“Too Young to Write a Memoir?”

by Emma Moriarty

Published in the Brevity Blog on June 17

As a 23-year-old writer, there have certainly been times when I have doubted my place in the memoir space. I had been juggling my fear of being “too young” before enrolling in Memoir Incubator, so this comment from the silver-haired lady hit a nerve. Maybe I AM too young to write a memoir? Will people just think I am young and naive? Will readers overlook my book as soon as they flip to the back and learn how old I am?

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About the Author

Emma Moriarty is a recent Lehigh University graduate and award-winning writer from Shrewsbury, NJ, who works as a book inc intern while pursuing her passion for creative nonfiction.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

The book has been called “extraordinary and extraordinarily courageous” by Deesha Philyaw and “one of the most beautiful and engaging books I’ve read in a long time” by National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson.

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On June 24, Shanda joins us at The Columbus Club in Fair Haven for an intimate evening of reading, conversation, and community. (Learn more here.) Ahead of that night, we sat down with her to talk about form, grief, permission, and what it means to finally tell the story you’ve been carrying for thirty years.

A conversation with Shanda McManus, author of Brother Epistles: A Sister’s Memoir

book inc: Brother Epistles is structured as a series of letters to your brother Monir. When did you know that the epistolary form was the right container for this story—and was there a moment when you almost chose something else?

SHANDA: When I started what would become Brother Epistles, I was just writing my brother. I wanted so badly to talk with him after I drafted my first manuscript about our shared and chaotic childhood. The form found the material. Letters created an intimate, vulnerable space that was liminal, meaning it crossed time, memory, and death. There was never a moment I considered anything else.

book inc: Deesha Philyaw describes Brother Epistles as “leavened with humor, family love, and unconquerable Black joy.” How did you hold joy and grief on the same page?

SHANDA: I think when you revisit people in an honest and open way, many feelings exist in the same space. For me, once I was able to sit and feel the grief, it opened up a portal to the joy and love I had for my brother that had been blocked out by his murder.

book inc: What is one thing you know now—about writing, about memory, about yourself—that you didn’t know when you started Brother Epistles?

SHANDA: I think the biggest revelation or epiphany was the hidden forces that funnel so many young Black murder toward urban gun violence became clear. Before this book, my scope had been limited to the individual choices, but that has very little to do with the homicide epidemic in young Black men.

book inc: What do you hope readers—and writers—carry with them after reading Brother Epistles?

SHANDA: I hope that readers will see the humanity of my brother and our family. I want them to feel something when they read my book because I believe if people feel they can be move to act. I hope writers are empowered and encouraged to tell hard stories because they are the ones that matter the most.

book inc Project Write Now and book inc have been part of so many writers’ paths to publication. What role did this community play in your journey with Brother Epistles—and what does it mean to be bringing this book home to Fair Haven?

SHANDA: Even though I have lived in Fair Haven/Monmouth County for almost twenty years, Philly will always be home. But this community has been fundamental to my development as an artist. I took an essay class with Project Write Now in 2018. I was supported by the welcoming community. I benefited from top-notch teachers who instructed and made me feel safe enough to venture into the world of creativity. I would not have a book today if I had not been a part of the book inc’s Incubator. It was there that I drafted and revised Brother Epistles and had my first enthusiastic readers that kept me going.

Thank you, Shanda, for sharing your insights with us. We are honored to have played a part in the birth of this extraordinary book, and we can’t wait to celebrate it with you. If you’re in the Monmouth County area, we hope you’ll join us for this special evening of reading, conversation, and community on June 24 at The Columbus Club in Fair Haven. Reserve your spot here.Not in the area? Pick up your copy of “Brother Epistles” here.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

I have been contemplating enrolling in an MFA program but have heard such mixed reviews. I want to further my writing career, but I worry about the time and expense. Are MFA programs really worth it?

Signed,

Tentative

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Dear Tentative,

Like most answers to life’s important questions, this one can only be answered one way: it depends.

I see three compelling reasons that top the “yes, it’s worth it” column: an MFA offers community, motivation, and industry connections. You will be guided and mentored by published authors and be offered some insider access to agents and publishers. More importantly, an MFA is a practice-based degree; therefore, you will be part of a writing community and commit to a daily writing habit fueled by deadlines and requirements. For many writers, this dedicated practice proves the “action begets motivation” theory. If you’ve been dawdling around your desk pretending to write, an MFA program will get your pen or keyboard hopping.

Moreover, if you want to teach at the college/university level, an MFA is considered to be a terminal degree, meaning it qualifies you to serve as an adjunct instructor or tenure-track faculty member sans a PhD. While you may have no interest in teaching right now, it can augment a writing career and is a sure-fire way to improve your own craft. (Trust me, when you have to face a room full of people who think you’re an expert, you tend to step up your game).

Remember, though, while an MFA may be a requirement to teach, it is not a requirement for becoming a published author, nor is it a guarantee of future publication.

Which leads to the no less significant “it-might-not-be-worth-it” column: an MFA costs a lot of money without any assurance of a financial return on investment. Unless you happen to be accepted into a fully funded program, you will likely have to take out student loans. When you graduate, well, it ain’t medical or law school, that’s for sure. Still, not all ROI has to be financial, right? Any degree is ultimately an investment in yourself, in your craft and in your future.

Besides cost, the most common lament I’ve heard from MFA graduates is that they did not receive constructive feedback, and/or the feedback via workshopping sessions was pointed and slanted toward other writers’ stylistic vibes. In short, they feel like they paid a lot of money to hear biased opinions and then walked away disappointed.

To be fair, I’ve heard similar complaints from graduate degree holders in other fields. Perhaps we tend to start any educational program filled with optimism and high expectations. The journey can be much more fun than the destination. Once we see how the sausage is really made, the letdown can be real. We may leave a master’s degree program feeling a lack of mastery over anything and may only realize the full value of the program after our framed diploma has gathered a good layer of dust.

Overall, it’s a tough decision, Tentative; I know, because I’ve been tossing it around for…oh, just about 35 years myself. As you decide, consider some lower-cost alternatives to the MFA. Though they don’t lead to a degree, such programs may either whet or satiate your appetite for an MFA entirely.

For example, a few years ago I participated in one of Project Write Now’s year-long Memoir and Novel incubators offered through its book inc program. I served as a Peer Artist Leader and joined fellow writers—beginners and veterans alike—via bimonthly Zoom sessions to discuss craft and process. Through a supportive community, achievable word count deadlines, and structured reading rounds, we each completed a 50,000-word manuscript in less than a year! book inc also offers a six-month Book Revision Lab and a Book Submission Bootcamp for those who want to continue the process.

At the end of such a program, you will have a solid first draft and a well-connected writing community for support. You’ll also either have ample material to submit with your MFA application or the motivation to bypass the MFA altogether. There are many Project Write Now writers who have done just that, with and without an MFA. Read some recent success stories here.

Finally, here are some resources to help guide your decision-making process. Best wishes to you and Happy Writing!

