writers in my spaces goes beyond the manuscript and invites them into a whole new identity as an author. The work of The Memoir Method is transformational in every way, and I’m excited to invite you into the process.

Jump into The Memoir Method here.

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This episode is for the writer who dreads the querying process. You know how things are supposed to go when it comes to traditional publishing, and you believe that traditional publishing is the only legitimate way to get your work out there. But secretly, you hate the hoops you have to jump through with traditional publishing. You hate the rejection and feel that there has to be a better way. The good news? There is. In today’s episode I’m taking you through Andrea’s story and how her work with The Memoir Method transformed not just her manusc...

This episode is for the writer who is afraid to call herself a writer. If I had a magic wand, she'd want me to use it to make her feel like who she wants to be. She's looking outward to find that validation as an author that she deeply desires, but the secret that we're going into today is that no one can give you that identity except yourself. We're going deep today, friend. Let's go.

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This episode is for the writer who is ready to reimagine memoir. There's a lot about the publishing industry, about memoir, about storytelling, about creative nonfiction that doesn't necessarily serve us. And there are a lot of rules that we feel are a part of the publishing industry, and you're not wrong. And so this episode is for the writer who is ready to challenge those rules, who's ready to challenge how the industry works, who is ready to play the game of publishing instead of having the game play you. Let's get into it.

This is an episode for the writer who thinks they just need more time to figure out their book. I get it, you’re a perfectionist. You’re waiting for everything to be just right. Just one more beta reader, one more editing pass, one more read-through—and wait! You can change that and rework that and move those scenes around. Your writing time is beginning to feel more like a groundhogs day (and when you’re honest with yourself, you’re kind of sick of it). What you need isn’t more time, it’s more clarity. Let’s get into it.<...

This is an episode for the writer who wonders if their story is even worth telling. We’ve been talking a lot over the past few episodes about clarity and purpose in your memoir, but what happens when that imposter syndrome creeps in. While I like to keep Tuesday episodes specifically about writers that I work with, today I want that writer to be YOU. I speaking directly to and about you today, and I’m looking forward to the breakthroughs that you’re going to be having.

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This is an episode for the writer who keeps rewriting the same chapters—without getting anywhere. I’ve talked a little bit about the memoir rewrite cycle, where you slip into overwriting and overediting, because you think that one more pass will magically make things click. Today I want to go deeper into this concept and talk about how to use your clarity to support your manuscript. Let’s spend some time exploring what it actually looks like to have clarity in your memoir manuscript.

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This episode is for the writer who is over-complicating the process. I'm going to share a bit about my own writing process and projects and show you how what I teach actually works and how I apply it to my own work. Publishing is a weird industry with a lot of smoke and mirrors to it, and I want to help you see the craft of writing differently so that you can interact with your writing in a refreshed, empowered way.

Check out my free memoir clarity quiz here.

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This is an episode for the writer who keeps searching for the perfect structure. You have rewritten the same sections over and over. You've worked on flow. You've adjusted pacing. You've been rewriting and rewriting and rewriting, but you still don't feel finished. You still don't feel like you're ready to move on to the next stage. So this episode is for you, my friend. Let's get into it.

Take my memoir clarity assessment here.

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This episode is about a writer who was worried about the wrong things when it came to her memoir. She thought that her writing was the problem, when really the vision behind her manuscript was foggy. I want to take you behind the scenes of my high-level editing work and show you how to figure out what your actual problem is (because it’s not that you’re a bad writer).

Take my free memoir quiz here!

You can find me on Instagram @charlottejanewrites, Facebook, and YouTube.

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This episode is for the writer who stares at their computer screen wondering what to do next. You scroll through your manuscript document and feel at a loss for how you actually need to be spending your time. You’re at the stage where everything about your manuscript feels messy—and it is. Today we’re going to decode that for you and give you your next right step when it comes to your writing and editing. Let’s get started.

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This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. It is for the writer who has written a LOT. Like, thousands and thousands and thousands of words. Writing that much material can eventually feel crippling, and then you’re sitting there, staring at your computer with no idea what to actually do with it. Today I’m sharing a story of a writer I worked with, and we took her 150K-word manuscript and halved it.

You can find me on Instagram @charlottejanewrites, Facebook, and YouTube.

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This episode is for the writer burned out on Google searches. You’ve Googled “memoir advice” so many times that you know what to expect in that first page of search results. You may have even found this podcast through a search like that! Before you waste any more time combing through free memoir content, I want you to take a step back and assess what is actually helping you. That’s what this episode is all about, and I’m excited to dive into with you.

