Kia ora,
I write to you bleary eyed after a night of tending to a coughing eight year old. Because I felt tired when I woke up this morning, and I have a long list of tasks I want to cross off my list (I’m such a list person), I could have felt overwhelmed initially. But I had a plan! And that’s what I want to talk to you about today!
Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the subjects you want to cover in your memoir or family history? If you are, you’re not alone. So many people I talk to don’t know where to start with all the ideas and paperwork they have stored up, after decades of experiences
And always, the answer is to embrace the chaos, know that it’s normal, and then make a plan.
If you were to step back from it all, and look at your book from afar, what are your key priorities? What subjects absolutely must appear in your book. Jot that down, no matter how many. They will become your chapters.
Next, what order should those subjects go in? Chronological is the norm, and you can choose that path. But people definitely don’t always write in that order and there’s no wrong or right way to order your info.
Final step – go into more detail about what you’ll cover under each chapter heading. Break it down into some detail, and put some meat on the bones of your chapters.
Done that? You have a plan, and some structure. Hopefully this helps with the overwhelm.
And then write. One chapter at a time. Write. And keep writing. Because your story matters.
Charlotte x
PS want the road map to finally finish your memoir? This month, join my online course Write Your Memoir and get three complimentary coaching sessions with me.
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Charlotte Squire 