The New Year is a time of reflection and, often, promise-making. (Can you believe it’s 2026!?) We promise ourselves that this year, we’re going to be the best version of ourselves. We’re going to rise to a higher standard, accomplish goals that are near and dear to our hearts, and yours may include writing (or finally finishing) your memoir. The problem is we often get caught up in the mid-winter spirit and only focus on the big-picture finish line of goals. (And that sets us up to quit the first week we don’t make any meaningful progress.) You don’t have to let finishing your memoir go the same way. Instead of focusing on that far-off goal post, establish these five simple, repeatable, and practical habits to make 2026 the year you finish your book.
Before we get into today’s post, we wanted to ask—do you have a plan for actually finishing your memoir? If not, we know you aren’t making the progress you hoped for. That’s why we developed The Memoir Method Checklist. This free guide (and video training!) will take you through every single step you need from idea to published marketable book. Grab it now at https://pageandpodium.com/checklist
Block off Writing Time
One of the most effective habits we can build is simply blocking off dedicated writing time. Inspiration is unreliable; a scheduled writing window is not. When we set a clear intention—both for ourselves and for the people around us—it becomes far easier to protect that time.
Early in a project, writing often feels exciting and effortless. Later, the work starts to feel more like work, and we’re less likely to be finding every spare moment to get to the keyboard. Establish a routine as early as possible. Even when the words are flowing, keeping a consistent writing block trains us to show up.
For example, Amanda has a standing Sunday coffee date with her best friend, and she’s built her writing around it. She arrives early, gets started, enjoys the coffee date, and stays afterward if she needs more time. This plan works really well because it’s attached to an activity she enjoys and will look forward to and a built-in form of accountability.
As for me, I am less a fan of routine and really struggle with this element of consistent writing, especially as my schedule will often be shifted around other things that aren’t as regular. So instead of having a standing writing date, my process looks a little bit different. On Sundays, I always plan the week ahead, so along with my meal planning, grocery lists, work and client to-dos, I establish the writing time of the week. My actual writing slots might not be the same every week, but the time I take to block them off is.
Block off your writing time, then refine it as you go. Treat it as a habit you’re shaping, not a test you pass or fail. Over time, it will settle into a rhythm that supports your life and your creative work.
Read Memoirs
If you’re writing a memoir, you need to be reading memoirs.
Writers sometimes resist this, either because they’re afraid of absorbing another author’s voice or because they want to dedicate every available time to hitting the keys. But writing isn’t only hitting the keys—it’s thinking, exercising your language skills, and considering the elements of the craft too. That’s why, in the Memoir Method, we ask writers each week what they’re reading.
When we read within our genre, we’re not copying. We’re studying the elements that make memoirs compelling: how chapters flow, how reflection and context are woven in, how scenes are shaped, and how structure supports emotional movement. None of these pieces tell us exactly how to write our own books, but together they reveal the underlying frameworks that make memoir work.
This is also why Page & Podium is launching The Book Club this month! Each month we will read a memoir together and spend an hour unpacking what makes it work (or not). You can sign up here to stay updated on selections, dates, and meeting times.
Adopt a Journaling Practice
The third habit we recommend is developing a consistent journaling practice. Journaling supports your overall mental clarity and helps make sense of the world in a way that feels honest and grounded. When you’re writing a memoir, this becomes even more essential.
As you move through your manuscript, you’ll start to see your past experiences in new ways. Writing your story as one continuous narrative naturally puts events into conversation with each other, revealing connections you may never have noticed. But those insights can be slippery. You may sense a pattern or a link between two moments without yet having the language to articulate it.
A journaling practice gives you a ready‑made space to work through those emerging ideas without the pressure of making it reader-facing. In your manuscript, you’re shaping scenes, building context, and crafting reflection. In your journal, you can write freely—without structure, without a topic, without pressure. These two modes of writing strengthen each other. The more you journal, the more flexible and expansive your thinking becomes, and the more depth you bring to the page.
When we try to process these reflections only in our heads, we rarely stretch them far enough. Journaling gives them room to breathe.
Plan your Next Session Before You End One
The ideal writing experience is from one of flow state, and flow states work under their own version of the law of inertia: it’s hard to get going, but once it starts it wants to just keep going. But no one can write a book in a single sitting, and flow states down automatically start on command. To help this, always plan the next session before you leave your desk.
When your sessions are spaced out by several days, the hardest part of staying consistent is in that moment you sit back down. You have to remember where you left off, what you were doing, and what comes next. That often leads to rereading the previous chapter, which can easily slide into editing instead of drafting.
Planning ahead solves this problem.
For instance, say you’ve finished a major scene. (Oh, what a great feeling that is!) You’ve come to a natural stopping point, your time is essentially up, and honestly by now you’re pretty tired, mentally. Don’t walk away just yet!
Look at your outline and think about what’s next. Take the time to make some notes on how you want to approach that next scene or chapter. Five-ten minutes is plenty to give yourself a few notes on where you need to pick up next time, and it will save you at least thirty minutes of trying to remember how you were planning to get from A to B.
Talk about your book
Finally, get in the habit of talking about your book. Yes, even if you haven’t started it yet. Yes, even if you’re still a little scared about whether you can actually do it. Start talking about it.
Eventually, you’ll need to discuss it as part of the promotion process, but you don’t have to wait until the manuscript is finished to start building that muscle.
Something shifts internally when you say “I’m writing a book” out loud. Friends, family, and even casual acquaintances tend to respond with curiosity and excitement, and those reactions reinforce your identity as a writer. They make the project feel real. And you’ll never run out of things to talk about—your development process, your outline, how you’re carving out writing time. People find the behind‑the‑scenes work fascinating, and sharing it often feels surprisingly energizing.
And talk about the book itself. This came up recently in the Memoir Method group, where one writer shared that she felt awkward describing her book because her story is heavy and rooted in trauma. She worried she sounded like a downer when people asked what it was about. But she also said something wise: “I’ve got to figure out how to talk about it eventually.” And she’s right.
The earlier you begin speaking about your subject matter—even in small, imperfect ways—the more confident and comfortable you’ll become. You won’t have a polished pitch yet, and that’s okay. What matters is practicing. By the time you reach the promotion stage, you’ll already have language, clarity, and ease around your story.
Each of these five habits—blocking off writing time, reading memoirs, journaling regularly, planning your next session, and talking about your book—works together to support your momentum and confidence as a memoirist. None of them require huge amounts of time or perfection. They simply ask you to show up with intention, curiosity, and a willingness to build a sustainable creative rhythm. As you weave these practices into your routine, you’ll find that your writing becomes steadier, your insights deepen, and your sense of authorship grows stronger. This is how a memoir gets written: one thoughtful habit at a time.
Reading is essential to improving your writing skills, and reading like a writer means seeing past the glossy end-result into a book’s structure and the author’s choices about how the story is told. Learning to read like a writer doesn’t mean learning how to merely imitate but learning the craft by example. We’re excited to announce the launch of our Memoir Method Book Club! Your first session is free, so sign up to save your seat here.
