If we trace the history of the creative nonfiction essay to writers like Montaigne, who in the 15th century wrote about everything from friendship to death, it becomes clear that we read creative nonfiction to get inside the mind of a writer. A skilled writer can make disparate things seem connected, even the most commonplace of experiences. But that tends to be an issue when we’re all writing about the same life processes and situations.

How do we write about experiences that most people have with a unique angle? How do we find new ways to talk about things that have been talked about for thousands of years? Here are some words of advice for doing so.

Focus On The Details

Whether you’re writing about addiction, finding love, or living in New York, chances are it’s been covered already. Just take Leslie Jamison’s recent memoir The Recovering or Sloane Crosley’s essay collection Look Alive Out There, both 2018 releases. Still, there’s room for writers who have a unique take on an experience or who can, quite simply, write about something beautifully.

Part of writing about an experience is reflecting over it: Alexander Smith writes in On Writing Essays that “a quick ear and eye, an ability to discern the infinite suggestiveness of common things, a brooding meditative spirit are all that the essayist requires to start business with.” Heather Thomson connects this to her own writing “recognizing that every experience, in some way, has the potential for meaning.”

Something that may help you write about a common experience is focusing on the details. What minute, concrete example can you focus on from a particular day in your life? How did your experience with the situation differ from what you always expected? Can you find an element of your experience that challenges a cultural narrative?

Find Your Connection

As you’ve undoubtedly read, keeping a journal is extremely helpful for a writer. It’s a safe space to experiment with storytelling and form as well as a private creative outlet that doesn’t demand revision or perfection. Sometimes writing it out for myself helps me determine if an experience holds deeper significance that could be explored in an essay. Starting with a short passage written for ourselves can be a helpful beginning point.

Something you always want to ask yourself when you’re writing is what significance it holds for you. Why do you feel compelled to write about this experience? Once you find that why, write more. Write as much as you can. What happens in early drafts is a lot of throat-clearing that can be revised or even cut. Keep writing to open up to vulnerability. Sometimes that is where we find our best words.

Read Essays and Books That Treat Similar Subject Matter

Want to write an autotheory memoir? Read Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts. Interested in writing about your college years? Essays in Marina Keegan’s The Opposite of Loneliness may help you generate ideas.

Use resources like Goodreads or websites like Literary Hub to find book criticism that makes it possible for you to find books within your genre or category.

Fit In Unique References

Something I’ve noticed about a lot of modern essays is that they tend to deftly integrate pop culture or obscure references. Invoking things related to but outside of your experience should never be forced, but sometimes our interactions with obscure academia, older texts, music, or even internet culture can enrich a narrative. While your personal essay should be driven by your voice and experiences, you’re more than welcome to quote others and consider their thinking next to your own.

Although writing an essay that incorporates the unexpected may seem daunting, it’s possible to write creatively about your experiences even if they are commonplace. Taking the time to practice your writing will always help you in your writing career.

Kayla Dean has written for publications like Electric Literature, Ploughshares online, Darling, and Bella Grace. She has an MA and BA in English. You can find her on Twitter@kayladeanwrites.

The post How To Write About Commonplace Experiences In Creative Nonfiction appeared first on DIY MFA.

Before I started blogging years ago, I didn’t read a lot of blogs or spend much time on news sites. As a college sophomore who desperately wanted to change her major from Engineering to English, fiction was my jam and not much else mattered. Fast forward to 2017, and web writing has become a big deal. I realized that it never hurts to up your writing game when millions read online content every day. But is your blog a good place to write creative nonfiction?

There isn’t just one way to write for the web. Most posts floating around on Pinterest are for content marketers and business owners who want their posts to convert directly into cash. Writing blog posts from a marketing standpoint with lots of calls to action typically works well for online entrepreneurs who sell courses or services. This can be useful: if you haven’t noticed, the world of online business has for better or worse leaked into the realm of fiction writing as many writers are considering alternate ways to make a living as they publish their work.

This still begs the question: is this a good place to write about personal experience?

Write With Purpose

Short answer: Yes, but do so with purpose. If you read a lot of creative nonfiction, you know that there are an array of styles, textures, and stories that still fit under the genre umbrella. Writers for The Atlantic tell stories hooked to the news, but they aren’t opposed to a first-person pronoun. Meanwhile, authors for Hazlitt or Buzzfeed may be able to take both a personal and critical approach, especially when participating in cultural critique.

