Those of you who write manuscripts—that is full-length books—might be eager to find an agent and publisher for them. But not every serious writer feels that way. To see a different point of view, take a look at my essay, Writing As Self-Indulgence: Is Publishing Really Necessary? After you … [Read more...] about Why Should I Publish My Work?
An Approach That Could Work for Your Memoir
I've been asked a number of times to share information about my favorite memoirs and why I cherish them. One post is too short to cover them all, so today I'll just tell you about one: Three Dog Life. This is a big favorite of mine. It was written by Abigail Thomas, whose work I admire a … [Read more...] about An Approach That Could Work for Your Memoir
Answer to Another Memoir and Family Story Writing Question
Remember I asked you to send me your questions about writing memoir, stories from you life or about your family? Well, a reader asked the following: Something I struggle with is knowing when to ask for feedback on my writing (or more honestly, being willing to show others something that I … [Read more...] about Answer to Another Memoir and Family Story Writing Question
Answer to Question on Writing About Your Life or Your Family
In my last post, Questions About Writing About Your Life or Your Family? I asked you to let me know any questions you have about writing about your life or your family. One site visitor responded with a dilemma, one that many life and family story writers share. (I know because I get similar … [Read more...] about Answer to Question on Writing About Your Life or Your Family
QUESTIONS ABOUT WRITING ABOUT YOUR LIFE OR YOUR FAMILY?
Have you been mulling over ideas about writing life stories—stories about your life or your family, but just can’t seem to get going? Or, have you started writing, but find yourself stuck by a seemingly intractable obstacle? Need to know what to do next? Send me your questions. Perhaps … [Read more...] about QUESTIONS ABOUT WRITING ABOUT YOUR LIFE OR YOUR FAMILY?
Time to Write?
Typically I’m thoroughly impatient with my writing students and clients who say they have no time to write. Their most common excuse for not writing is lack of time, but I’m unsympathetic. At least, until recently. For the past two weeks, my time—and my mind—have been so busy and fractured … [Read more...] about Time to Write?
Repaired Link: Welcome to My New Memoir/Family History Website!
First I apologize for the broken link to this site. The renovating a web site unfortunately creates undesirable vulnerabilities. I'm so sorry you were subjected to the 404 or 403 errors, whatever they mean. We think finally we've wrestled the problem to the ground! If you remember my previous … [Read more...] about Repaired Link: Welcome to My New Memoir/Family History Website!
Ideas for Writing Family History
Many of us want to document the stories of our families. This is more than just a genealogy (which is a challenging undertaking in itself, but deals more with family trees than stories). Family history is more likely to be a narrative, that is, stories and memories about members of your family or … [Read more...] about Ideas for Writing Family History
5 More Pitfalls Awaiting Aspiring Memoir Writers
In my last post, I said I'd provide tips for writing about your family next, but I realized I had a few more memoir writing tips to share with you. I'll post about writing about your family next. Promise. ________________ Last week I posted a few things for aspiring memoir writers (or even more … [Read more...] about 5 More Pitfalls Awaiting Aspiring Memoir Writers