When we’re full of energy and inspiration to write, we don’t always think about the organization that will set us up for a long‑haul, sustainable writing journey. Many writers eventually hit a point—often after taking a long break—when they want to return to the work but first have to find everything they’ve written. Partial outlines, research notes, false starts, even several finished chapters can end up scattered across devices or buried in vaguely named files. Trying to track down pieces you only half‑remember writing is daunting, and it makes getting back into the work so much harder. Making a real plan you can keep up with is key to finishing. So whether you’re just starting out or trying to pull everything together after a break, these four tips can save you a tremendous amount of headache. And they don’t take much time at all, because they’re really about simplifying your process.
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
Keep Everything in One Place
Most writers intend to keep their memoir materials organized. We all start out knowing it would be easier to work from one central location. But the reality is that life, long breaks, and the lure of new tools can scatter our project across devices, apps, notebooks, and half‑named files. So, wherever you are in your process, if you haven’t yet done so: choose one place where everything for your memoir will live and commit to it.
If you’re writing in Microsoft Word, this can be as simple as creating a dedicated folder in the spot where you naturally look for important documents—your Documents folder, Dropbox, etc. The key is to choose the place you already trust as “home base” for files you need to find later—and not just your “recent documents” floating around lose. This is the digital equivalent of leaving your notes and ideas on the kitchen table—eventually it will end up in a junk drawer.
If you’re working in Google Docs or another cloud‑based program, the same principle applies. Create a single folder and put every new document inside it. Folders are your friends, and one clearly labeled folder will save you hours of frustration when you return to your project after time away.
During your process, there may be times when you’re working in different devices, in different online spaces, or even by hand. Perhaps you draft Word but also journal by hand, or you write in Google Docs but receive editorial feedback as PDFs or voice memos. To prepare for this, create a simple “log” file inside your main folder. Use it as a breadcrumb trail: note where each journal entry lives, where you brainstormed a scene, or where feedback is stored. Even if not everything can be physically gathered in one place, you’ll still have a complete map of where every piece of your project can be found.
The goal is simple: one centralized location for everything you can store—and a clear record of anything that lives elsewhere. Whenever you return to your memoir, whether that’s tomorrow or in three years, you’ll only have one place to look. That alone can make the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling ready to write again.
Establish Naming Conventions
Once you’ve chosen a home for your project, the next step is to establish clear naming conventions. This might sound like a small, tedious detail, but the way we name our files has a huge impact on how confidently and professionally we approach our memoir.
Don’t be vague in your naming convention. When you’re in the moment of starting a big project, it’s tempting to name that file or folder “book” or worse, “project.” It will be both frustrating and a little funny when, after months or years go by, you find yourself with five or six files called “book.” Vague file names can come from a subconscious a desire to keep the project at arm’s length. Calling the file “Book” or “Working Project” can feel safer than naming it after your topic or your working title. It lets us dip a toe in instead of committing fully.
But naming your project with intention—using your memoir’s topic or your current working title—does something powerful. It helps you step into the role of a writer who takes the work seriously. You don’t have to be a professional to benefit from adopting professional habits. In fact, doing so often makes the process feel more grounded, more real, and more motivating. (But don’t worry—what you name the file doesn’t have to be the book’s final title. And it probably won’t be.)
Naming conventions matter even more once you begin generating multiple files. Rather than drafting your entire memoir in one long document, we strongly recommend creating a new file for each chapter. This gives you a clean slate every time you sit down to write and reduces the temptation to endlessly revise the previous chapter instead of moving forward. And because you’ve already created a centralized folder, this won’t add clutter.
A simple, consistent naming pattern works beautifully. Many writers use something like:
- [Shortened title] Chapter 01 – Draft 1
- [Shortened title] Chapter 02 – Draft 1
You can add dates if you like, especially once you reach the revision stage, but the most important thing is consistency and working with your computer’s sorting system so that the files will naturally sort themselves in the order you want them to. When your chapter files line up in order, you can see your progress at a glance. It’s surprisingly energizing to watch that list grow.
Create Supporting Spaces Inside Your Hub
Once your main folder is set up and your naming conventions are in place, the next step is to create a few additional spaces inside your hub—simple documents or folders that will hold the materials you inevitably generate along the way. These small structures prevent chaos later and make it far easier to stay grounded in your project as it grows.
