Category: The Writing Life

Memoirs are not plot driven, but that doesn’t mean that memoirists shouldn’t work hard to enhance their storytelling with the use of plot devices. Memoirs

Art begins in imitation and ends in innovation—Mason Cooley Many artists and that includes writers worry about imitating others in their work. My suggestion is

If you are writing a memoir, you have likely experienced some traumatic experiences. In fact, that may be precisely why you have struggled to tell

Giving and receiving feedback is such an important part of a writer’s life. But so many of us are not great at doing either one. 

Subtext: Implicit meaning that lies below the surface of the words of any text.  All writing can benefit from subtext so that it is layered

Write with integrity. That exhortation might paralyze a writer. Fear looms large. The permanence of words written down can feel like the passing of a

A regular practice of writing is very important to cultivate the skills and stamina that writers need to make a career out of their craft

You are a writer. And like all writers and other creative, you have a unique process. For most of us this process is subconscious and

Memoir writing is a way of stepping out of our skin and observing what goes on in our own minds. Every time we write in

It’s been said that the writer’s life can be a solitary one and it is true that many hours are passed alone in front of the

The purpose of writing is to create a tangible product—book, an essay, a short story or poem. But why do it? The process can be exhausting,

Once you have been through several drafts, you have revised, cut and cleaned up your story it is time to shape it. Here are some