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Writing accountability: Personal accountability + accountability partners

Amazing accountability secrets to write your autobiography

First published September 2017. This article has been updated and improved.

Writing an autobiography, memoir or life story can be exciting and fun but it can also become a chore if you are not careful.

Sometimes it can feel like you are muddling along at your writing desk without any clear direction for weeks, months, even years.

Don’t let this happen to you!

Here are some writing accountability suggestions to help keep you motivated to finish your story.

Writing time: How to schedule time for writing

What every autobiography writer ought to know about finding time to write

First published August 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

I love watching the Olympics.

The swimmers are amazing to watch.

They have trained countless mornings and afternoons for weeks, years.

They have a major goal in mind – swimming at the Olympics – and plan to achieve that goal.

The same can be said for writing an autobiography, memoir or a loved one’s life story.

You want to have the book finished to share with friends and family.

But you have to get smart about committing to writing time or a writing routine.

You need to ‘take five’ to put a writing plan down on paper and have it clear in your mind…

Surefire tips to end feeling overwhelmed about writing your life story

Easy ways to stop procrastinating and re-ignite your writing

First published August 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

Amy had great intentions about writing her life story.

The first few months were full of ideas, excitement and writing!

She prepared her chapter structure and went to the state library to get more details for her family tree.

One thing led to another and she disappeared down a family-history rabbit hole.

After three months, she had discovered a lot of information dating back to convicts in Tasmania.

But unfortunately she had been sidetracked and now felt overwhelmed to do more autobiography writing.

While the historical records were interesting to her children and grandchildren, they were definitely not as interesting as her memories and life story would have been!

Does this sound like a familiar story?

In this article I offer tips to help you stop being overwhelmed and get that memoir finished.

How to beat memoir writer’s block in 8 simple steps

House tour tips for writing an autobiography

First published July 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

Ever since I was in primary school, my grandmother, ‘nanny’, taught me to bake.

She liked to cook ‘quickly’ and get it out of the way early, first thing in the morning.

Even though we worked swiftly, she would tell me stories about her family and life growing up on a dairy farm.

Looking back now, I realise that many of these anecdotes were inspired by the food we were cooking, the way we were preparing it and even the utensils we were using.

Writing motivation: How to finish writing a book about your life

The surefire way to motivate yourself to write your autobiography or memoir

First published June 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

I read a viral email several years ago about a ‘love ladder’.

It was a heart-warming story about an elderly husband and wife in central China.

They had lived together simply in a mountainous area for over 50 years.

During this time, the husband carved more than 6000 steps into the hillside so his wife could more easily climb up and down from their home.

It is a remarkable story and made me think about how this man began the epic task.

Starting and finishing a memoir can similarly seem like a huge task!

Here are three writing motivation suggestions to help keep your autobiography on track to completion.

Writing flow: Finding the best places to write your autobiography

How to set up your writing zone and writing environment in three simple steps

First published June 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

Ahhh, the actual act of sitting down to write.

This is the serious part!

As a journalist I’ve had to learn to write in all types of situations.

Most commonly it is in a noisy newsroom with the screech of a police scanner two feet away, a news channel blarring on an overhead television, not to mention the often ‘enthusiastic’ sarcasm and cussing of my colleagues as they race to file for deadline.

Once a few years ago, after Severe Tropical Cyclone Marcia hit our town and ripped up 1800 power poles in the area, I had my handy neighbour rig up my laptop to a solar panel on the front lawn!

Clearly you REALLY can write anywhere and everywhere – you just need the time and a way to record your thoughts.

But to make writing your autobiography easy it is best to prepare a designated space in which to relax and get creative.

How to start a story: Podcast special – memory recall, writing structure plus writing process

Talking tips for writing a book with Rock Your Retirement host Kathe Kline

How to start a story about your life was the key focus of my recent interview on the popular Rock Your Retirement podcast.

I had a blast talking to host Kathe Kline about Writing memoirs for loved ones: Expectations vs. Reality.

Kathe said she wished she had recorded interviews with her father about his life and parents before his dementia and Parkinson’s disease set in.

But she is keen to make a start on her own memoir.

In the episode I explained to her and her listeners ways to start writing and tips to recall memories.

I’ve highlighted the main points for you below.

Let’s jump in… Continue reading How to start a story: Podcast special – memory recall, writing structure plus writing process

Live Q&A with Nicola

Answering your top life-story questions

Welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies Live Q&A with Nicola.

Each week I get queries about creating life stories for family and friends.

Certainly these can be about starting, creating, polishing and publishing life-story projects.

Welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies!

G’day and thanks for visiting the Forever Young Autobiographies website

Welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies, the place to learn how to create life stories for family and friends so that unique memories live on.

In short, it’s dedicated to guiding ordinary people step by step to start, create and finish life-story projects for family and friends.

Indeed my aim is for you to one day hold in your hands an informative, entertaining and inspiring story about your life or the life of a loved one!