On the other hand, creative business owners don’t always write with a storied approach, but they often have a lot of personality. That draws people back to their sites. Putting it simply, blogs can be moneymakers in the best of circumstances.

Write With Personality

While personality may seem to be a shrinking quantity, readers tend to return to blogs where they like the writer. And whether you’re blogging about writing craft or your own life, personality matters.

Consider this notable example: Alana Massey, author of a book of essays called All The Lives I Want, got her start writing for xoJane. In a highly trafficked article “I’ve Never Had an Orgasm and I’m the Only Person That Doesn’t Care,” Massey took a highly personal approach that allowed her to continue writing for the site. Her voice and stories were so moving that she was able to write for major outlets like The Guardian, Buzzfeed, and The Atlantic—all without an MFA. She’s written about culture, feminism, sexuality, and identity, all of these articles reliant on her self-aware, fresh voice admired by respected nonfiction writers like Leslie Jamison. It’s only because of her web writing that Massey got a two-book deal with Grand Central Publishing.

Massey is an extraordinary example. She got her start on big-name websites, brands that any writer would be proud to have in their portfolio. After all, she had powerful personal stories that could draw a large audience that worked well as cultural criticism. She had experiences that people wanted to better understand. While she has faced some criticism from rude commenters, Massey has ultimately enjoyed success by writing about her life. Never mind her solid following on Twitter. But you may still be asking how does this translate to blog writing? I thought you said that you don’t have to be the most interesting person to write creative nonfiction.

Write Your Experience

Meg Fee started blogging in 2008 about her experiences living in New York. Posts include what it’s like to turn 30, learning how to be confident, and the serendipitous encounters that have made her life in the city meaningful. Over the years, she’s gathered an audience of thousands who love her voice, originality, and gorgeous photos. Because of a novella she published online, Fee was referred to an agent. Now, she has a book deal with Icon Books for a collection of essays coming out in 2018.

Something to notice about these two writers is that they didn’t necessarily take a traditional approach to joining the arena of published authors. They didn’t get the education you’d expect a writer to have and they chose the themes they wanted to focus on. Whether through notable online outlets or through your blog, there is an opportunity to do the same.

So many writers think they have to write about craft. It’s great to offer advice, but it’s also a beautiful thing to give stories. Truly, it’s all about making your website speak for you. Don’t see a model for how you should go about this whole blogging endeavor? Make up your own; maybe it’s time to start taking a hybrid approach.

No one can promise you a writing career, but the age of the Internet enables more choice than ever. If you aren’t so proud of your blog, now is the time to assess the way you’re writing it. Are your posts too businesslike? Have they stopped speaking to your interests as a writer? Have you grown in the last year? Give your site a facelift. And don’t dwell on the layout; try to get those words squared away first. Writing in a more creative nonfiction style may be your best bet, no matter what subject.

Kayla Dean is an arts and einment writer in Las Vegas, where she has interviewed several celebrities for publications like Vegas Seven. She has several YA stories in the works and blogs about writing and creativity on her personal website, where she also hosts the Millennial Writer Series. She received her BA in English from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and will pursue her Master’s in English Literature this fall. You can find her on Twitter@kayladeanwrites.

The post Is Your Blog a Good Place To Write Creative Nonfiction? appeared first on DIY MFA.

At DIY MFA, we believe building your community is integral to a thriving writing life. Writers benefit from the expertise, experience, and advice of other writers. This is certainly true of the DIY MFA website as well. Over the past few years, we’ve been privileged to bring you articles by several talented columnists each week, along with our other regularly-scheduled content.

Today, we are excited to share that we will be adding a whole extra day of delicious DIY MFA material on the website. In addition to our regular Monday columns, Wednesday Podcasts and Five on Friday posts, we’ll be adding a series of genre columns on Tuesdays, starting with these four new regular members of the DIY MFA team. Please join me in welcoming these wonderful writers, and look forward to reading more from them in the coming weeks.

Kayla Dean: True Stories, Well Told

They say everyone has a story in them. Maybe you like reading creative nonfiction, but you’re still a bit fuzzy on what it means. Or you think your life is too boring to write “true stories, well told.” My column on creative nonfiction aims to break down these barriers by defining the genre, recommending great works, and debunking the myth that you must be a world traveler or have the most heartbreaks to write about your life. DIY MFA breaks down the three tenants of your writing education, which are reading with purpose, building community, and writing with focus. My column will show you how to use these elements and apply them in a new way to creative nonfiction.

