Why the End of the Year Is the Perfect Time to Begin Your Memoir
There’s something about the end of a year that gives us a bit of space to pause and reflect. I love to journal this time of year—and I’m not a big journaler, honestly, since I write all day anyway.
But this time of year, it feels different. More reflective, I guess. And I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, judging by the many “looking back” social media posts I see every day around the holiday season.
The truth is, reflection comes almost automatically at this time of year. It’s built into the season. And that’s exactly why it’s such a powerful moment to begin thinking about your story.
Why We Reflect at the End of a Year
We don’t reflect as deeply in the middle of things, when life is loud and demanding. We’re focused on getting through it. But at the end of the year, we get to look back. It’s a pause between what was and what’s coming. We instinctively ask:
How did I get here?
What did this year take from me?
What did it give me?
Who am I now, compared to who I was twelve months ago?
These aren’t New Year’s questions. They’re memoir questions.
They’re the kinds of questions that help us understand the arc of our lives. And not just one year, but all the years that led us here.
Your Memoir Doesn’t Start at the Beginning
One of the biggest misconceptions about memoir writing is that it has to start with childhood. Or chronology. Or “once upon a time.”
It doesn’t.
Memoirs often begin with a “now” moment when you realize something about your life has shifted. In technical terms, it’s called in medias res, which means “in the middle of things.” I’m sure you’ve read many stories that start at one critical point where everything changes for the protagonist, and the rest of the story flows from there.
Sometimes, an end-of-the-year reflection can help you recognize that point where everything changed for you. Maybe it wasn’t this year, but often, when we reflect, other things spring to mind and help us gain clarity and perspective.
And that gives you a story.
Why Reflection Is the Foundation of Meaning
Not to beat a dead horse, but memoir isn’t about listing events. It’s about understanding what those events meant. When reflect, you start to notice:
recurring themes in your life
moments that changed your direction
relationships that shaped you
beliefs you outgrew
strengths you didn’t know you had at the time
These realizations don’t come from forcing memory; they come from sitting with your life long enough to see it clearly. And that reflection turns memory into insight.
How Year-End Reflection Helps You Begin
You don’t need to sit down and write a memoir right now. You don’t need an outline or a plan or a publishing goal. You just need to notice.
If you’re feeling the pull to reflect but don’t know where to begin, try this:
Ask yourself:
What did this year reveal about me?
What parts of my story feel clearer now than they did before?
What am I finally ready to name?
Write without worrying about structure or polish. Let the reflections land where they land. Often, that’s where your memoir begins.
The Gift of Looking Back
The end of a year reminds us that time passes whether we document it or not. But when we pause to reflect, we give ourselves the gift of perspective, compassion, and continuity.
Your story didn’t begin this year, and it won’t end here either. But this moment, this pause, might be where everything starts to make sense.
And that’s often where a memoir truly begins.