• The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Guide to Academic Writing Programs

• Poets & Writers How to Pick an MFA Program and MFA Database

• ProFellow’s list of Fully Funded MFA Programs

Do you have a writing-related dilemma? Send your questions to asktina@projectwritenow.org. Selected questions will be featured in upcoming columns, and Tina will ensure her answers offer valuable insights for writers facing similar challenges.

About Tina

Tina Goodyear is a board member of Project Write Now and a book inc Peer Artist Leader. She recently completed a draft of her memoir, FROM THE NECK DOWN. When not writing or teaching the art of writing, she helps adult students earn college credit for their work and life experiences.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

My chest heaved, and my calves burned as I trudged up a rocky slope in the Wind River Mountain Range, the wind cool against my skin. I was the “designated leader,” or DL, on a day of hiking during my first semester at Lehigh University. My group of seven hikers followed close behind me. Being the leader was exciting, and I felt confident I was doing a good job, constantly checking if the pace was okay and overexplaining the route.

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Peer review was part of this program, and I was excited to see what my companions would say. After a long day of hiking, we gathered around to discuss my skills. Typically, people said things like “I have no comments. You did great.” A few people murmured similar comments about me, and I thanked them. Suddenly, Redfern, the class comedian with long red hair and fair skin, said with a nonchalant shrug, “I just don’t think you have the qualities that make a good leader.”

The air was knocked out of my lungs. What do you mean, I just don’t have the right qualities? When Redfern was further probed by our instructors, he could not identify any exact qualities. He just had a “sense” about me.

This is what I would call terrible feedback, and only partly because I was extremely offended by this comment. (It was hard not to take it personally.) This was terrible feedback because Redfern provided no tangible way for me to improve based on his criticism. Clearly, this was more a dig at my character than my skills. It hurt my feelings because it was unfounded–and when asked for proof, Redfern couldn’t provide any.

Constructive Criticism In Writing

In my writing, I have received feedback that has really helped me, and feedback that has not helped me in the slightest. Of course, receiving positive feedback from strong writers is always appreciated, because it can help the author see where things are coming together. But feedback with only positive comments isn’t the full picture. What I find most helpful is a mix of constructive feedback and encouragement.

When it comes to giving constructive criticism, the book inc’s Memoir Incubator offers specific guidelines for providing feedback during its Reading Rounds. (Reading Rounds occur in the fall when writers have completed a first draft of their manuscript and are ready to exchange drafts with their podmates for feedback.) The guidelines clearly say to “be mindful and avoid negative remarks,” and remind everyone to convey comments in a “sensitive way.” To follow these guidelines, I think a good ol’ compliment sandwich comes in handy. For example, when giving a hike’s DL feedback, helpful feedback could consist of:

Bread (positive): You consistently asked us how the pace was while hiking, which was helpful!

Peanut Butter & Jelly (what you are trying to get at because it’s the most important part): In the future, it would be appreciated if you could let us know when we are approaching an elevation gain, so we can prepare.

Bread (positive): Other than that, you were a confident leader, and I felt safe hiking with your group!

In writing, this could include the following:

Bread (positive): I think that this memory is a really strong part of your essay and is important to what you are trying to get across here.

Peanut Butter & Jelly (what you are trying to get at because it’s the most important part): I think it could be beneficial to use more sensory details so that the reader can stay here a beat longer and soak up the moment …

Bread (positive): so that it comes together as a key point in your story! Can’t wait to hear more about this experience!

Even harsher edits can be utilized in the complement sandwich:

Bread (positive): This memory is really interesting and includes many details that draw the reader in.

Peanut Butter & Jelly (what you are trying to get at because it’s the most important part): I think the timeline of this paragraph may confuse the reader because it jumps around in time. It could be helpful to rearrange this section chronologically, or if not, to include more details about the time and place so the reader can follow along!

Bread (positive): All in all, these are great memories and I think they really add to the essay! Great stuff!

It is important to remember that these edits are what you think, not an absolute fact. The Incubator’s Reading Round guidelines state that you should make it “clear they are not recommendations, but just possibilities” that the writer can take into consideration. But know that if your reader took the time to point these things out, it stuck out to them, and it may be worth playing around with!

There is a reason they call it constructive criticism. It is criticism that is helpful instead of just critical! It is crucial that constructive criticism includes suggestions for how to improve the piece, and not just negative notes.

Later this year, I will receive strength-based feedback from my Memoir Incubator podmates. I am excited to have others who understand this concept read my work. If you don’t have a supportive writing community, I encourage you to find one. (Learn more about book inc’s community!) If only Redfern had used a compliment sandwich or provided specific examples for his claim, I would have been more open to his feedback and learned something valuable about my leadership skills for future hikes!

About the Author

Emma Moriarty is a recent Lehigh University graduate and award-winning writer from Shrewsbury, NJ, who works as a book inc intern while pursuing her passion for creative nonfiction.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

“Don’t Hide Behind the Cake: Bake Your Memoir With Real Ingredients”

by Elizabeth Jannuzzi

Published in the Brevity Blog on April 16

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“As she spoke, I nodded along. She was smart. She had long-term sobriety. Her talk felt inspirational. But I left the meeting still hungry for recovery. The cake metaphor was missing an ingredient. Or rather, the cake metaphor was a substitute for her experience. She didn’t explain what baking a cake with only sugar or flour actually looked like in her day-to-day recovery life. … That’s the trap we memoir writers should avoid. A well-constructed metaphor is like decorative insight. But without the raw ingredients underneath, the insight falls flat. The reader nods, recognizes the shape of the thing, and walks away empty.”

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About the Author

Elizabeth Jannuzzi’s debut memoir, SOBER MOM, will be published by She Writes Press in July 2026. Her work explores themes of loss, motherhood, and recovery from alcoholism. Her essays have been featured in HuffPost, Under the Gum Tree, The Rumpus, and more. Elizabeth earned a Best of the Net nomination in 2023. She is the program director at Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing organization. She engages with her audience through a weekly Substack newsletter.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

But first—what exactly is a Peer Artist Leader?

Peer Artist Leaders (PALs) are experienced writers who co-facilitate book inc’s programs. They work on their own book projects alongside participants, creating a supportive, collaborative environment where writers at every stage of their journey can do their best work.

Olivia Kenney is a book inc writer and novelist whose short fiction explores courage in the face of change. Kaecey McCormick is a Bay Area writer, past Cupertino Poet Laureate, and author of two chapbooks whose work spans poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

We sat down with Olivia and Kaecey to talk revision, reading habits, getting unstuck, and what they’re most looking forward to bringing to this next cohort of book writers.

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book inc: How did each of your journeys into writing begin, and where have they taken you today?

Olivia: I’ve kept a journal since I was a little kid, and come from a family of writers, so I’ve always had an interest. But in school and work, I pursued something else entirely (public health research). In 2023, I decided to invest time and energy in writing as a hobby, and I joined book inc’s Novel Incubator program. Through book inc, I completed my first novel and met a wonderful cohort of other writers who showed me that there are many ways to make space for writing in your life. I’ve since taken classes with book inc and other writing programs, and even attended a fiction writing conference in Italy a few years ago.

