The first time I heard memoir teacher Marion Roach Smith say, “Memoir is not about you,” I thought, Wait … what? Of course my memoir is about me! This probably won’t be a shocker: Marion was right and I was wrong. She goes on to teach us, in her evergreen book, The Memoir Project: A… Read more »
“How is topic different from theme?” This question bubbled up while I was working on my previous Theme: A Story’s Soul post. Even though I briefly explained the difference between those two terms in that article, I realized the question deserved greater exploration. Then, as I began researching this subject (no pun intended!), I discovered… Read more »
I started my writing career as a news producer at MSNBC but decided to throw away a perfectly good career in journalism for a shot at Hollywood glory. After moving to L.A., I got my foot in the door by working on a bunch of network TV dramas as the Writers’ Assistant. So I picked… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing RJ Barker. Now, according to the bio that either he or his publicist submitted when we set up this interview, RJ Barker is a softly-spoken Yorkshireman with flowing locks. He lives in the frozen north with his wife and son, and divides his time… Read more »
Literacy, in its most basic definition, is the ability to read and write. It can also be defined as fluency with a subject like math, or competence with skills such as computer literacy. Being able to read and write are skills many of us take for granted. We learn as kids and use them every… Read more »
This year, I’ve been to more conferences than I’ve ever been to in my whole life; three have been writing conferences for me and one a work conference for my husband. And during each of these, between learning and mingling, I found myself feeling inspired and a bit more creative. So, after the latest writing… Read more »
I used to think writing only counted as writing if I had a document open and was adding to the official word count. But over the last few years, my writing process has deepened to include the important creative work that happens before I ever open a document. I like to think it has enriched… Read more »
Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing NoNieqa Ramos. Now if you’re a die-hard word nerd and fan of the show, you probably remember NoNieqa from her previous interview with us (Episode 202). I had such a blast talking with her that when I heard she had a new book coming… Read more »
My last column addressed how we writers of historical fiction see a modern setting and then imagine our way backward to how it might have looked at the time of our story and what events might have happened in that place. Now let’s focus on the place itself. There’s no substitute for actually visiting the… Read more »
When I was first trying to develop a more cohesive author brand and platform for myself as a writer and creative writing coach, I struggled to visualize exactly what I liked and wanted. I mindlessly clicked through sites that I admired and tried to imitate what I saw. But I found that I wasn’t creating… Read more »