Note from Gabriela: I first got to know Kayla as a member of the DIY MFA community, and when she announced she was starting a newsletter, I hopped on board just to see what it was all about. Let me just say… this lady is taking the writing world by storm and it’s a pleasure to see her emails pop into my inbox.

Stacy B. Woodson: Hook, Line and Dagger

Looking for an insider’s perspective on publishing a suspense novel or what’s happening in the suspense community? Hook line and dagger covers everything suspense – from craft to community.

Note from Gabriela: A seasoned DIY MFA alumni and super-sharp writer, Stacy was hands down my first choice for our suspense column. Not only is she well-versed in the genre, but I’ve also had the pleasure of reading excerpts of her fiction. Stacy knows both the theory and the practice of writing great suspense. With a few ThrillerFest conferences and other events under her belt, she’s plugged into the suspense/thriller community and will have plenty to share about that aspect.

Janae Marks: Kid Lit Confidential

There is something special about writing books for kids and teens. The right book can have a big impact on a young person—it can turn a reluctant reader into an avid one, make a child feel less alone, or help them survive their adolescence. But writing for kids isn’t as easy as it sounds. If you want to write picture books, middle grade or young adult fiction, my Kid Lit column will give you the tools you need—through craft tips, book recommendations, author interviews, and more.

Note from Gabriela: Janae and I go back to my MFA days, when we studied together at The New School. Not only is she a talented writer with a great sense for the nuances of writing for kids and teens, but she’s also one of my most trusted readers and a good friend. Now that we’re both moms, we don’t get to hang out as much as we used to in person, so I’m thrilled to have her writing for us so I get to read more of her words.

Melanie Marttila: Speculations

Speculations is about all things science fiction and fantasy, written by a life-long lover and writer of the genre. If you write, or want to write, fantasy or science fiction, this column’s for you. From idea generation and inspiration to research and fact-checking, from world building to the impact of the genre on readers and society we’ll delve into all aspects of SF&F in entertaining posts that will help you navigate your hero’s writer’s journey.

Note from Gabriela: I had seen Melanie around on social media, but it was during the DIY MFA book launch that I got to know her much better. She was a rockstar member of the DIY MFA street team and an engaged member of that community. I could tell right away that her voice would be a wonderful addition to this group!

Please join us in welcoming Kayla, Stacy, Janae and Melanie to the DIY MFA Team!

The post New Genre Columns at DIY MFA! appeared first on DIY MFA.

Following up on her previous collection: Why We Write, Meredith’s most recent book is a collection of essays from memoirists, talking about why they write memoir in the first place. The lineup of authors featured in this book is a veritable who’s who of the memoir world, and the insights they share are no less awesome. Today I’m delighted to speak with Meredith and hear her take about writers love to write (and read) memoirs.

In this episode Meredith and I discuss:

• Writing memoir and embellishing the truth
• How our perspective changes over the course of our lives, but our writing stays constant
• Pros and cons of being truly authentic in your writing
• The writer’s responsibility to protect the innocent (or the guilty) in their writing

Plus, Meredith #1 tip for writers.

About Meredith Maran:

Meredith Maran is  a passionate reader and writer of memoirs, and the author of thirteen nonfiction books and the acclaimed 2012 novel, A Theory Of Small Earthquakes. Meredith writes book reviews, essays, and features for newspapers and magazines including People, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, Salon.com, and More. A member of the National Book Critics Circle, Meredith lives in a restored historic bungalow in Los Angeles. Her next memoir, about starting over in Los Angeles, will be out from Blue Rider Press in 2017. To learn more about Meredith and her work, follow her on Facebook and Twitter or visit her website.

Why We Write About Ourselves: Twenty Memoirists on Why They Expose Themselves (and Others) in the Name of Literature is the follow-up to editor Meredith Maran’s last collection, Why We Write, this new book tackles one of the most popular literary genres: memoir. Meredith’s new book features some of its most-read authors, including Cheryl Strayed, Anne Lamott, Nick Flynn, Sue Monk Kidd, and James McBride. Contributors candidly disclose the origins of their memoirs: a traumatic experience, like Darin Strauss or Ishmael Beah; family relationships, like Sue Monk Kidd, Edwidge Danticat, or Pat Conroy; or simply a knack for personal storytelling, like Sandra Tsing Loh or Anne Lamott.

Link to Episode 81

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share!

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.

The post Episode 81: Why We Write About Ourselves – with Meredith Maran appeared first on DIY MFA.