5 Important Craft Books Every Memoir Writer Needs
Whether you’re crafting your first personal essay or wading into the depths of a book-length memoir, here are five books for guidance and inspiration.
10 Famous Authors Who Felt Like Frauds to Help You Get Over Your Latest Rejection
Whether you’re a new writer or an experienced one, you’re likely familiar with the insidious, internal voice that whispers: you’re not really a writer; your work is no good. Like death and taxes, self doubt comes for us all, particularly if you’re suffering the sting of a recent rejection.…
Let’s Talk About First Lines with Faulkner
Recently, a statement in a BBC article by Hephzibah Anderson about the all-important first line of a novel caught my eye: “We frontload our expectations, insisting that a handful of words must contain the DNA of all that is to come, encapsulating the conflict of a 300-page story.”…
“A Good Man Is Hard to Find:” How Symbolism Makes Flannery O’Connor’s Classic a Story for the Ages
Let’s See How It Works
As a writer, I’m always keen to dissect a story to see how it works. More than that, I want to pinpoint the difference between a great story and a world-class story, the kind that’s anthologized and taught for generations.…
Our Family Gap Year Will Derail My Writing Routine. Here’s How I Keep Up with Writing on the Road
With one child graduating from university, the second from high school, a husband retiring, and a writer who can work from anywhere, the stars aligned this spring to free up our schedules for a family gap year. Twelve months to escape the daily grind and explore new places, together.…