Sometimes there’s a confluence of events that make you realize you need to stop procrastinating and get started on that bucket list item right now. This November is one such confluence: here in the season of endings and letting go of old baggage, it’s not only National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) but also National Life Writing Month (sometimes called Memoir Month). And that means that the best way to clear your mental slate and get ready for the new year ahead is to go ahead and write it all down.

I’m not suggesting the only way to do this is to tackle the considerable challenge of the 50,000-word NaNo standard. Nor am I telling you to write an entire memoir. Consider, however, that your life has been shaped by many people and events, and writing them down might be a very powerful way to make sense, come to terms, and move past some things that keep you from moving ahead. It’s also a way to help you identify things that have sustained, encouraged, enlightened, comforted, and uplifted you in the past. We’re all surrounded by unacknowledged mentors and turning points only seen in hindsight. Why not take some time to celebrate those as you bring the year to a close?

Unlike an autobiography, in which a famous person shares facts about their life, a memoir is a way for the writer to talk about their own experience as an illustration of a larger idea of theme. If you’ve identified some kind of universal experience that’s shaped you, how can you honor it? A few suggestions:

• Write a letter (or email) thanking someone for a way they’ve contributed to your life. This doesn’t have to be long or detailed – a few sincere lines to a former teacher, mentor, friend, co-worker, neighbor, or whoever will be much appreciated. Don’t hesitate to thank those mentors that have passed on.
• Consciously gather with others that shared a meaningful time or experience (virtually or in person) and shared those memories. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, this could provide some wonderful dinner conversation.
• There are many journals available that have questions or structured writing exercises about specific parts of your life. Commit to completing one.
• Share a skill or knowledge with someone else, in the spirit in which that knowledge was given to you.
• Add a nostalgic dish to your holiday table.
• Add ancestor work to your spiritual or magical practice.
• Is writing not your jam? Play that person’s favorite song, visit a shared spot, paint or draw something that reminds you of them, or otherwise express your emotions nonverbally.
• Feeling ambitious? Sign up for a memoir writing class at a local college, community education program, or online.