Kaecey: I started telling stories before I could actually write them down, so storytelling has always been part of my life. But for a long time, I didn’t really believe creative writing was something I could seriously pursue. I worked in content and marketing writing, but even then, I kept finding my way to journaling, poetry, and short fiction. Eventually, I decided to dive in. In 2016, I earned my MFA in writing, and since then, I’ve focused on building a sustainable writing practice. Over the years, I’ve published regularly, won a few awards, attended residencies, and served as poet laureate in my city.

With four daughters, short forms fit more naturally into my life. But finishing a novel was always a dream, and in 2025, I joined book inc’s Novel Incubator. The structure, accountability, and community helped me complete a full draft of my first novel.

book inc: You’ve both worked across different forms—Kaecey, you’ve written poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and Olivia, you’ve written short stories, and now you’re deep into novel writing. How has working in multiple forms shaped the way you approach a longer project like a novel?

Olivia: I love this question! I wrote about a dozen or so short stories as an adult before attempting a novel. I can be a little pedantic, and writing short stories helped me learn to trust the reader. Readers are so smart and curious. For me, writing short stories has been a great way to practice avoiding things like spoonfeeding information or hiding the ball in annoying ways. I’m still learning how to write in a way that readers will love, but short stories are, for me, a great testing ground for larger works, like a novel. I also use short stories as a place to test out different plot ideas before committing to a novel– my first novel was a longer version of a “cli-fi” short story I wrote in 2020 and wanted to explore in more depth.

Kaecey: I truly believe writers can learn so much by reading and writing across genres. Each one teaches a different kind of attention. Poetry has trained me to think deeply about language, image, rhythm, and white space. About what’s on the page, but also what’s left unsaid. Short fiction and flash fiction have helped me with compression, story shape, and scene. Creative nonfiction has taught me to pay attention to emotional truth, which is also essential in fiction. This has shaped the way I approach a novel because a longer project asks for all of those skills at different times. Sometimes I need poetry’s attention to language or image. Sometimes I need short fiction’s sense of momentum. Sometimes I need nonfiction’s willingness to get at the emotional center of the material. It’s also made me more willing to experiment and remember that drafts are just that: drafts. The early work is about getting the story out, discovering what’s there, and trusting that revision will help shape it.

book inc: What’s your relationship with revision? What feels tough, and what comes more naturally?

Olivia: I will admit, I am someone who naturally gravitates towards writing more than revision. The messiness of a first draft feels open and forgiving, whereas revision intimidates me a little. I have taken a couple of swings at revising my first novel, including participating in Book Revision Lab in 2024, and I found that it really helped to have a community of writers revising their work alongside me, being open about their revision wins and struggles. It also helped to have the structure of a class to follow, because I could lean on revision advice and techniques, rather than making up my own process or spinning too deep in uncertainty.

Kaecey: “It’s complicated” is probably the most honest answer I can give! I’m absolutely someone who LOVES the generative part of the process. Getting words out and onto the page is rarely the hard part for me. But revision takes a different kind of energy, especially with something as large as a full-length manuscript. What feels toughest for me is figuring out where to begin, how to approach big structural changes, and how to think about the cascading effects one change might have on the rest of the book.

What comes more naturally is the smaller, more concrete work: line edits, tightening language, fixing typos, cutting unnecessary words. I actually enjoy that stage because I can see and feel the improvement happening. The bigger challenge is staying patient with the larger, messier questions before I get to the polish. That’s where I found the structure, outside feedback, and community of Book Revision Lab to be really helpful.

book inc: Olivia, you wrote about returning to your novel with fresh eyes after stepping away for six months. Kaecey, your poetry background means you’re used to working at a very precise, compressed level. How do those experiences inform how you approach revising a novel-length work?

Olivia: I found it very refreshing to pause for a while after finishing my first novel, before I tried to revise it. It gave me some distance from the work– so much, in fact, that when I came back to reread the novel in full, there were entire sections I’d forgotten about. I found myself asking, “Did I write that?” Getting some distance from my own work actually helped me be more objective during my reread. I wasn’t so attached to every word. I was more comfortable with the idea of scrapping entire sections, or making big changes to characters, if that seemed best for the book overall. Revising a novel-length work is a big lift, in my opinion, but when I can be a little more objective about my own work, and remember that the whole novel is more than any one sentence or scene, it’s easier to make those tough revision calls.

Kaecey: Great question! I think poetry has shaped the way I revise by making me very aware of impact: where a line ends, where a silence falls, what image lingers, what gets withheld. In suspense (my genre), that kind of attention is incredibly useful. It helps me think about where to end a chapter, where to break a paragraph, when to reveal information, and when to let the reader sit in uncertainty a little longer. It’s also helped me think about revision in steps. Even with a poem, I don’t usually start at the word level. I start by asking what the poem is really about, where its energy is, and what needs to change around that. Revising a novel is similar, just on a MUCH larger and more complex scale. But the idea is the same: look at the big structural questions first, and then return to the page-level changes.

book inc: While you’re in revision mode, what do you find yourself drawn to reading, watching, or listening to — and what do you steer clear of?

Olivia: I’m a very slow reader, so this is a short but intentional list! I always try to have one novel going, during revision periods or otherwise. Reading good writing helps me feel inspired. I am hopelessly addicted to anything by Barbara Kingsolver, Margaret Atwood, and Frederick Bakman, although I’m trying to expand my palette. I also like to listen to podcasts that talk about writing craft and writing as a vocation or lifestyle. A few favorites are Writers on Writing and, recently, Brandon Sanderson’s writing lectures. I try not to consume the podcasts too quickly, though, because I know myself– listening to them on loop is a way I procrastinate when I don’t feel like revising 🙂

Kaecey: I’m a huge reader and usually read a few books a week across different genres. During revision, I never really stop reading for pleasure. But one thing I find myself steering clear of is reading too much in the exact genre of the book I’m working on. I can be hard on myself, and if I read a brilliant suspense novel while I’m deep in revision, I start comparing instead of working. So I try to give myself a little space from books that make me overly self-conscious about my own. I find it really helpful to listen to podcasts, read interviews, and engage in conversations where writers talk honestly about process. I learned that when I’m drafting, I get inspired by hearing about other people’s drafting practices, so I look for the same thing during revision. What encourages me the most is hearing how different everyone’s process is, while also noticing some common threads, things like taking separate passes for different elements, making reverse outlines, breaking the book down scene by scene. I also find myself returning to craft books on story structure, as it’s so useful during revision.

book inc: Everyone has their tricks: when you hit a wall in revision, what’s your go-to move for getting unstuck?

Olivia: When I get stuck, it’s usually because I’m thinking narrowly, trying to force one idea (plot point, character trait, etc.) to work. So it helps me to find ways to loosen up and think more broadly. Getting outside for a long walk is my go-to– I live in Colorado, so I’m super lucky with beautiful walking trails! Being in nature, spending time in the vicinity of other walkers, joggers, and bikers, and sometimes playing with my kids at the playground– all of these things help me think more broadly and can generate new ways of thinking about my writing.

