Free Starter Kit

Before You Write
Your First Word

A printable checklist to make sure you're ready — so you don't spend weeks writing the wrong thing.

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What's in the Starter Kit

Everything you need before you write a single word.

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The Checklist

12 things to do before you start writing — gather the right materials, make the right decisions, and avoid the mistake that derails most first-time memoir writers.

A Peek at the Checklist

Here's what you'll have ready before you write your first word.

☐ Choose your transformation periodNot your whole life — the chapter that changed you.
☐ Identify your "before" and "after" selfWho were you at the start? Who did you become?
☐ Name the one truth your story provesEvery memoir has a thesis. Find yours before you write.
☐ Gather photos from that periodVisual memory triggers will unlock details you've forgotten.
☐ Find letters, journals, or documentsAny artifact from the time. Even a single receipt tells a story.
☐ List the 10 moments that mattered mostDon't write them yet — just name them.
☐ Name the 5 people central to your storyAnd write one sentence about the role each one played.
☐ Interview one family memberTheir memory of the same events will surprise you.
☐ Set a writing scheduleEven 30 minutes, three times a week. Consistency beats intensity.
☐ Get a dedicated notebookFor memories that surface away from your desk.
☐ Tell someone you're writing a memoirAccountability is underrated. Say it out loud.
☐ Give yourself permissionYour story is worth telling. That's not a feeling. It's a decision.

"The most important stories are the ones we almost didn't tell."

— MemoirMaster