The Making of a Memoir

The Making of a Memoir.

Identifying your Memoir Audience

One of the first things you learn in a writing class is the importance of identifying your audience. Who are your readers, and why will they want to read your work? What are you hoping for them to take away from your project, and how will you craft your message to meet their needs? Some...

The Making of a Memoir

As some of you may know, I've been working on a memoir for the last 2 years or so. While I've wanted to be a writer since I was 5 or 6 years old, I never intended to write a memoir. I thought they were reserved for celebrities or renowned movers and shakers -- great...

Sometimes it’s best to just walk away.

Have you ever gone on a trip with a beloved friend only to find yourself desperately looking for a way out halfway through the journey? Then, when it's all over, you get home, fall back into your normal routine and after a little break you are missing your friend again? Writing can be a lot...

Top 5 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

You have a project due, but the page is blank, the pen feels awkward in your fingers, and your laptop hums mockingly in sleep mode. You've got nothin', nada, zip, zilch, zero.  You know the feeling. It churns in your stomach, makes your head spin, and turns your thoughts to vapor. Writer's Block strikes again,...

Ethics in Writing

If you do a Google search on Ethics in Writing, you are likely to find a lot of articles on the "P" word - plagiarism. It seems that, in general, we writers like to hold one another accountable, and are ferociously protective of our own thoughts and ideas. Our works are, after all, our babies....

The Second Most Important Thing to Know about Writing

Writing 101, Freshman Comp, Secrets to Writing the Great American Novel - they'll all tell you the most important thing to consider when writing is your audience.  The phrase, "know your audience" has been drummed into our minds until it left a permanent mark. And, it's true. The most important aspect of writing is to...

Time is relative, write?

We never stop being a writer, even if we're not currently engaged in the physical act of writing. We spend our days with words, immersed in a symbiotic relationship with 26 characters that make up the known world. Words are always with us, and inspiration is always around us. We writers have this burning desire...