Kaecey: I often hit a wall when I try to think about too much at once. With a full-length book, one change can feel like it’s going to ripple across everything, and if I start imagining every consequence before I’ve begun, I can get pretty paralyzed. When that happens, I often need to get outside and move my body. I love hiking, but even a quick walk around the block can help get me out of my head. It doesn’t always solve the problem immediately, but it usually helps me come back to the work in a better frame of mind. My other go-to move is to remind myself that time and again, doing the revision task is never as bad as I thought it would be. Once I actually sit down and start working, the problem becomes more concrete. It’s no longer this huge abstract thing that will snowball: it’s a scene, a chapter, something specific. I break it down into small, actionable steps, and that really helps me get going. Another thing that really helps me is to think in terms of time rather than task. I learned while drafting that I do better thinking in terms of “minutes per day” instead of “words per day,” so I’ve brought that into revision, too. Some days that might be two hours, some days it might be thirty minutes. But thinking like this has helped me keep going because I always have at least five minutes to “touch the book” every day.

book inc: What’s something about the Book Revision Lab you wish every writer knew before they joined?

Olivia: Book Revision Lab is more than instruction. It not only gives writers tools to help manage the daunting process of revising a book– it also gives you a community of writers dealing with a lot of the same questions and struggles. When I joined book inc, I tapped into a community of motivated, caring writers who celebrate each other’s wins. BRL is also a beautiful source of accountability. By posting regularly in Slack and joining class every other week, it gives us a chance to stay accountable to ourselves for doing the thing we’re, truly, so excited to do: revise our book.

Kaecey: I think it’s helpful for writers to know that revision really does require a different kind of energy than drafting, and it can take your mind/body a little while to sink into that. It helps to come in with a discovery mindset. You’re not just trying to “fix” the book. You’re trying to understand where the deeper revisions need to happen so the manuscript can resonate more fully with you and with readers. The reading round is useful here, because it helps your peers, but it also helps you think more clearly about your own story and how readers experience it. I’d also want them to know that revision is not a fast process, especially with a full-length book. BRL gives you structure, support, and deadlines, but I don’t think the goal here can be to leave with a fully finished manuscript. That might happen for some people, of course, but the bigger goal is to leave with a clearer understanding of what the book needs and a realistic plan for how to keep going.

book inc: And finally, what’s one thing you’re especially excited to bring to the July 2026 cohort?

Olivia: Honestly, a learning mindset. So far in my writing journey, I’ve revised one novel and a handful of short stories. I’ve also written two novels (currently working on a third!). So while I have some experience with revision, there is still so much I can learn. I’m looking forward to doing that alongside the other BRL writers, and supporting the cohort in any ways I can.

Kaecey: I love community, and I’m very excited to bring that sense of togetherness and encouragement to the July cohort! I enjoy connecting with other writers, hearing about their projects, learning from everyone, and cheering people on when things are going well or when there’s a roadblock. Writing a book is a messy process, and being in it alongside other writers really does help. I’ll be going through revisions on novel #2, and I’m excited to be part of the shared experience as we learn together through the revision process.

Thank you, Olivia and Kaecey, for talking with us! We can’t wait to read your books after you’ve revised them in the 2026 Book Revision Lab.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

Help! I need some firm rules for writing my memoir. I like structure in all facets of my life, and lately, the lack of rules seems to be keeping me stuck in a rut. I try to stick to a format, but I seem to go on long tangents that aren’t really related to what I’m trying to write about. What are some of the golden rules of memoir writing?

Signed,

Rule Follower

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Dear Rule Follower,

I will resist the urge to say “Rules Schmools!” After all, the intentional breaking of rules might just be what puts the creative in creative writing. But I do understand that structure, and some tried-and-true guidelines might help provide a space for your creativity to flourish, so here goes.

In terms of structure, book inc espouses the Save the Cat method, credited to Blake Snyder. By dividing any genre (screenplay, memoir, novel) into three acts, each mapped out with “beats,” Snyder’s model provides a good foundation for a story arc. Most popular novels and movies follow this structure – think damsel in distress finally saves herself, but along the way she has lots of ups and downs and adventures. There are many Save the Cat books and workbooks on the market, as well as downloadable charts and graphs that will surely delight those who like to follow the rules.

There are also some helpful memoir guidelines derived from the hard-won wisdom of successful authors, such as my favorites, Mary Karr, Marion Roach-Smith, and Dani Shapiro, to name a few. Here are some for the taking.

1. While journaling during a difficult period of your life may be fruitful, avoid writing about significant events until a year or more has passed. Some insist on a seven-year wait! The theory is that time gives perspective and insight. Writing in the heat of the moment may not yield your best work.

2. Remember that while memoir may be excruciatingly personal, you must appeal to the universal. Though you may think your divorce was the worst on the planet, for example, the gritty details of who-did-what-to-whom of your particular story is less important to the reader than the overall theme of divorce. Focus less on chronology of events and more on the transformation, the survival aspect. Readers need to relate.

3. Focus on one small thread of your life, not your whole life story. Think snippet, not autobiography. And then go deep into that snippet, really deep. This snippet idea may be the most difficult since our lives are messy and our issues seem impossibly interconnected. Keep culling.

4. Accept accountability. Don’t make yourself out to be an angel, and try not to suggest your transformation is a one-and-done. Admit that you are complicated and that life is a roller coaster. For more about truth-telling in memoir, see an earlier Ask Tina: How Much Truth Should You Tell in Memoir.

5. And of course, time permitting, read memoirs, specifically those that touch upon your universal theme. Doing so can be inspirational and instructional.

Of course, Rule Follower, there are myriad rules about writing and many different methods for structure to explore, but I think you’d do better to glean them directly from the masters than from me. When I’m stuck, I read and reread the following three books:

• Karr, M. (2015). The Art of Memoir. HarperCollins.

• Roach Smith, M. (2011). The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life. Grand Central Publishing.

• Shapiro, D. (2013). Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life. Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

I can also personally recommend at least one memoir program which will offer hands-on help with structure, book inc’s year-long Memoir Incubator. Not only does it provide structure for your memoir, but it also provides a structure for the writing process itself. There’s a program for novel writers as well.

My last two cents for writing (and maybe for life): follow the important rules … but figure out which ones are meant to be broken and have some fun!

About Tina

Tina Goodyear is a board member of Project Write Now and a book inc Peer Artist Leader. She recently completed a draft of her memoir, FROM THE NECK DOWN. When not writing or teaching the art of writing, she helps adult students earn college credit for their work and life experiences.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

Vickie Hardin Woods spent more than three decades as a city planner—someone who takes chaos and turns it into something manageable. It turns out that’s also a pretty good description of what memoirists do.

After retiring as the director of a 100-employee local government department in Salem, Oregon, Vickie channeled her planner’s instincts into two unlikely projects: baking and giving away a pie every single day for a year, and hiking with the same circle of women friends across 35 years. Both became books. And both found their footing, in part, right here in the book inc community, where Vickie worked through the Book Revision Lab and the Memoir Incubator before continuing her writing life with Project Write Now classes.

