The topic of truth in memoir is one that comes up often in my classes. We talk about how the story in memoir isn’t about what happened in our lives, but what we make of what happened in our lives. This principle is essential in guiding our stories. But right away, as we begin to…
Lots of people who are writing books do not set daily word count targets. There are various reasons for this—they feel stifled by it, they need to let their writing go where it goes (or not), they want to feel okay whether they write many words or few, or they just do not need it….
I like to change up my reading vibe according to the seasons. Spooky reads in fall, snowy reads in winter, etc. Christmas deserves its own category, and if you’re in the mood for some Christmas literature, I’ve got a few recs. for you. I’m skipping over Little Women and A Christmas Carol, because you already…
There’s an online writing activity I like about as much as having someone else floss my teeth—posting the first line of a story in internet forums to receive critique from whoever’s willing to help. This practice is common on Reddit; I’ve also seen these threads in Facebook groups that are otherwise valuable places for writers…
I learned this week that Marie Curie’s notebooks are radioactive and will be for another 1,500 years. If you’d like to get your hands on them at the Musée Curie in Paris, you’ll need to wear protective gear and sign a waiver. So, since notebooks were on my mind, I stopped to give them further…