"Reading is the creative center of a writer's life." — Stephen King
This novel is a beach read about people who debate how Martha’s Vineyard compares to Nantucket Island. They actually do have passionate conversations about their beaches. Rich? Why, yes. Happy? Of course not. Readers may be reminded of Mary … Read More
Let’s just say that you wanted to write a novel that was built around that idea that “the present changes the past.” How would you structure it? Would you tell the story chronologically? Illustrate your idea through … Read More
How does an author strike a balance between writing about political science and writing a personal narrative? There are so many ways it could go wrong: Too much angst and emotion can become gonzo journalism. Too … Read More
How did she do that? Readers often ask this after reading an Ann Beattie story. Just when it seems as though not much is happening, boom! The story explodes. For example, in the final long paragraph … Read More
A reader will learn more about the facts of Greg Sarris’s life by reading his Wikipedia page than by reading his memoir. This book tells us little, for example, about his … Read More
How much should a memoirist reveal? This is the most challenging question for the writers I work with. Too much information heightens vulnerability. Too little results in generic and unconvincing prose. This author shares her confusion, … Read More
About 700 years ago, Dante wrote a poem that begins this way, “Midway upon the journey of our life / I found myself within a forest dark / For the straightforward pathway had been lost.” Marie Howe … Read More
Marian Schembari’s memoir about learning she was autistic at age 34 is called a “hybrid memoir” because it combines a personal story with biomedical research. But is it stirring? Do people love this book? Yes and … Read More
What makes a memoir great? Honesty, insight, humor, compassion? What about metaphors? Comparing a feeling to something you can see requires a lot of creativity. Look at how Angelo compares “shame” to “paper” in … Read More
Short stories can be more than appetizers. But the challenge of creating a world with vivid characters who do something that matters to us in a compressed format is great. The length is a trap: some writers … Read More
I remember the Bad Old Days well, when it was thought that the word “I” weakened any writing that contained facts. Yes, we actually believed then that impersonal writing was “objective” because the writer’s bias was … Read More
Should museums include the work of living artists? Rarely does an institution say, “We are confident this will stand the test of time,” but that’s in fact the judgement of The Museum of Literature Ireland in Dublin on Claire Keegan… Read More
When asked to recommend a classic Irish memoir, a bookseller in Dublin went straight to this book. As it turns out, she wasn’t alone in saying that reading this book is one of “life’s greatest pleasures.” This idiosyncratic blend of … Read More
How do you write a memoir about a family that has more than its share of abandonment and fractured relationships? Joanne Nelson’s book is a collection of fragments. Her short pieces show us a complex … Read More
This book is based on the novelist Ann Patchett’s address at a graduation ceremony. She is the perfect speaker for students who panic at the thought of leaving campus and friends and having to walk the plank into the … Read More