Earlier this year, The Guardian featured Vickie’s year of pie baking—and that coverage helped her land a literary agent for her pie memoir. We sat down with Vickie to talk about writing, reinvention, and what it means to finally decide your story is worth telling.

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You came to memoir writing after a full career as a city planner—and with not one but two compelling stories to tell: Six Women Alone, about 35 years of hiking with a group of women friends, and Pie by Pie, a memoir about your year of baking and giving away pies. What made you realize these experiences were books worth writing?

VICKIE: I started Six Women Alone because I wanted a record of our adventures, and I couldn’t convince anyone else in our group to write it. I wrote up one experience. And then another. Then another. Eventually, it was apparent there was a bigger picture: one about friendship and endurance over time. It was supposed to be just for us, but as I wrote and thought about what it meant to have such good friends, I realized what a gift it was. It was a story worth sharing.

Pie by Pie was always in the back of my head. Baking a pie every day and giving it away was such an adventure, and it seemed to catch the imagination of others. I knew from the beginning it would be more marketable. I just wondered if I had the skill to write it well.

You worked through book inc’s Book Revision Lab and then the Memoir Incubator. What did those programs give you that you couldn’t have gotten working on your own?

VICKIE: It is hard… HARD, HARD, HARD to write a whole book. There were many times I wondered how I ever thought I could do it. Of course, there’s the skill of putting just the right words together, but more than that, there’s the organization, the research, and the work of creating a cohesive storyline. I had a huge whiteboard covered with colored Post-it notes as I tried to figure out where everything went. And it’s lonely, all in your own head. I went to a one-day seminar on memoir at my local library and learned so many helpful tips; it was obvious that some education would be valuable. I took an online class from a writer in Ireland. It was helpful, but the feedback was minimal. When I heard about Memoir Intensive at Project Write Now, I worried that I wouldn’t be good enough, but I really needed feedback and support. I submitted pieces of Six Women Alone and received such positive support and useful suggestions that I kept signing up. I finally finished the first draft (it took about three years). Jennifer Chauhan, the teacher, suggested I check out the Book Revision Lab. It was exactly what I needed. A group of people who all had a first- or second-draft.

When I mailed my first draft to my pod, it was the first time I’d shared it. It felt like I’d sent my firstborn off to college. I was on vacation in Alaska when my turn for review came up. I remember sitting on an unfamiliar hotel bed, tears streaming down my cheeks, listening to their comments and realizing they got it, that they truly understood what I was trying to say. After that, I was hooked. I took another Book Revision Lab to gather more reader response. When I started Pie by Pie, there was no question I would sign up for the Incubator.

Earlier this year, The Guardian ran a feature about your pie-baking year, and it led to a literary agent. Can you walk us through what happened? What was it like to see your story in a publication like that, and then to have an agent come calling?

VICKIE: Like so many of these stories, it was a long and involved process. The agent didn’t really come calling out of the blue. Almost three years ago, just as I finished Six Women Alone, I attended a Writer’s Conference in Portland, Oregon, only an hour from my home. It was the first one I’d ever been to. I felt like such an imposter; I hardly spoke to a soul, but I signed up (and paid a small fee) for eight minutes with three agents. One of them told me outright that there was no market for memoirs, but the two others were very kind, and one of them, Anjanette Barr, said she’d like to read Six Women Alone. I sent it to her right away. She got back to me about a month later with a very kind rejection. I wrote her back, thanked her, and told her I was working on another project, and sent her a link to a TEDx talk I had given on my year of pie baking. About two months later, she sent me a note saying she and her daughter had watched the talk and that she would be interested in the manuscript when I finished it.

Both the TEDx talk and The Guardian prompted me to respond to a call for applications to participate. The Guardian writes a twice-monthly column about people in retirement, and they were looking for stories, so I responded. A year later, I’d forgotten all about it when the reporter called. I waited anxiously for the story to come out. I knew what it was going to say because the reporter had asked me for comments and corrections. I scrambled to finish the third draft of Half Baked Retirement, even though I didn’t feel ready, because I wanted to send it as a query to agents when I had that publicity behind me. I notified Anjanette right away and sent her the link to the story. I got an immediate response from her. She read the manuscript within a week and said she was interested in representing me.

After The Guardian article, I got a call from an agent/producer in England who had read it and was interested in the rights to a film version. I checked her out carefully and found she was legitimate. It was fun to talk with her about how she might approach selling a film version, but I decided to stick with the literary agent first and then deal with any further offers. More than the money, more than the notice, what I really want is a printed copy of my manuscript in my hands. Isn’t that what we all want?

What does it feel like to be pursuing publication at this stage of life? Is there anything about coming to this work later that feels like an advantage?

VICKIE: It is a definite advantage to have so much perspective at this stage of life. I have the time, inclination, and patience with myself to write. As you age, understanding what has influenced you, what you have done, and what it means becomes increasingly important.

What advice would you give to another book inc writer who is sitting with a big life experience and wondering whether it’s “enough” to become a memoir?

VICKIE: Everyone has a story, and it’s yours to tell. I’ve heard so many compelling stories in the memoir classes I’ve taken. Life experiences are all we have. They have to be enough. With my story, whether it is ever published or not, it was important for me to tell it. Writing a memoir requires a depth of examination that brings understanding in a way I had experienced before.

What’s next for you?

VICKIE: There are many more steps to publication and a lot more work to do, so I’ll be spending time on that.

Just as I was starting to write Six Women Alone, my family bought me a Storyworth subscription. It asks a question about your life every week. You respond in writing, and they compile a book at the end. I got sidetracked by my two memoirs, but now I feel I owe it to the family to finish it.

And I’ll keep up my weekly PWN Writers class, Memoir Intensive, because there’s always a story to tell.

About the Author

Vickie Hardin Woods is a retired director of a 100-employee local government department, an avid hiker, and a dedicated baker of pies. As an adjustment to retirement, Vickie baked and gave away a pie every day for one year, blogging along the way, winning Best of Show at the state fair, and delivering a TEDx speech. She has now turned her attention to writing, starting with SIX WOMEN ALONE, a memoir about hiking and friendship over 35 years. Her next project is a memoir about her year of pie baking. Vickie lives in Salem, Oregon, with her husband, Bob, and Rosie, the labradoodle.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

Bilateral Movement & Nature

In 2024, I was struggling due to a death in the family, some very lonely time in Germany over the summer, and an agonizing breakup. The only thing that got me through this time was to get outside and move.

Bilateral movement (or stimulation) occurs when the left and right sides of the body are used simultaneously or sequentially. This is key in connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain, and not just for motor purposes. There is recent evidence that bilateral movement is also helpful in connecting the dots in other areas of life, such as emotional processing. (For more on this, read “Bilateral Stimulation 101: What It Is and How It Helps” on Live Mindfully Psychotherapy, or, if you are looking for a research study, read Amano & Toich, 2016).

