PROBABLY THE SINGLE SENTENCE I say most in my memoir teaching and coaching practice is to “read above your head and write within your means.” These are words I live by, saying them to myself every single day. In fact, if you know me at all, you know I am all about insanely practical writing advice. [ctt template=”5″ link=”qfbvo” via=”no” ]Read above your head but write within your means.[/ctt] What does that mean? Well, a few things. Reading above your head is more complicated than it sounds. Everyone who writes will tell you that the first condition for doing so is that you must read. This does not mean that you wait to write until you have read everything on earth. But it does mean that you have read in your genre – in this case, memoir – read outside your genre, and that you know that there are several reasons to read. A Few Good Reasons to Read The first reason to read is to be an informed person. To do so, try a newspaper. In fact, try at least two: one local and one national, if not the international press. You want to know what’s going on, not … Continue reading Insanely Practical Writing Advice