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.
"Write what you know" is common writing advice, but when it comes to mining what you know about your friends and family for stories, you enter delicate territory, as Mark Guerin shares in this guest post.
Writing the story of her assault wasn't easy for Karen Stefano. The author shares her experience writing about trauma, including how she found the strength to put it all on the page, the inevitable ups and downs, and the self-care needed in between.
Former journalist and award-winning author Fred Waitzkin made the leap from nonfiction to fiction by accepting that nothing is fiction—everything is inspired by his real-life experience.
Jane Binns discusses the difficulty some memoir writers experience about publishing deeply personal life events and emotions.
The 2018 film adaptation of Lee Israel's memoir Can Your Ever Forgive Me?, which details her criminal misadventures forging letters by famous authors, was met with critical acclaim—and it offers several valuable lessons for writers.
In this episode author and cartoonist Tom Hart shares an inside look at writing and publishing in the graphic novel and comics world. In this interview, they discuss how writers and artists collaborate to create amazing stories, the importance of finding your cohort in the comics community, and how self-publishing in this form not only enhances your skills but also your credibility.
Author Eli Jaxon-Bear shares three essential questions you must ask when writing a memoir.
Memoir structure is as crucial as structure in fiction and no good memoir will be able to stand tall without it. Several ingredients can be used to create a structure that works for your book.
Choosing what to include in a memoir can be challenging—and doubly so when the topic of the memoir is particularly sensitive. Susan Burrowes, who wrote a book about her family's struggle with her teen daughter's addiction, discusses her process and decisions.
Jennifer Haupt discusses six strategies for using a process journal to stay motivated, conquer writer's block, and keep making progress on your novel.
Despite long-standing aspirations of writing a book, initial successes with short stories and essays, and a healthy career in publishing, Andrea Jarrell published her first book at age 55.
In this piece about the impact of the #MeToo movement on how and what women write, Leigh Anne Jasheway explores different ways writers can approach sharing stories of sexual harassment and assault.
For writers—particularly those who write memoirs—memory can be the medium and ultimately also the message when a story, event or feeling emerges from the darkness into the light of conscious knowing. But what happens when a memoirist can't remember?