During this difficult time in my life, I was taking a writing class, and whenever I would be stuck while writing an essay, I would go for a walk or run to mull it over. With the leaves crunching beneath me with every step, I could feel my left and right hemispheres joining forces, and I was able to figure out what I was missing. But it wasn’t just running that helped me—it was running in nature, with Mother Earth.

Walking, running, or other forms of this movement in nature can help you think clearly and make connections. So if you are ever stuck in a writing slump, this can be a larger help than you think. Take a break from your laptop and get out there!

So Much To Write About!

Mother Earth is filled with beautiful things to write about, especially at this time of year, and each of these things can become a writing prompt!

On a beautiful day during my Introduction to Poetry 001* class, my professor brought us outside into the blossoming spring weather. It was still chilly enough to need a heavier long-sleeved top on, and I pulled my sweatshirt tighter around me as I wiped down a dew-covered chair to sit in. We gathered under tons of small pink and white flowers that had just started to bloom and smelled like a can of stale tuna. My professor told us to draw a chart with the five senses, and for feel, we were also allowed to include how we felt emotionally.

During this activity, I was forced to ground myself in the scene: I felt the damp metal chair beneath me, the rungs pressing into my legs. I saw the white spring-blossom trees, the petals pasted around me with the glue of a spring rain shower. I smelled—well, the trees, but it also smelled like dying fish. I could have written that I tasted leftover pieces of a granola bar from breakfast, but instead I wrote that I tasted the approaching warmer weather, and more poetic things like that. By pushing myself to describe the scene until I ran out of words, my imagery reached new limits.

All in all, getting outside for a walk as spring blooms can help you with your writing in more ways than one. Happy Earth Day, and remember to thank Mother Earth for all she gives us and to treat her with respect. Sometimes, it really does take getting out of your head and into the nature around you to achieve a breakthrough in your writing!

*For more on what I gained from this class, see my piece in Project Write Now’s The Imprint, Four Rules That Changed How I Write Poetry

Citations:

• Amano, T., & Toichi, M. (2016). The role of alternating bilateral stimulation in establishing positive cognition in EMDR therapy: A multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy study. PloS one, 11(10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162735

• Live Mindfully Psychotherapy Blog Staff. (2025, May 2). Live Mindfully Psychotherapy. Live Mindfully Psychotherapy. https://www.livemindfullypsychotherapy.com/blog/bilateral-stimulation

About the Author

Emma Moriarty is a recent Lehigh University graduate and award-winning writer from Shrewsbury, NJ, who works as a book inc intern while pursuing her passion for creative nonfiction.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

Courtney Zeni is a scientist by day and a fiction writer by night—or somewhere in between, if you ask her. She has built her writing life around the Project Write Now and book inc communities, working through the Book Revision Lab and Book Submission Bootcamp while also studying craft at The Highlights Foundation. Along the way, she finished a novel and a children’s book.

Then, earlier this year, she landed a literary agent for her novel LIMINAL through a Virtual Pitch Fest—a format she’d never heard of before and now is a huge fan. She writes about her journey as a debut author on her Substack, “Courtney Zeni Writes,” where she goes deep on the craft, the business, and the beautiful chaos of writing while living a full life. We asked her to tell us how it all happened.

For readers who don’t know you, tell us a little about yourself and your writing. What drew you to fiction and to this particular story?

COURTNEY: I’ve always been someone who has loved both science and art, and have spent my life trying to find ways to pursue both (and still have fun while doing it). The most exciting concept to me is the overlap between art and science, often a space where the “in betweens” live. I love to examine the infinite gray space between black and white.

I’m a scientist by training and have my PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. I work at a pharmaceutical company where my role is to communicate highly complex scientific concepts to different audiences. I do a ton of non-fiction writing for work, but it was only recently that I started focusing on fiction and writing down the stories that have been brewing in my brain for years.

Writing LIMINAL has been deeply personal for me. The main character’s journey is one of reckoning with those “in betweens,” not only acknowledging the discomfort but also the potential for transformation in those areas. After the loss of loved ones and my own near-death experience, I started asking questions about life and death that I felt could not be answered, which, as a scientist, really unsettled me. Writing about this gray area has helped me process loss and convince myself that our loved ones live on through legacy, and that not everything can be explained by science, or at least by what we know today.

You found your agent through something called a Virtual Pitch Fest, which most writers haven’t heard of. Can you explain what it is and how you stumbled onto it?

COURTNEY: I heard about the Virtual Pitch Fest through a comment on a Slack message board where friends from past Project Write Now classes posted upcoming events. What attracted me even more to this Virtual Pitch Fest was that it was born in Philadelphia—a city I lived in and loved for nearly 10 years. I got excited right away about the prospect of landing an agent who lived and worked in my old hood.

I perused the Virtual Pitch Fest website and found three agents who were available and aligned with my interests. I scheduled the three meetings as quickly as I could to lock them in and not lose the opportunity. I was to be traveling for a conference the weekend of the event, so I would take the calls in the privacy of my hotel room between meetings and sessions.

How did you prepare? You mention a “one-sheet.” Can you explain what that is and why it matters?

COURTNEY: I did everything I could to prepare, including making bios for each agent and printing them out to have handy during the call. I also studied the guidance given on the Pitch Fest Website and came across the concept of the “one-sheet,” which I had not heard of before that day.

The one-sheet is designed to be a quick overall summary that you can review with potential agents on the call. Think of it as a combination of a query letter and your synopsis boiled down into a paragraph each. After the call, you can send the agent the one-sheet along with any other materials they request. To prepare the one page, I consulted many articles, which all seemed to have the same basic steps:

1. Write a one-page synopsis of your work. If it does not fit on one page, rewrite it again and again until it does.

2. Take that one-page synopsis and condense it into a single paragraph.

3. Add your author bio, genre, approximate word count, one paragraph summary from above, and market analysis (e.g., similar books, target audience, etc.).

4. Condense your paragraph into one (or two) sentences. This is your elevator pitch/logline to open your discussion. Memorize this if possible.

I then formatted all of this information to fit on one sheet and bolded the key parts, including:

• Genre/Format

• Logline

• One-paragraph

• Market (including comps and themes/hooks)

• Bio (I put this in a separate box with a headshot to make it more personal)

After preparing my one sheet, I wrote a bulleted list of items to discuss with the agents so I could stay on track in the short time I had.

You pitched three agents in one day. What was that experience actually like—nerves, surprises, anything you didn’t expect?

COURTNEY: The sessions were only 10-15 minutes, so I knew I had to be ultra-prepared for the rapid-fire pitches I had ahead of me. I knew I had to be concise but not robotic, and to make the pitch match not only the aim of my book but my personality as well.

I was extremely nervous, but once the ball was rolling, the stress went away and the adrenaline kicked in. For me, the virtual format really worked because I like to be able to read people’s faces when they are talking to me. It helps me to interpret their tone and get a general impression of their interest and personality. It also gave me a better chance to explain anything confusing that might have hung up the agent if they were not able to ask me about it live.

I don’t think anything was a total surprise, but I did enjoy seeing how 3 different agents who could be described similarly on paper approached the call. Each one asked different questions and pictured adapting it to the market in different ways.

