Memoir Writing Tip: The Memoir Project Calendar
GO ON, TRY my interactive calendar of emotional high holy days, regular-version high holy days and more. It’s probably my number one memoir writing tip, since writing on deadline, or to a deadline, is one of the single best ways to learn how to write memoir.
How to Use the Memoir Project Calendar
Hover your cursor over a cinnamon-colored date to see what pops up. Use it to start personal essays, radio pieces and op-eds to submit on deadline. How? Look three months out for radio ideas; six to twelve for magazine pieces. Pluck something from the calendar and start now to submit the very best work you can produce.
Here is how to stop using writing prompts and writing exercises, those time-wasting devices leave you merely practicing writing. You want to write with intent, and you want to succeed. So start today and do so.
Write with intent: Pick it, write it, submit it. Read and react. You’re a writer. That’s what writers do. So write on.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Jan | Mar » | |||||
1February, 1 2026Full Snow MoonIt’s February’s full Moon, known as the Full Snow Moon. We take our names from the Native American tradition. Got a winter full moon story? Remember what memoir is supposed to be, as well as what it’s not. |
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2February, 2 2026Groundhog DayAh, Punxsutawney Phil. You’ve gotta love him. He’s a true American icon. Have you got a Ground Hog Day story? Remember to think in propinquities. What do I mean by that? See here. | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
9February, 9 2026All Weather, All the TimeIt was on this day in 1870 that Congress authorized one of those national offices whose information we use every single day, the National Weather Service. Located at www.weather.gov, it’s a fine place to add to your research sites when writing memoir. You do remember that you’ve got to do research when writing memoir, yes? | 10 | 11 | 12February, 12 2026Abe Lincoln BornOn this day in 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born. Do you have a Lincoln story? For dates like this, it’s a good idea to do some research and learn something new. | 13 | 14February, 14 2026Valentine’s DayOk, so nearly everyone celebrates this. How to make this story yours, while making it interesting to readers? Follow this, an essential rule of writing memoir. | 15 |
| 16 | 17February, 17 2026Lunar New YearIt’s the new year on the Chinese calendar. It will include excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity. Have you ever been to a Chinese New Year celebration? It might be the setting for a fine essay. But do remember to first figure out what the essay is about. RamadanStarting tonight and running through March 19, 2026, this is Ramadan, a holy month of fasting, community and prayer for Muslims. Officially the ninth month on the Islamic calendar, this is one of the most sacred times for Muslims, as it is the month in which it is believed that the Holy Qur’an was sent down from heaven “as a guidance for men and women, a declaration of direction, and a means of salvation.” | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
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