First: a place for general notes, including research you’ve gathered and spontaneous insights that surface while you’re drafting but don’t actually fit in the chapter you’re composing. For research, be sure to download or save every article, webpage, or reference you plan to use, and give each file a descriptive name. Avoid dropping in screenshots labeled “Screenshot 1”—you’ll never remember what they were. Nothing derails momentum faster than knowing you once found the perfect source and having no idea where it went.
When you have ideas you want to remember for future chapters, choose one consistent method for capturing those ideas. We recommend using your outline as a place to catch these. Since you should be revisiting your outline before each new chapter anyway, leaving notes there ensures they’ll be waiting for you exactly when you need them. You can use links to documents or a comment function to attach notes and ideas to where you think they’ll come into play. Whatever method you choose, commit to it.
Next space to create inside your hub is a place for cut pieces. Every writer cuts material—scenes that no longer fit, reflections that belong elsewhere, pages that simply don’t serve the book. Cutting is part of the process, but it doesn’t have to feel like loss. Create a single document or folder labeled “Cut Pieces” and drop every removed section (longer than a few sentences) into it. This gives you a bank of material you can repurpose later and makes the act of cutting feel far less painful. You’re not deleting your work; you’re banking it.
Finally, we recommend creating a space for future ideas. At some point in the writing process—often halfway through—you’ll suddenly feel pulled toward a different book, a new project, or a shiny idea that feels more exciting than the one you’re currently writing. This is normal, and it can be deeply distracting. To keep your momentum, create what we call a “Promise File.” This is a folder where you can safely store every new idea without derailing your current project. When inspiration strikes, open a new document inside the Promise File, dump out every thought, impulse, and reason the idea feels compelling, and save it under the name that project might eventually have. This file is a promise to yourself that you will return to the idea when the time is right. It clears your mind, protects your focus, and ensures that nothing valuable is lost.
Everything has a place, everything is findable, and you give yourself the best possible chance of staying connected to your memoir from start to finish.
Choose One Tool and Stick With It
Finally, choose one tool or program and stick with it.
Writers are especially vulnerable to shiny‑object syndrome, and suddenly the system you were just beginning to trust feels inadequate. (Usually right when the writing itself gets hard. Spoiler alert: the reason why it’s hard is almost certainly going to follow you on to the new tool/system/program.) Switching tools mid‑process almost always creates more friction than it solves.
The generations of writers who came before us produced extraordinary books without a single digital tool, so you definitely don’t need to be bouncing between three or four of them. The truth is that writing a memoir is, at its core, putting one word after another until you have sixty or eighty thousand of them. Technology can support that work, but it cannot replace it, and it certainly doesn’t need to complicate it.
Okay…if you’re going twist my arm about it…
If you really want a specific recommendation for a writing program, I use Scrivener as my essential go-to, primarily because it integrates most of all the other suggestions in this blog. It keeps everything in one place while still letting you break up chapters (or subchapters) into separate documents, so you don’t have one unwieldy document that is a struggle to review and revise.
Scrivener allows you to store drafts, notes, images, and media inside the project file itself. Even so, we recommend creating an external folder—again, in your usual file‑storage location—and placing your Scrivener file inside it. This gives you more flexibility as your project grows and keeps your materials from feeling buried inside a single, increasingly complex file.
While it’s powerful tool, it’s not necessarily simple to learn. Most writers use only a fraction of its features and learning it in the middle of a draft can be a major time suck, especially if you’re not sure you’re going to have a second project afterward. The same is true for any tool: switching platforms means recreating your setup, reorganizing your files, and re‑orienting your brain. That’s energy you need for the writing itself.
By keeping everything in one place, using clear naming conventions, creating supportive spaces for notes and cut pieces, and resisting the urge to hop between tools, you give yourself the best possible chance of staying connected to your memoir from beginning to end. Simplifying allows the writing itself to shine.
PS. Searching the internet for writing, publishing, and book marketing advice can be exhausting to say the least! If you’re ready for hands on, one-on-one support for your memoir, check out The Memoir Method. We’d love to welcome you into this nine-month group program specially designed for women writing their first memoirs. And don’t forget, if you’d like to chat with Amanda about the program (or any other services we offer), you can book a free consult any time!