I truly think so much of the pitch is about making sure your personalities match, rather than about summarizing the plot and every intricate detail. It is about communicating the story’s core idea, tone, and stakes, and showing the agent that you understand what kind of book you’ve written and where it fits in the market. In other words, they don’t need every twist or detail of every character.

They need to know why they should care about the story you have to tell, and honestly, whether you have more stories in you.

You worked through book inc’s Book Revision Lab and Book Submission Bootcamp. How did those programs prepare you for the pitch — and for everything that came after?

COURTNEY: The first Project Write Now class I took was “Extraordinary Ordinary Stories,” held in person in Red Bank, NJ. This is where I gained some more confidence in sharing my writing, and I found a true home in the community of Project Write Now and book inc. Through this class and its community, I learned about the upcoming classes I took, as well as the Virtual Pitch Fest itself.

In July 2024, I participated in book inc’s Book Submission Bootcamp, where I workshopped my query letter and synopsis. This was extremely helpful to hear from someone who “knew the business.” I rewrote my logline and synopsis more times than I can remember, and ultimately landed with a query letter pretty close to where mine ended up.

I worked on my book on my own for a bit and then decided to take part in Project Write Now’s “Book Revision Lab” – an intensive 6-month writing course where other students and teachers critique your work. I met so many great people during this class and learned so much about crafting the story’s architecture. It was so valuable to be able to bounce ideas off other authors and read their work as well. This was when I was really starting to feel good about my novel and was finally ready to send it out to beta readers and try to pitch it to an agent.

Besides keeping me on schedule and motivating me to finish my book, these classes helped me tremendously in describing my story out loud. In some classes, we broke into groups and had to read chapters out loud to our partners. This is where I got the best feedback. I was always nervous to be exposed as “not a good reader”, and my group gave me confidence that my plot, pacing, and characters were on par with some comps they had read as well. They even recommended some books for me to read that would not have otherwise been on my radar.

What’s the one thing you wish someone had told you before you started trying to find an agent?

COURTNEY: I think everyone should take a submission boot camp class. As much as you think you’re ready for the querying process, you would not believe how much your query letter can improve. One major shift for me was in my comps, and finding comps that more accurately represented the intended audience for my book.

One thing I also struggled with was genre. My novel touches on many themes (sci-fi, thriller, literary, with dashes of romance). I ultimately landed on “speculative thriller” or “literary novel with speculative undercurrents”, but I don’t know if I would have made it further than “sci-fi” without taking this class. While technically science fiction, LIMINAL did not feel as tech and science-heavy as some of the other comps I saw at the time.

What’s next for you?

COURTNEY: I am working on returning final edits to my agent so we can go on submission! He plans to submit to the Big 5 publishers and then to their imprints. This spring and summer I am sure I will be on the edge of my seat waiting for responses, and refraining from tinkering with the manuscript anymore. It never feels done.

In the meantime, I have started up a sequel to LIMINAL, but before saying more about that, I am going to see where LIMINAL goes and try not to get too ahead of myself.

I’ve also enjoyed putting myself out there at writing community events like Firefly: Stores on Stage, where audience members can enter to tell their 5-minute story on stage based on a given prompt. This is something I could never, ever see myself doing even a year ago, but this writing community has given me so much support that it has been a truly fun experience to put myself out there and embarrass myself on stage! Plus, I think it is healthy to keep using this creative part of my brain with these small exercises so I am always tapped into that creativity.

Thank you for sharing your writing journey with us, Courtney. Please keep us posted on your novel’s progress!

About Courtney Zeni

Courtney Zeni is an author and scientist who finds joy in illuminating the often-overlooked overlap between art and science to bring untold stories to life. She has participated in many classes through Project Write Now and The Highlights Foundation, where she found her writing community and finished a novel and a children’s book with their guidance and support. Courtney’s childlike sense of wonder and dark sense of humor draw her to write stories with psychological depth. Courtney lives in Fair Haven, New Jersey, with her husband, two kids, and dog Teddy, whose fatal flaw is “loving too hard.”

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

Lately, trying to wrangle my novel has been a challenge. After three years of working on it, I still can’t quite organize my thoughts around what I’m trying to say. That feels discouraging…and a little embarrassing.

But there was something really encouraging about being among people who are on similar paths. People who also smile sheepishly when asked about their projects. Something connective about sitting in a conference space wall-to-wall with writers who also want to hear a panel discussion on story endings, or how to debut over 50, or want to listen to authors talk about the amount of time and number of drafts they wrote before finishing.

READ MORE

Jennifer Gallo Gaites is a writing instructor at Project Write Now, a nonprofit writing organization. She is working on a novel and writes essays about identity and motherhood. Her work has been published in Riverteeth’s “Beautiful Things,” WOW Women on Writing, Hippocampus, and Literary Mama. When she’s not reading or writing, she’s either asking her college-aged kids too many questions or trying to understand her middle-schooler’s obsession with YouTube. She lives in Fair Haven, NJ, with her husband, three children, and their poorly-trained dog, Gus.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

I finally (after much trying) got a piece published in a lit mag! Now, I’m wondering what I should do to maximize my support of the lit mag? I have already been following them on Facebook/ Instagram and subscribing to their newsletter. What other steps should I take to make the best of this connection?

Signed,

Aspiring Writer

Dear Aspiring Writer,

First, congratulations on your recent publication! May it be the first of many.

I hate to pull the age card, but it used to be a lot more straightforward to be a writer before the digital age. Now, in addition to having writing chops, a writer needs marketing and self-promotion skills. And, as you suggest, we can now add “managing lit mag relationships” to the ever-growing list!

Although relevant and timely, your question is a humbling one for me, because it touches on my biggest writing foible: I am no marketer, and the idea of self-promotion gives me nightmares. So, I’ve consulted the all-knowing internet and asked some smarter folks for insight.

Turns out, of course, you are already doing the right things, but consider beefing up your promotion of the magazine, too. Each time you leverage your recent publication success, you can also include the lit mag in that success. For example, whenever you share your published piece, include a link, a tag, and a mention for the magazine. Don’t forget to include relevant hashtags that might direct traffic to them. Share often and share everywhere. Include a link in your writer’s bio and email signature. If the publication still offers a print version, buy a copy or ten and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

There’s also some tried and true Grandma-type advice: send a thank-you note to the editor. Grandma would have sent a letter or card, but you’ll send a brief email, of course – with the emphasis on brief.

Lastly, try not to submit to the same lit mag too often. Doing so might sour the relationship. The experts suggest waiting a bit—maybe even a year—before submitting again to the same magazine.

It might be snarky to add this, but I do think we writers tend to be a bit too grateful when we get published, perhaps forgetting that publishing is a win-win for both parties. The lit mag recognized your talent. That talent will add value for their current readership and maybe even help them attract new readers. So, yes, maintain the relationship, but view it as an opportunity to support the writing community as a whole. Lit mags need writers just as writers need lit mags.

