Allison WilliamsAllison K Williams

Allison K Williams has edited and coached writers to publication with many of the best-known outlets in media. As a memoirist, essayist, and travel journalist, Allison has written craft, culture and comedy for National Public Radio, CBC-Canada, the New York Times, and many more. She leads the Rebirth Your Book writing retreats series and, as Social Media Editor for Brevity, she inspires thousands of writers with weekly blogs on craft and the writing life. Allison holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Western Michigan University and spent 20 years as a circus aerialist and acrobat before writing and editing full-time. Her latest book is Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro From Blank Page to Book (Woodhall Press, 2021). Learn more at her website.
Why Your Family Isn’t Supportive When You Publish Your Memoir
Image: a young girl holding a child's-size hot pink hunting rifle stands in front of a wall on which are mounted a taxidermied ring-tailed pheasant and the head of an eight-point buck.
Lack of support might come from fears about their own privacy, not understanding the enormity of your achievement, and/or information ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Memoir Craft
You’re a Great Writing Teacher. That’s Not Enough to Sell Out a Retreat
Image: Five origami boats are arranged on a tabletop: the largest red boat in front, followed by two smaller blue boats, followed by two smaller green boats.
You love teaching, and your students love you. How can you position yourself to deepen their experience with a powerful ...
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/ Author Earnings & Careers, Free, Guest Post
Can AI Give Better Submissions Feedback Than a Human Agent or Editor?
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We review Request the Full, an AI service for writers who want to gain a realistic sense of whether their ...
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/ AI, Premium Content, Tools and Services
It’s Not About You: Your Memoir Is Someone Else’s Story
Image: in front of a dilapidated building's chain link fence a woman's hand holds a black and white photo of children standing in the same spot decades earlier.
The person on the page can’t be the person writing the book. Because if your life has changed enough to write about, you ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Memoir Craft
2 Methods for Structuring Your Memoir
2 Methods for Structuring Your Memoir
Authoring a memoir, the gift of hindsight allows you to invest moments with deeper meaning than they may have had ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Memoir Craft
What It Takes to Be a Freelance Editor
Image: wooden stick with a carrot hanging from the tip.
Being a freelance editor requires lifelong curiosity, persistent self-education, ruthless support—and the ability to do all this quickly ...
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/ Free, Freelancing, Guest Post
What If Your Memoir Is Middle Grade?
Image: a young, redheaded, freckled girl holding a magnifying glass.
What makes a memoir suitable for YA or middle-grade readers isn’t shying away from tough topics but approaching them with ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Improve Your Writing
Why Your Memoir Also Needs the Good and “Normal” Times
Image: scrapbook pages from a wedding, with photo booth snapshots and handwritten messages from guests
Showing the moments of normalcy brings the reader more fully into your life, and heightens the drama when traumatic events ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Memoir Craft
How to Get Published in Modern Love, McSweeney’s or Anywhere Else You Want
Image: pegboard on a wall, with hundreds of different ballpoint pens hooked to the surface.
If you’d like to see your work in national publications—and get paid—tailor your essay to smoothly fit their voice and ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Nonfiction Craft
How Writing Your Synopsis Can Fix Your Book
Image: a woman's hand hovers above a row of standing dominoes.
More than just a tool to sell your book, your synopsis is a roadmap to making the next draft of ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Queries & Synopses
The Key Value That Makes Retreats Magical
Image: next to a potted plant and sunny window is a mug of steaming coffee emblazoned with the words "Go get 'em."
When hosting a retreat, whatever the subject, providing small, achievable steps lets your participants feel that what they’ve done matters ...
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/ Free, Guest Post
When Should Writers Stand Their Ground Versus Defer to an Editor?
Image: two professionals, a woman and a man, sit side by side at a table, writing and reviewing documents.
Is it best for unpublished authors to trust the editorial guidance of their agents and editors, especially when it comes ...
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/ Ask the Editor, Free
Motivation Doesn’t Finish Books
Image: one of the slats at the back of a park bench bears a plaque reading "We will support each other during this difficult time."
Some writers can finish a book all by themselves, but even more of them have support systems, deadlines, teachers, exercises, ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Improve Your Writing
I Received Conflicting Advice on My Query Letter. What Now?
Image: a redheaded woman wearing a green dress stands in front of green curtains. In each upturned hand she holds two books, weighing them against one another in the manner of scales of justice.
When a query letter receives conflicting feedback from professionals, how does an unpublished writer decide what to believe? ...
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/ Ask the Editor, Free, Queries & Synopses
Why You Should Be Writing on Social Media
A seated woman wearing earbuds has a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other while she stares intently at an open laptop computer perched on her legs.
It’s still possible to write on social media to communicate our ideas, our topics, and our point of view to ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Social Media
Why Agents Don’t Give Feedback—And Where to Get It Instead
Why Agents Don’t Give Feedback—And Where to Get It Instead
Providing feedback to every pitch would leave agents no time for their existing clients. Instead, check your own first pages ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Self-Editing & Revision
How to Restart Your Unfinished Book
How to Restart Your Unfinished Book
Your calendar will never be suddenly free of urgent distractions. To finish that book on the back burner, you must ...
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/ Creativity & Writing Life, Free, Guest Post
How to Minimize Hurt Feelings When Writing Your Memoir
A boy stands with his back against a wall while his parents argue in the next room.
Memoirists can take steps throughout the writing and publishing process to minimize fallout and family strife ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Improve Your Writing
How to Move From First Draft to Second Draft to Publishable Book
Image: painting of a firefighter rescuing a child amid an inferno
When you’ve completed a draft but it’s falling a bit flat, it’s time for the Story Draft: creative work done ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Improve Your Writing
Writers, Stop Using Social Media (Like That)
Image: illustration of a businesswoman running on a large hamster wheel, in front of bookcases.
A social media following doesn’t guarantee sales. Building an audience that’s engaged with your work—your mission—requires more varied tools ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Social Media
The Platform Authors Need Now (That Isn’t Social Media)
Illustration: at the intersection of two roads in a city's historic downtown, a woman stands on a small wooden box reading aloud from the open book in her hand.
We best create an audience of readers by publishing our work, carrying out projects we care about, and making personal ...
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/ Author Platform, Free, Guest Post
Don’t Write Every Day: 3 Things to Do Instead to Finish Your Book
Image: rows of vintage alarm clocks and timers are arranged on wooden shelves.
It’s tempting to agonize over the best way to get the words down, but all that matters is to choose ...
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/ Creativity & Writing Life, Free, Guest Post
Your Manuscript Has Been Edited By Top Professionals—But You Still Get Rejected. What Gives?
Image: three balls of crumpled paper—blue, yellow and red—are in a row at the edge of a desk. Next to them, a fourth crumpled green paper ball rests atop a small potted succulent plant, the effect resembling a tiny deciduous tree.
The process of finishing a book is a victory in itself. But it might be your “practice” book, and the ...
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/ Ask the Editor, Free
Earn Six Figures as a Writer With This One Weird Trick
Image: a person's hands holding forth a pretty gift box made of foil-stamped paper and bow-tied with iridescent ribbon.
Literary citizenship—freely sharing your knowledge with those in need—can reap substantial rewards for authors and editors ...
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/ Author Earnings & Careers, Free, Guest Post
How to Get Your Writing Done When New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work (and They Usually Don’t)
Image: a colorful notebook, pencil case, pencil and open day planner on a wooden table.
Instead of resolving to make a big change in your habits, think of one small thing to do to support ...
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/ Free, Guest Post, Improve Your Writing