Personal Writing
5-Minute Memoir: Anonymous Fame
5-Minute Memoir is exactly what it sounds like—a personal essay on some facet of the writing life, be it a narrative or a reflection, pensive, touching or hilarious. Enjoy this installment from Barbara Neal Varma.
How I Managed to Get Six Books Published in 2021
Author Rajani LaRocca shares how she went from selling one middle-grade novel to releasing six books in a single year.
Late to the Party: On Being a “Mature” Debut Author
It's never too late to start your writing career. Shawn Nocher, author of A Hand to Hold in Deep Water, shares her journey.
How Personal Writing and Journaling Is Good for the Soul and Why Your Journal Is Your Soulmate
Bestselling author Laura Munson shares how personal writing and journaling is good for the soul and why your journal is your soulmate, including how to get more out of the process if you're feeling blocked.
How to Write a Biography of a World Leader
When writing a biography, you want to make sure that the story you tell is more than just a list of facts about the person's life. Biographer Supriya Vani shares her top tips for writing a successful biography.
Marilyn Peterson Haus: On Battling Feelings of Disloyalty When Writing Memoir
Debut author Marilyn Peterson Haus discusses the surprises that came with writing her memoir, including struggling with feelings of disloyalty to her family while writing.
Brian Broome: On Letting Other Genres Inspire You
In this article, author Brian Broome explains how a Gwendolyn Brooks poem inspired him to write his memoir Punch Me Up to the Gods.
How to Write a Eulogy When the Need Arises
While plenty of eulogies are delivered by a clergy member, the perspective provided by a close friend or family member can retell cherished memories of the deceased. If you find yourself needing to pen one, let this advice by Paul Vachon guide you.
How to Approach Friends and Family About Your Memoir
No one can decide whether showing your memoir to loved ones before it goes to press is the right choice for you. However, if you're planning to approach your friends and family about it, let memoirist Ronit Plank give you 3 tips for doing so.
What Is a Personal Essay in Writing?
In this post, we look at what a personal essay (also known as the narrative essay) is, including what makes it different from other types of fiction and nonfiction writing, examples of effective personal essays, and more.
Negative Space: An Interview With Lilly Dancyger
Catapult and Barrelhouse Books editor Lilly Dancyger talks about her debut memoir Negative Space.
Finding Your Nonfiction Writing Niche and Understanding Why This Is So Important
Why specialize? It's a question many nonfiction authors face. Author Rick Lauber explains how focusing in on one subject can help your writing create a bigger impact—and even widen your audience.
Through Another’s Eyes: An Auschwitz Survivor Inspires His Biographer
Popular lecturer and biographer Joshua M. Greene discusses the hardship of writing the biographies of Holocaust survivors, and the biography that convinced him to continue writing.
How I Taught Myself to Write in English
Novelist Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau describes what it was like to transition from writing in French (her native language) to publishing her debut YA novel in English.
Joshua M. Greene: On Balancing Poetry and Conciseness in Biographies
Popular lecturer and biographer Joshua M. Greene shares how he handles writing a biography that is both accurate and concise while still illuminating the subject's personality.
Writer’s Digest Columns: How to Write a Five-Minute Memoir
Want to write for WD? Here are editor tips on how to submit to one of our most popular columns, 5-Minute Memoir.
Writer's Digest March/April 2021 Issue Reveal
The March/April 2021 issue of Writer's Digest is showing up in mailboxes and will soon be available at retailers. Get a sneak peek of the new columns we're introducing with the expanded page count!
5 Tips for Evoking Emotion in Writing
Bestselling author Rebecca Yarros coaches writers on how to create believable emotion in this article.
How to Not Write in the Pandemic, Early Days
Novelist Rebecca Hardiman gives us an insight into the obstacles that cropped up for writers at the start of the 2020 global pandemic.
Arisa White: Putting the Pieces Together
In this post, Arisa White shares how she was able to piece together her past with her present, how some works freed her to write, and more!
6 Tools for Writing Nonfiction That Breathes
Nonfiction author Liz Heinecke gives her top 6 tips for crafting a nonfiction book that will really capture your subject.
Flat on My Back and Writing in My Head: On Writing My Book After a Stroke (and Believing I Was Sherlock Holmes)
Author Timothy Miller explains how his novel came together as he was recovering from a major medical incident—and how dedication to a story can make miracles happen.
Mark Henick: On Memory, Healing, and Languishing Projects
Author Mark Henick shares how he was able to turn a successful TEDx talk into a memoir, even when the project didn't come as quickly as he expected.
Telling Our Family Stories: 4 Reasons Why It’s More Important Than Ever to Write Our Family Narratives
Nonfiction author Mary Beth Sammons explores the questions that cause us to learn more about our ancestries and what we learn about ourselves and each other when we do so.