Shows / Making Memoir Magic
Making Memoir Magic
The podcast where we unlock the power of your story and guide you through the magical process of turning life experiences into memoirs that inspire and impact.
kerrykriseman.substack.com
Episodes
Making Memoir MagicYour Memoir May Need a Different Container
Does a memoir have to begin with childhood and move chronologically through every major event? Not at all. After returning from the Florida Writers…
Making Memoir MagicI Came Home. The Stories Kept Coming
You have plenty of memories—but how do you find the story that connects them? After three trips in three weeks, an unexpected cold, and an editing project that…
Making Memoir MagicAre You a Supporting Character in Your Own Memoir?
Your memoir may include a larger-than-life parent, a spouse facing illness, or someone whose choices changed your life. But if readers know more about that…
Making Memoir MagicWhat 5 Years as a Published Memoirist Taught Me About the Stories We Tell
My memoir, Accidental First Lady, turns five next month. And I’ll admit something: Sometimes I wonder whether my story has run its course. Then I meet a reader…
Making Memoir MagicThe Other New Year
January may get all the attention, but September offers its own invitation to begin again. In this episode, Kerry reflects on several seemingly unrelated…
Making Memoir MagicFollow the Garlic
What if the story worth telling isn’t buried in the most dramatic chapter of your life? What if it’s waiting inside a familiar restaurant, a family tradition…
Making Memoir MagicThe Stories Hiding in Plain Sight
What turns a memory into memoir? In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, Kerry shares the story of her grandmother Nana’s unusual collection of dated “I Voted”…
Making Memoir MagicYou Haven't Missed Your Chance to Write Your Memoir
Have you been thinking about writing your memoir for years—but wondering whether you’ve waited too long? You haven’t. In this episode of Making Memoir Magic…
Making Memoir MagicYour Memories Aren’t Your Memoir
What if the story you would have written ten years ago isn’t the story you’re ready to write today? In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, I’m talking about…
Making Memoir MagicFinding the Real Story Hidden Inside Your Life
Have you ever thought about writing a memoir but wondered, “Is my story really interesting enough?” You’re not alone. Many aspiring memoir writers don’t…
Making Memoir MagicWhy Memoir Writers Need to Stop Predicting the Impact of Their Words
What if you’re asking the wrong question about your memoir? Many memoir writers wonder: Is my story important enough? Will anyone care? Will anyone relate?…
Making Memoir MagicSometimes Travel Is a Rocking Chair
What counts as an adventure? Sometimes, it means getting on a plane and exploring somewhere new. And sometimes, it means sitting on the front porch of a…
Making Memoir MagicWhy Most People Never Finish Their Memoir
Maybe you’ve filled notebooks with memories, written a few chapters, or spent years saying, “I’ll get back to it someday.” You’re not alone. In this episode of…
Making Memoir MagicWhat Two Girls Selling Beads Taught Me About Writing a Memoir
What does returning to an unfinished manuscript have in common with two young girls selling handmade bead animals from a tiny table on the side of the road?…
Making Memoir MagicThe Case Files of Ordinary Life
This week, I found myself juggling roofing delays, flooring disputes, a package stranded in a warehouse, and a hole in my kitchen ceiling. None of it was…
Making Memoir MagicIt's Never Too Late to Write Your Story
Have you ever told yourself: “I’m too old to start.” “I should have done this years ago.” “Someone else is already doing it better.” If so, this episode is for…
Making Memoir MagicThe Gift of a Simple Hello
In this heartfelt episode of Making Memoir Magic, Kerry reflects on a simple ritual: walking her dog Christie through her neighborhood each morning and pausing…
Making Memoir MagicThe Biggest Make Aspiring Memoirists Make
Have you ever wondered how you’ll fit your entire life into a single book? If so, you’re not alone. In this episode, we’re exploring one of the most common…
Making Memoir MagicFrom Manuscript to Microphone
Have you ever wondered what it takes to turn a book into an audiobook? In this episode, I pull back the curtain on my journey of recording and publishing the…
Making Memoir MagicWhy You Remember Certain Moments Forever
Why do some moments stay with us for decades while entire seasons of life fade into blur? In this episode, memoir mentor and author Kerry Kriseman explores the…
