Making Memoir Magic

Kerry Kriseman
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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

  1. 1d ago

    Are 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 person’s inner world than yours, an important question arises: Where are you in the story? When I began writing Accidental First Lady, I could have filled the pages with my husband’s political career, campaigns, and elections. My memoir began to take shape when I asked what I wanted, feared, believed, and learned during those 22 years. In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, I share three signs you may have become a supporting character in your own manuscript—and three questions to help you return to the center of it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why the most dramatic person in your life isn’t necessarily the protagonist of your memoirHow to tell when everyone else has more depth on the page than you doThe difference between reporting what happened and reflecting on what it meantWhy you might disappear from a scene just as the material becomes vulnerableHow your perspective today can deepen a scene from your pastTry this with one scene from your manuscript: What did I want in that moment?What changed in me because of it?What do I understand now that I couldn’t understand then?You don’t have to publish every answer. But knowing them can help you write a memoir that shows readers the person who lived through those events—and the person you became. A question to take with you: Where are you in your own story? Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here.  Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!

  2. Sep 23

    What 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 who tells me the book stayed with her. Someone discovers it for the first time. Or a copy unexpectedly finds its way into another reader's hands. And I'm reminded: We don't get to decide how long our stories will matter—or who might need them. In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, I'm looking back at nearly five years as a published memoirist and sharing five things I didn't know when I decided to write my story. In this episode, you'll hear: Why you may never completely believe your story is “important enough”—and why that's okayWhy comparing your life to someone else's can keep a meaningful story from ever being writtenHow the deeper themes of your memoir can outlive the circumstances you're writing aboutWhy readers may find meaning in your story that you never expectedHow to recognize the persistent story that keeps asking you to write itThe question I think aspiring memoir writers should ask instead of, “Why haven't I written my memoir yet?”FREE RESOURCE: What's keeping you from writing your memoir? If you've been thinking about writing your story—or you've started and stopped more than once—I've created a free resource to help. Why Most People Never Finish Their Memoir: A Quick Self-Assessment to Help You Get Unstuck will help you identify your biggest memoir roadblock and choose one small, practical step you can take to move forward. 👉 Download the free Memoir Magic Workpage You don't need to know whether your story will become a published book. You don't need to know who will eventually read it. And you certainly don't need to decide whether your life is “important enough” for a memoir. Start with the story that keeps tapping you on the shoulder. Write one memory. Then another. Because your job isn't to decide whether your story matters to someone else. Your job is to write it. Let's stay connected If this episode made you think of someone who's been saying, “Someday I'm going to write my story,” share it with them. And if you're the one who's been saying “someday,” grab the free workpage above and take your first small step. Until next time, keep writing. Your story matters. Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here.  Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!

  3. Sep 9

    The Other New Year: Why September May be the Perfect Time to Begin

    January may get all the attention, but September offers its own invitation to begin again. In this episode, Kerry reflects on several seemingly unrelated moments: teaching aspiring memoirists at the library, accepting two proclamations for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, returning from a late-summer trip, and welcoming college football season. Together, these moments reveal an important truth: We don’t need to feel completely ready before beginning something that matters. Kerry explores the difference between resting and postponing, how survivorship changed her relationship with time, and why writing often helps us understand our stories—not merely record them. You’ll also receive a simple 10-minute exercise to help you turn a September memory into the beginning of a meaningful memoir scene. In this episode: Why September feels like another new yearThe questions that keep aspiring memoirists from beginningWhy confidence often follows actionThe difference between a memory and a memoirHow survivorship can change the way we think about “someday”A 10-minute writing exercise to uncover the meaning within a memoryYour writing prompt Set a timer for 10 minutes and complete this sentence: September always reminds me of… When you finish, ask yourself: What is this memory really about? The event is what happened. The memoir emerges from what you now understand about what happened. Ready to begin your memoir? Make Memoir Magic begins September 14. Through four course modules and four weeks of live group coaching, Kerry will help you identify your memoir’s central story, shape its structure, strengthen your voice, and create a writing practice you can sustain. Learn more and register for Make Memoir Magic If this episode encouraged you, share it with someone who has a story they’ve been meaning to write—and subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations about writing, publishing, and sharing the stories only you can tell. Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here.  Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!

