Lisa Cooper Ellison
Before trying to structure a memoir, you must understand how you’ve changed and what that process looked like—which can be ...
The first question is often some version of “What happened to me?” Understanding it helps craft a story that speaks ...
What draws readers into your story is the mystery of how you achieved your transformation, so reflection must be handled ...
The finest memoirs are distilled experiences: the more you compress, the more potent your story becomes ...
Backstory in memoir works like a traffic light—stopping too often stalls your journey. Learn which past events truly serve your ...
Will you tell your story in a linear, chronological manner, or use a more complicated structure? Here’s how to decide ...
Here are three techniques to help you write about an event when your memories of it are scattered, shattered, or ...
Playing around with different storytelling forms during manuscript revision can lessen anxiety and reveal new possibilities ...
Identifying your story’s turning point or “beats”, and the function each one serves, can help shape your material into a ...
True forgiveness can take years to achieve. That’s why memoirs take longer to write than novels. But it’s worth the ...
Serving as someone’s beta reader doesn’t mean agreeing to read whatever a writer throws at you. It’s okay to set ...
Knowing your character’s worldview, carry-in, and carry-over issues will help you build strong cause-and-effect that propels your story forward ...
Wanting to leave your writing group doesn’t make you a jerk. Departing with grace is an act of kindness that ...
If someone has repeatedly hurt you, trying to make them more redeemable on the page might hit your gaslight button ...
A successful nonfiction book proposal addresses market demand and cements the writer’s authority throughout the entire document ...
Your book’s ending must reveal the story’s resolution. Once you know what you’re resolving, you can establish a clear path ...
Even lesser-known authors can experience legal issues if they don’t perform their due diligence while writing and revising their books ...
Misguided feedback, which can damage your manuscript, often arises from a common mistake: asking the right question of the wrong ...
Understanding how your memories work, and what to do with the less reliable ones, will help you with the meaning-making ...
Learn a few simple tricks to schmooze like a pro at your next writing conference—or at least operate like a ...
Writing sustainably about trauma requires practicing moderation, focusing on meaning, and working in ways that limit your exposure ...
In writing memoir, internal voices—with competing interests—can emerge to inform the narrative. A rounded story is careful to balance them ...
Working hard isn’t necessarily a virtue if it masks the ways that we might be sabotaging our own paths to ...
Finding the right editor or critique partner is important, but so is being mentally prepared for the feedback you’ll receive ...
Your memoir’s structure can reveal itself later, once the primary elements are in place. In the meantime, concentrate on scaffolding ...
Like story arcs, individual scenes also have shapes. Understanding yours can help you improve the ones that are falling flat ...
Make the most of your writing practice by understanding which brain waves are active during the day and best support ...
The real reason writing groups sometimes fail us has nothing to do with the lovely people in them. The failure ...
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the top rung is where creativity happens—after our sustenance and security are met. Many of ...
Writing about trauma isn’t like ripping off a Band-Aid. Here are some strategies for assessing whether you’re ready and proceeding ...
The early part of your memoir should reveal the short list of narrator flaws and problems you’ll resolve by the ...
The more faith you have in your story’s structure, the more you’ll become the safety net your reader is hoping ...
Good editors are expensive, so the best time for a full manuscript review is when you’re pretty sure your book ...