Making Memoir MagicThe Myth of Finding Your “One True” Voice
Can writers change their voice over time? Or does evolving creatively mean losing what made their writing unique in the first place? In this episode, we…
Making Memoir Magic5 Questions Every Aspiring Memoirist Asks Before They Begin
Have you ever wondered:– Am I really a writer?– Is my story worth telling?– What if I start and never finish?– Is it too late for me to write a memoir? In this…
Making Memoir Magic3 Mistakes that Keep Your Story Stuck
If you’ve been thinking about writing your memoir—but haven’t started (or can’t seem to keep going)—this episode is for you. Your story isn’t stuck because you…
Making Memoir MagicHow to Start Your Memoir When You Don't Know Where to Begin
If you’re standing in front of a blank page feeling both excited and completely overwhelmed, this episode is for you. Most aspiring memoir writers don’t…
Making Memoir MagicThe Memoir Scene Secret
Writers often think their memoir feels flat because the story itself isn’t strong enough. But that’s rarely the problem. In this episode, I’m sharing a…
Making Memoir MagicCan you be sued for writing your memoir?
Can you get sued for writing your memoir? It’s one of the most common fears aspiring memoir writers face. In this episode, we’re breaking it down in a clear…
Making Memoir MagicSo You Want to Query your Memoir?
Querying your memoir can feel intimidating. Not writing it. Not revising it. But sending that query letter to an agent and hoping they say yes? That’s the real…
Making Memoir MagicWhy Your Memoir Feels Flat
If your memoir feels flat, the problem may not be your story — it may be how you’re telling it. In this mini-lesson, Kerry breaks down one of the most…
Making Memoir MagicThe Fear of Judgment
Do you hesitate to write your memoir because of fear—of judgment, criticism, or misunderstanding? In this episode, Kerry explores why fear of judgment is…
Making Memoir MagicStop Overexplaining
Do you overexplain your life in your memoir? Stop! In this episode, Kerry teaches aspiring writers how to trust their story and their voice, strip away…
Making Memoir MagicThe Myth of the Big Writing Retreat
What if the reason you haven’t started your book isn’t lack of talent—but waiting for perfect conditions? In this episode, Kerry busts the myth of the big…
Making Memoir MagicWhy Your Story Matters
In this conversation, Kerry Kriseman emphasizes the significance of storytelling, especially during challenging times. She reassures listeners that their…
Making Memoir MagicAnother Year Goes By. It's Still Unwritten
It’s already the third week of January—and if your memoir is still unwritten, you’re not alone. In this episode, Kerry Kriseman unpacks why so many memoir…
Making Memoir MagicThe Real Reason You're Not Writing Your Memoir
Episode notes:If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll write your memoir when you have more time… more clarity… more confidence—this episode is for you. Today…
Making Memoir MagicWhat if my story isn't big enough
Episode Description:Many aspiring memoir writers believe their story isn’t “big enough” to matter. In this episode, Kerry explores why that belief is the real…
Making Memoir MagicHow to write faster without writing garbage:
Writing faster doesn’t have to mean writing sloppier. In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, we’re talking about how memoir writers can write with more speed…
Making Memoir Magic5 Ways to Move Your Memoir Forward This Week
If the calendar is screaming “December!” and your writing brain is whispering “Maybe next year…” — take a breath. This episode is your soft landing and your…
Making Memoir MagicWhy Imperfection Might Be the Most Powerful Thing About You
We live in a world that quietly demands perfection. From perfect timing, perfect choices, perfect progress, perfect everything. Yet, most of our lives are…
Making Memoir MagicThe Power of 20 Minutes
If you’ve ever promised yourself, “This week, I’m finally going to start writing,” only to watch seven days slip by in a blur of life, laundry, and lost time……
Making Memoir MagicHow to write the first page of your memoir
When it comes to memoir, where you begin is everything, and it’s almost never the beginning. In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, Kerry Kriseman helps…
Making Memoir MagicHow to find the starting point for your memoir
Staring at a blank page and wondering, Where do I even begin my memoir? You’re not alone. Many aspiring authors feel overwhelmed when it comes to choosing the…
Making Memoir MagicIs my story worth telling?