  4. Sep 2

    Follow the Garlic: Where Ordinary Memories Can Lead Your Memoir

    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, or a place you’ve returned to for years? In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, I share the story of Al Dente, a restaurant in Boston’s North End that my husband, Rick, and I first discovered in 1994. What began as an unplanned dinner became part of our family history—a place we later shared with our children, friends, and colleagues. Using this ordinary but meaningful memory, I explore how memoir writers can uncover the deeper stories hiding inside everyday experiences. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why specific details make personal stories more relatableHow familiar places can unlock meaningful memoriesHow to use “then and now” scenes to show the passage of timeThe difference between what happened and what a story is really aboutWhy readers often connect most deeply with ordinary momentsHow scene and reflection work together in memoirTry this writing exercise: Choose a place that appeared during more than one season of your life. First, write about your earliest memory of that place. Who was with you? What did you notice? What could you see, hear, smell, taste, or touch? Then describe the place during your most recent visit. What changed? What remained the same? What do you understand now that you couldn’t have understood then? Finally, complete this sentence: This isn’t really a story about __________. It’s a story about __________. The first answer identifies the visible subject. The second may reveal the deeper story—and possibly a theme that belongs in your memoir. Ready to begin the memoir only you can write? My signature course, Make Memoir Magic, will help you move from wondering where to start to identifying your core story, creating an outline, beginning your first chapter, and developing a sustainable writing practice. Learn more about Make Memoir Magic: https://kerrykriseman.myflodesk.com/mmm3 Visit my website for memoir resources, workshops, and ways to work with me: https://kerrykriseman.com If this episode helped you recognize a story hiding in your own life, please follow Making Memoir Magic, share the episode with an aspiring memoirist, and leave a review. Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here.  Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!

  5. Aug 26

    The Stories Hiding in Plain Sight: Finding Meaning in Everyday Memories

    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” stickers—and how something the family once lovingly teased her about took on an entirely different meaning years later. The lesson? The memory is what happened. The memoir is what you understand about what happened. Kerry explores how present-day reflection adds depth to memoir and why some of our smallest, most ordinary memories can reveal the biggest themes in our lives. In this episode: The important difference between memory and memoirWhy your younger self and present-day narrator bring different perspectives to the pageThe Then, Now, Meaning method for finding deeper significance in a memoryHow to use ordinary objects as doorways into larger storiesWhy you don't need extraordinary experiences to write meaningful memoirHow family stories can become part of the legacy you preserveA simple 15-minute writing exercise to uncover the meaning inside one of your own memoriesTry This Writing Exercise Choose one ordinary object or small memory from your past and write from these three sentence starters: I remember... I didn't understand then... Now I know... Don't force the meaning. Follow your curiosity and see where the memory takes you. This Week's Essay This episode was inspired by Kerry's Life Lived & Written essay, “What It Really Means to Leave a Legacy With Your Words,” about voting, voice, family stories, and her grandmother's unforgettable “I Voted” shrine. One Thought to Take With You Enter through the small door. The object, habit, phrase, recipe, photograph, or seemingly insignificant memory may be the doorway into one of the biggest themes in your memoir. Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here.  Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!

  6. Aug 19

    You 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, Kerry Kriseman explores why time may actually give memoir writers something they didn't have when they were younger: perspective. Inspired by her recent Stories of Humanity interview, where she shared the words “It's never too late,” Kerry reflects on some of the biggest changes of her own 50s: publishing her first memoir, beginning a new career as a memoir teacher and coach, surviving two forms of cancer, and becoming an advocate for ovarian cancer awareness. But this episode isn't only for writers over 50. It's for anyone who has lived through an experience and reached the point where they're beginning to understand it differently. Because memoir isn't simply about remembering what happened. The event is what happened. The memoir is what you now understand about what happened. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why you don't need to be famous or have lived an extraordinary life to write a meaningful memoirWhy ordinary doesn't mean insignificantHow time and distance can give you valuable perspective on your experiencesThe difference between recording what happened and discovering what it meantWhy “Who am I to write this?” is the wrong questionHow to recognize experiences that may belong in your memoirWhy “someday” can keep aspiring authors from ever beginningThree questions to help you move from thinking about writing your memoir to actually startingThree Questions to Help You Find Your Story If you've been wondering what your memoir might actually be about, spend some time with these: 1. What experience from my life do I understand differently now than I did while I was living it? 2. What story do I keep returning to? Pay attention to the memories that refuse to leave you alone. 3. If someone saw herself in my story, what would I hope she understood? You don't need to have your entire memoir figured out before you begin. You need a place to start. Ready to Go From “Someday” to “I'm Writing It”? Believing your story matters is one thing. Knowing how to turn your experiences into a memoir—with a central story, structure, scenes, voice, vulnerability, and forward momentum—is something else. That's why Kerry created Make Memoir Magic, her course for aspiring memoir writers who are ready to stop saying, “Someday I'm going to write my memoir,” and start saying: “I'm writing it.” Because you are not behind. Your age isn't evidence that you've missed your chance. The years you've lived may be precisely what gives you something worth saying. It's never too late to become visible, use your voice, and write the memoir only you can write. Learn more about Kerry's memoir writing resources, workshops, courses, and community. Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here.  Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!

