I’VE TRIED MEDITATION, dosing myself with the prescription to apply it at the same time each day. And when I do, the silent, tunneling lack of thought sculpts my sharp edge into something I can use in … [Read more...] about Writing to the Music of Your Life
Twenty Top Tips For Writing Memoir
IT’S THE BIRTHDAY of the Writing Lessons column. It's been a year, and in that time some of the greatest current memoir writers have taken their time to teach you how to write memoir. To celebrate the … [Read more...] about Twenty Top Tips For Writing Memoir
Writing Lessons: Are There Rules for Writing Memoir?
ARE THERE RULES FOR WRITING MEMOIR? For instance, can your story be enlarged by the story of someone else whose life parallels or informs your own? When Maria Mutch proposed this question as a Writing … [Read more...] about Writing Lessons: Are There Rules for Writing Memoir?
Writing Lessons: Writing About An Exceptional Experience
SPEAKING WITH A STUDENT recently, I was dismayed when she claimed that hers was not an “exceptional” story. There was no death, no loss, and so she thought her story of little value. I disagreed. In … [Read more...] about Writing Lessons: Writing About An Exceptional Experience
Marriage Memoir: The Questions One Should Never Ask
THERE ARE TWO QUESTIONS a husband should never ask his wife. Both begin with the words, “how many?” And in a little bit of marriage memoir, I will tell you about both. The lesser of these two evil … [Read more...] about Marriage Memoir: The Questions One Should Never Ask
Writing Lessons: Just What is Memoir? With Kevin Fenton
JUST WHAT IS MEMOIR? Is it one big book that begins with your great-great-grandfather, and ends with what you had for lunch today, or is it more a process of selection? You can tell from the way I … [Read more...] about Writing Lessons: Just What is Memoir? With Kevin Fenton