Dive into the Memoir Strategy Series here.

This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. I’m talking today about a writer who had tapped into every free piece of content she could find—and it kind of backfired on her. I’ll show you what she was doing, what mindsets and perspectives we shifted, and how that impacted her memoir manuscript.

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You can find me on Instagram @charlottejanewrites, Facebook, and YouTube.

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This episode is for the writer who doesn’t know what she doesn’t know. If you are feeling stuck, feeling that block, but can’t put your finger on why, then you’re probably right in the middle of a blindspot. And the hard thing about blindspots is that they can sabotage your memoir without you even realizing it. I want to dig into that today and shine some light on what you might not know you don’t know. Let’s get into it!

Jump into the Memoir Strategy Collection here.

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This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. I’m talking about a writer who, like many of you, came to me with tens of thousands of words but no direction for them. I want to tell you about how she took those words and used an editorial strategy to make sense of the draft that she’d already written.

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This episode is for the writer who has what novelist Ann Lamott has coined the “shitty first draft.” You’ve written thousands and thousands of words, and truth be told, it’s not that great. But what do you actually do with a shitty first draft? That’s what I want to talk about today.

Unlock instant access to the Memoir Strategy Collection here.

This Memoir masterclass collection is a series of four actionable, high-impact mini masterclasses designed to shine a light on what you don't know you don't know as a m...

This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. I’m talking to the writer who wants to be an author, holding their published book in their hands and connecting with real readers on the other side. I’ll share insights and breakthroughs a past writer of mine had when we worked together when she came to me frustrated that her completed manuscript wasn’t getting any takers, from readers or agents.

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This episode is for the writer who is operating under the misconception that every single detail and story has to be included in her manuscript for her memoir to be true. This is a common misunderstanding about memoir, and the truth of this is that if you can create an editorial strategy or filter for your manuscript, it will be clear which stories belong in your memoir and which ones don’t. I’ll explain more in the episode. Let’s get into it!

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This episode is for the writer who has received some lackluster feedback. Maybe she’s already invested in an editor, but they didn’t tell her how to fix any of the manuscript’s problems. This episode is all about the importance of developing an author’s perspective and how that will translate into the work you do in revisions. Let’s get into it.

So, after I recorded this episode I actually changed the title to our next mini masterclass! Memoir vs. Autobiography is now Thinking Like an Author: The Mindset Shift to Unlock You...

This episode is for the writer who is over-editing and over-writing (you know who you are!). You look at the same paragraphs over and over and think if you just tweak it a little more you’ll find the sweet spot. But what ends up happening is that you actually just spend your time in the same passages not making any real progress at all. This episode is for you.

Enroll in Memoir Clarity for just $37.

Or enroll in all of the mini masterclasses here.

Memoir Clarity wi...

This episode is for the writer who has too much story. She’s starting the year with a burst of energy and motivation, but when she sits down to open her draft she freezes. She can’t find the focus of her story, and that feeling of being lost is quickly crowding out any motivation she had at the beginning of the month. This episode is for you. Let’s get started.

Register for Find the Focus here.

Enroll in all four mini masterclasses here.

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This episode is for the writing terrified of her revisions. She’s looking down the barrel of what she’s written with no idea how to make sense of it. I know exactly what she’s missing, and this puzzle piece will create a domino effect in the revisions process that makes everything make sense.

Unlock instant access to my memoir fundamentals course.

Book a free 30-minute call to map out your editorial needs.

You can find me on Instagram @charlottejanewrites, Facebook, and YouTube.

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This episode is for the writer who wants more from her editor. She wants not just someone who can smooth her prose and correct her commas; she wants an editor who  is a partner throughout the writing and revisions process. She wants an editor with whom she can have a relationship, not just someone she sends her manuscript to in one email and receives it back in the next. There are many ways to experience an editor, and today I’m talking about mine.

Check out The Cornerstone to Memoir (free masterclass).

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This episode is for the writer who feels passionately about her story but feels overwhelm creeping in, because she doesn't know what she doesn't know. She knows that something is off in her manuscript but can't pinpoint what she needs to fix. She's new to the editorial process and wants to know more about what she's getting into. She wants to feel supported and empowered throughout the entire editing experience. This episode is for you.

Book a free call to talk more about working with me 1:1. (And anyone who books a free call in...

This episode is for the writer ready to write smarter, not harder. She’s Googled all the things, watched all the YouTube videos, and knows that she’s missing something. What she doesn’t realize yet is that she has all the information she needs—she just needs a new way of looking at it. I’m really excited for this episode, so let’s go!

Book a free call here to talk about private editorial work.

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