Do you ever wonder if your story is “special enough” for a memoir? In this episode, Kerry breaks down the five unmistakable signs you already have a…
Making Memoir MagicEmbracing Seasons of Change in Your Writing Life
Change is inevitable — in life and in writing. In this episode, I talk about the power of embracing new seasons and how you can use life’s natural transitions…
Making Memoir MagicSavor and Remember: Writing Memoir Through Food
Food is never just food—it’s memory, culture, and story. In this episode, Kerry shares how lemons, a community garden, and family recipes all become powerful…
Making Memoir MagicTaylor Swift and the Art of Writing Your Own Story
Taylor Swift may be celebrating an engagement, but what she really deserves applause for is her storytelling superpower. Every album is a chapter, every lyric…
Making Memoir MagicMore Than a Muffin
What if the secret to unlocking your life stories isn’t hiding in a dusty journal—but in your kitchen? In this episode, I take you into my grandmother’s…
Making Memoir MagicWhy Writing Your Memoir Might Be the Most Generous Thing You Do
Episode Summary:This week, I stepped into a recording studio to narrate the audiobook version of my memoir, and I didn’t expect it to be so emotional. As I…
Making Memoir MagicMemoir in a Busy Life
🎧 Episode Summary:Feel like your life is too full to write your memoir? You're not alone, and you're not out of luck. In this episode, I’m sharing how to…
Making Memoir MagicThe importance of editing in memoir writing
✍️ Episode Summary: In this episode of Make Memoir Magic, Kerry Kriseman pulls back the curtain on the part of memoir writing no one wants to talk about—but…
Making Memoir Magic7 Unexpected lessons from writing my memoir
Episode Summary:When we write memoir, we start with our own intention, but we never truly know how our story will land in someone else's heart. In this…
Making Memoir MagicThe Real Reason You Haven’t Started Your Memoir
Episode Summary: You keep saying you’ll write your memoir someday… but someday keeps moving. In this episode, I’m getting real about what’s actually stopping…
Making Memoir MagicMemoir Writing Isn't Meant to be a Solo Sport
Episode Summary:In this episode, Kerry Kriseman—memoir mentor, author, and storytelling coach—pulls back the curtain on her own memoir journey and shares why…
Making Memoir MagicThe Courage to Begin
📄Episode Summary: We’re halfway through 2025 — so let me ask: Have you started your memoir yet? In this episode, I’m sharing a behind-the-scenes look at my own…
Making Memoir MagicThe Power of Showing Up
What do barre classes and memoir writing have in common? More than you’d think. In this episode, I share a personal story about showing up for a hard, humbling…
Making Memoir MagicThe Memoir Blueprint
📝 Episode Summary:If you've ever asked yourself, "Who would want to read my story?" or felt frozen by the pressure to write a perfect first draft, this episode…
Making Memoir MagicWhat Binge-Worthy TV Shows Reveal About Your Memoir Roadblocks
In this soul-nourishing, eye-opening episode, we explore the surprising (and often hilarious) connection between the shows we love—and the emotional hurdles…
Making Memoir MagicWhat's holding you back?
Welcome to Making Memoir Magic! In this episode, we’re tackling one of the biggest struggles memoirists face: getting stuck before they ever reach “The End.”…
Making Memoir MagicMaking Memoir Magic
Episode Summary: In this episode of Make Memoir Magic, we tackle one of the biggest challenges memoir writers face—self-doubt. Host Kerry Kriseman shares their…