Personal Writing

Novelist Rebecca Hardiman gives us an insight into the obstacles that cropped up for writers at the start of the 2020 global pandemic.

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!

Nonfiction author Liz Heinecke gives her top 6 tips for crafting a nonfiction book that will really capture your subject.

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.

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.

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.

Award-winning journalist and author of more than a dozen books Mary Beth Sammons shares how her mother's request to learn the fate of Sammons' maternal grandfather led her to learn more about herself, her community, and publish a book in the process.

Author Heidi McCrary digs into when a memoir is a novel (or at least, when it should be a novel) and examines the thin line between fabricated fact and real fiction by looking at her own novel, Chasing North Star.

Dubbed the "Godfather behind creative nonfiction" by Vanity Fair Magazine, Lee Gutkind shares his first experience with memoir, what makes it different than his previous books, what writers can't take back, and more!

Novelist and screenwriter Karol Hoeffner shares what inspired her latest novel (Knee Deep), what surprised her the most in writing it, her best piece of advice for other writers who may be feeling writer's block during the pandemic, and more!

In this post, Miller shares what inspired her to switch writing genres (from fiction to true crime), move to Oklahoma, sit with convicted murderers and in meth labs, and more!

In this author spotlight, Heather Lanier shares how her blog posts put her on the path to publication success with a new book, Raising a Rare Girl.

In this post, Ian Haydn Smith shares what inspired Cult Writers: 50 Noncomformist Novelists You Need to Know, surprises in the research process, challenges in the writing process, his best piece of advice for other writers, and more.

While researching another book, Robert L. Richardson came across a story worth sharing from a pilot who will turn 100 later this year that became his latest title, Spying From the Sky: At the Controls of U.S. Cold War Aerial Intelligence from Casemate Publishers.

Writing villains in memoir takes a special kind of honesty. In this feature from the July/August 2019 issue of Writer's Digest, William Kenower offers his take.

Author Timothy J. Hillegonds shares three ideas on how to determine what to include and what to leave out of a memoir so that it supports the main themes of the book.

Author Sadie Hoagland shares 5 things to consider when writing difficult topics and how to write about grief, including how to handle honesty, trauma, and abstraction.

In this post, Tanja Pajevic shares how to write a compelling memoir and stay sane in the process. In this post, she describes nine tips, including clarifying your scope, how to correct course as you go, and more.