Personal Essays

Author Rajani LaRocca shares how she went from selling one middle-grade novel to releasing six books in a single year.

It's never too late to start your writing career. Shawn Nocher, author of A Hand to Hold in Deep Water, shares her journey.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Want to write for WD? Here are editor tips on how to submit to one of our most popular columns, 5-Minute Memoir.

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.

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.

Danielle M. Wong believed that her story would be entirely free from her unwanted personal experiences and emotional obstacles—but learned a better approach along the way.

Follow these 9 simple steps for writing what you already know, and you could get your big break—and a paycheck to match—faster than you might think.

Personal writing might sometimes feel too private to publish—but documenting your low points can rocket your byline to the top.

Author Tracy Seeley looks at three main claims for why lying in memoir is acceptable and provides a "Why It's True" and "Why It's Not" explanation for each.

It’s true that all good stories have beginnings, middles and endings—but not always in that order. Find out how to organize your story and build a strong narrative arc in your personal essay that will interest readers (and agents).

Here’s how to find the focus that can turn your own story into a marketable memoir.

Here's how to tell an engaging intimate narrative with insight, humor and candor.