How to Write a Memoir When You Don’t Remember Everything

What do you do when the memory you need most for your memoir is the one you can’t quite reach? You listen to this week’s guest, Sue William Silverman. Sue joined me for a deeply honest, craft conversation about what to do when you can’t remember, how to work with fragmented memory, how to use structure, voice, and sensory detail to tell the emotional truth of your story, and how to trust yourself even when certainty is impossible. If you’ve ever felt stalled by memory gaps, afraid of getting it “wrong,” or unsure how to write what you can’t fully recall, this episode will give you both permission and practical tools to keep going. Let’s dive in.



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Jen68uhjd April 2025

What do you do when the memory you need most for your memoir is the one you can’t quite reach? So many writers get stuck in the gaps, the holes, and slippery places where memory falters, especially when trauma is involved. It’s easy to let doubt keep you so stuck you stop writing.  If you’re questioning how to tell your story or whether you’re allowed to tell it, today’s episode is for you. This week on Writing Your Resilience, I’m joined by award-winning author of nine works of nonfiction and poetry, Sue William Silverman, for a deeply honest, craft-forward conversation about what to do when you can’t remember—how to work with fragmented memory, how to use structure, voice, and sensory detail to tell the emotional truth of your story, and how to trust yourself even when certainty is impossible. If you’ve ever felt stalled by memory gaps, afraid of getting it “wrong,” or unsure how to write what you can’t fully recall, this episode will give you both permission and practical tools to keep going. Let’s dive in.

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 What do you do when the memory you need most for your memoir is the one you can’t quite reach? You listen to this week’s guest, Sue William Silverman. Sue is the award-winning author of nine works of nonfiction and poetry and co-chair of the MFA in Writing program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She joined me for a deeply honest, craft conversation about what to do when you can’t remember, how to work with fragmented memory, how to use structure, voice, and sensory detail to tell the emotional truth of your story, and how to trust yourself even when certainty is impossible. If you’ve ever felt stalled by memory gaps, afraid of getting it “wrong,” or unsure how to write what you can’t fully recall, this episode will give you both permission and practical tools to keep going. Let’s dive in.

Episode Highlights

  • 04:48 Writing Memoir When Memory Feels Unstable
  • 05:48 From Bad Fiction to Honest Storytelling
  • 07:13 The Five Senses Trick for Unlocking Memories
  • 09:38 Emotional Truth vs. Perfect Facts
  • 20:29 Writing the Gaps: What You Don’t Fully Remember
  • 27:30 What You Cut (and Why It Matters Later)
  • 30:55 You Don’t Have to Fit Your Whole Life in One Book
  • 33:47 Finding the Voice That Can Tell the Story

Resources for this Episode: 

Sue’s Bio: Sue William Silverman is an award-winning author of nine works of nonfiction and poetry. Her new book, “Selected Misdemeanors: Essays at the Mercy of the Reader,” is longlisted for the 2026 PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay. Other books include “Acetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the Soul,” “How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences,” which won the gold star in Foreword Reviews INDIE Book of the Year Award and the Clara Johnson Award for Women’s Literature; and “Love Sick: One Woman’s Journey through Sexual Addiction,” also made into a Lifetime TV movie. Sue has appeared on such programs as The View, Anderson Cooper 360, and PBS Books. She’s co-chair of the MFA in Writing program at Vermont College of Fine Arts.


Connect with Sue: 

  • Website: https://www.suewilliamsilverman.com/
  • Facebook: @SueWilliamSilverman
  • Instagram: @suewilliamsilverman

Sign up for Revise Your Memoir series: https://bit.ly/4ooLTDi

Get a taste of the series by signing up for Identify Your Memoir’s Essential Question

Connect with your host, Lisa:

Produced by Espresso Podcast Production: https://www.espressopodcastproduction.com

About Your Host

Lisa Cooper Ellison is an author, speaker, trauma-informed writing coach, and host of the Writing Your Resilience podcast. Working at the powerful intersection of storytelling and healing, she blends her writing expertise, clinical training, and soul-centered practices—including Akashic Records work and Human Design—to help writers turn their hardest experiences into art. Her essays—on sibling loss, grief, trauma healing, and the craft of writing—have appeared in The New York Times, HuffPost, and The Loss of a Lifetime: Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope among others.



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