  7. Aug 12

    Your Memories Aren’t Your Memoir: How to Find the Real Story

    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 the dog days of summer—and one very special dog who has me thinking about endings, beginnings, family, and the way our understanding of our own stories changes over time. Betty is the 16th guide dog puppy we've raised for Dogs Inc. We loved her, raised her, prepared her for what came next…and eventually said goodbye. We thought we knew how that story ended. Then Betty came home. Now, for the first time, we're officially a three-dog household—and I'm looking at Betty's story from an entirely different season of my life. That's one of the gifts of memoir: the facts of our stories may not change, but we do. In this episode, you'll learn: Why an event from your life isn't necessarily the storyHow distance and perspective can reveal deeper meaningThe difference between the person who experienced something and the narrator who writes about it years laterWhy family stories can hold two seemingly contradictory truths at onceA simple exercise for discovering how your understanding of a memory has changedThe question that can help you move from “Here's what happened” to “Here's what this experience means”Try This Choose one experience from your past and ask yourself: What did I believe about this while I was living it? Then ask: What do I understand about it today that I couldn't understand then? Finally: What is this story really about? You might discover that the story underneath the memory is the one you've been trying to find all along. Ready to Find the Story Inside Your Life? If you have years of memories but aren't sure how to shape them into a memoir, I'd love to help. The next live cohort of Make Memoir Magic begins in September. Over four weeks, I'll help you move from “I have all these stories” to “I know the story I'm trying to tell.” We'll work on finding the heart of your memoir, shaping your story, developing scenes and voice, creating a sustainable writing practice, and moving forward with greater clarity and confidence. Join the Make Memoir Magic waitlist: https://kerrykriseman.myflodesk.com/waitlist Connect With Me Follow me on Substack: https://substack.com/@kerrykriseman Join my free Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/memoirmagicforaspiringauthors Learn more about working with me: https://www.kerrykriseman.com/personal-memoir-consulting And remember: You probably don't need more stories. You've lived plenty of them. The work now is discovering which story you're really trying to tell. Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here.  Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!

  8. Aug 5

    Finding 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 struggle because they lack stories. They struggle because they haven’t yet discovered the deeper story hiding beneath their memories. In this episode of Making Memoir Magic, Kerry Kriseman explores why finding the heart of your memoir is the first—and often most important—step in transforming your life experiences into a meaningful book. Drawing from her own journey writing Accidental First Lady: On the Front Lines (and Behind the Scenes) of Local Politics, Kerry shares how she discovered that her memoir wasn’t truly about politics. It was about identity, resilience, and finding her own voice. She also explains why so many writers get stuck trying to capture every memory instead of uncovering the meaning behind those moments. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why your memoir is not simply a collection of memoriesThe difference between the events of your life and the deeper story beneath themWhy many aspiring authors believe their stories aren’t “important enough”How to identify the themes, questions, and transformations that can shape your memoirThe questions you can ask yourself to begin uncovering your own storyWhy clarity comes before writing—and how finding your story makes the writing process easierIf you've been carrying a story inside you but don't know where to begin, this episode will help you see your memories differently. Your life is filled with moments. Your memoir begins when you discover what those moments mean. Ready to uncover the story hidden inside your life? Learn more about Make Memoir Magic, Kerry’s step-by-step memoir writing course, at: www.kerrykriseman.com About Kerry Kriseman Kerry Kriseman is an author, memoir instructor, speaker, and storytelling advocate who helps aspiring authors transform their life experiences into meaningful memoirs. She is the author of Accidental First Lady: On the Front Lines (and Behind the Scenes) of Local Politics, a memoir about public life, identity, resilience, family, and finding your own voice. With more than 30 years of writing and communications experience, including a career as a journalist and communications professional, Kerry teaches writers how to uncover their unique stories, structure compelling memoirs, and share their experiences with honesty and heart. Through her online course Make Memoir Magic, workshops, and coaching programs, Kerry guides writers from “I have a story, but I don’t know where to begin” to confidently creating a memoir they’re proud to share. Learn more at: www.kerrykriseman.com Thank you for listening to this episode of Making Memoir Magic. To learn more about my course, Make Memoir Magic, click here.  Join my free Facebook Group, Memoir Magic for Aspiring Authors, where we honor your story, provide tips, create community, and help you write the story you were meant to tell. Join here!

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About

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

Information

  • Creator
    Kerry Kriseman
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    59
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Making Memoir Magic
  • Show Website
    Making Memoir Magic