About Tina

Tina Goodyear is a board member of Project Write Now and a book inc Peer Artist Leader. She recently completed a draft of her memoir, FROM THE NECK DOWN. When not writing or teaching the art of writing, she helps adult students earn college credit for their work and life experiences.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

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Since I am in my 20s, I certainly have fewer experiences to write about than a person 10 or 20 years my senior, or less “plot” to go on. However, that also means the memories of my life’s events are more recent and fresher than those of older memoirists. But even I have trouble remembering experiences that took place many years ago.

Memories are the plot and storyline a theme can draw on. They are, after all, the core of memoir writing, necessary to weave together a story. However, many writers, young and old alike, experience the same worry with the memories they do have. They worry, whether due to aging or simply forgetting, that they cannot recall the correct details of the moments they need to write about.

I, too, worry about the fuzziness of my childhood memories and about having forgotten many of the specific details. I am currently in book inc’s Memoir Incubator, which involves deep diving into memories that shaped the person I am today. Last week, I was trying to write a scene about a birthday party I had at a roller skating rink, but I increasingly realized that I barely remember it all. I was mostly going off of what other people have told me about this party. When I rack my brain, I only see disjointed frames: one of my tan dress with a ribbon wrapped around the waist that made me feel grown up, one of the boys from my grade falling over each other on the wooden panels of the rink (this was the first party with more than just girls invited—a context clue!), and one of my mother’s smiling face, all the quality of one of those old film cameras. What even happened at the party besides roller skating? Were my cousins there? Where was my dad? Only remembering small details often turns me off from writing about fuzzy memories, because I feel like I can’t do the memory justice.

However, sometimes, just recounting the details that you do remember, no matter how few, can do a lot of work for the reader. For example, on page 77 of Dani Shapiro’s memoir Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love, she recounts a memory she has from a dinner party:

“What I remember: a marvelous, fairy-tale house, the front parlor where we gathered for drinks before heading out to a bistro a few blocks away. A vodka martini with two olives in a long-stemmed glass.”

Even though she may not remember every single detail or even the conversations she had, she recounts the images she does remember, which helps the reader visualize what it was like. Additionally, here is another quote from page 26 involving a memory with Shapiro’s mother:

“’You knew your father,’ my mother went on. In my memory, she is looking directly at me. ‘Can you imagine such a thing?’”

This quote is powerful because by including “in my memory,” Shapiro acknowledges that she is unsure whether her mother was truly looking at her in that moment. But in Shapiro’s memory, that is what she sees, and that is what matters the most for the reader in order to understand the author’s experience.

Shapiro also often uses her imagination to create meaningful images for the reader in places she was not present, such as imagining what her parents were doing in the hospital when seeking help for conceiving her, or picturing her dad visiting his father’s grave even though she never went with him. Shapiro uses her imagination to set the scene for readers without relying on direct memory.

There are also ways that an author can use misremembering to their advantage by being truthful about their mistakes. This gives the reader the sense of listening to a narrator who is honest about what they have forgotten. An example from Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking (clearly one of my favorites if you have read my previous posts) appears below. She describes remembering lines from a poem. First, on page 40:

“I could not that morning remember who wrote these lines.”

And then, on the next page:

“It would be some months before I remembered to confirm that the lines were in fact E.E. Cummings.”

Here, Didion does a beautiful job of following her own train of thought and not immediately telling the reader who wrote those lines. Didion is being vulnerable, and uses misremembering to her advantage to draw the reader in.

Bringing it back to Inheritance, Shapiro actually directly addressed the issue of having poor memory on page 165:

“Sometimes people suggest that I must have an amazing memory—that surely I must recall so many scenes, moments, sensory details from my early years. But the truth is that I have a terrible memory. I struggled to access any of my childhood or even my teenage years. I had no recollection of it as a story. And so I followed my own line of words to see where it would lead me.”

As Shapiro said, at the end of the day, follow your “own line of words” and trust yourself! That being said, there are many ways you can use misremembering and imagination to strengthen your work instead of being afraid to write about certain memories at all. Your reader can smell fear! You won’t know until you try, so I challenge you to write about your fuzzy memories and see what happens. (I’m giving the roller skating party another shot!)

About the Author

Emma Moriarty is a recent Lehigh University graduate and award-winning writer from Shrewsbury, NJ, who works at Blood Cancer United and as a book inc intern while pursuing her passion for creative nonfiction.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

For the second year running, PWN/book inc packed its bags for AWP—this time trading the LA sunshine for Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. We had our table in the Bookfair, our people on the floor, and once again, a community that made one of the largest literary conferences in the country feel surprisingly intimate.

We asked our writers to look back on the experience. Here’s what they had to say.

• Shanda McManus

• Court Harler

• Jennifer Gaites (Jen G)

• Eileen Toomey

• Elizabeth (Liz) Jannuzzi

What was your biggest takeaway from AWP this year—the one thing you’re carrying back to your writing desk?

Shanda: Be yourself first in all your work. Don’t worry about trends or what the industry may want. Write from your own place.

Court: Zoom is great, but meeting other writers face-to-face can really boost your sense of literary community. Writing is often a solitary activity, and spending quality time with other writers inspires me to return to my desk with renewed energy.

Jen G: I loved the energy of the conference and the feeling that we’re all there, following our own creative pursuits—and there’s room for all of them.

Eileen: Everyone was encouraged to talk about their writing seriously. “What are you writing?” was a frequent opener. By the end of day three, I was a pro at pitching.

Liz: The writing community is not as large and scary as I previously thought. This year, I knew so many people and get reintroduced to people I had met at previous conferences. It’s a small writing world after all!

Was there a panel, reading, or conversation that surprised you or challenged your thinking?

Shanda: If one form for getting your story out in the world doesn’t work, try another. Don’t limit yourself to the written word—film, Instagram, art. The options are wider than we think.

Court: “Bad Romance,” a panel focused on writing about difficult relationships in creative nonfiction, raised poignant questions about how we depict others in our work. The panelists shared excerpts alongside their varied approaches, and I’m still thinking about it.

Jen G: The panel on writing endings was a highlight. I didn’t come away with a tidy set of instructions—a girl can dream—but hearing four writers reflect honestly on how they approach endings, and acknowledge that the challenge is part of the process, was genuinely reassuring.

Eileen: A panel called “What a Debut Author Needs To Do” featured several publicists sharing practical ways to find your audience. One piece of advice stuck with me: make a list of the specific moments in your book—ice skating, Chicago, Pop-Tarts, disco demolition—and that’s where you find your readers.

Liz: I was blown away by this new essay contest I learned about, March Xness. It’s an annual, competitive, and creative tournament of essays focusing on curated themes of music, memory, and culture. It just seemed so fun and creative. Right now, I’m just a reader, but maybe I’ll participate one year.

What did it mean to be at AWP as part of the PWN/book inc community?

Shanda: You had your people with you—to chat, confer, and compare notes. The conference is so big that without that, it can feel lonely. My book inc community also showed up for my offsite reading, which meant a lot.

Court: I loved meeting everyone from PWN in person. Working the table at the Bookfair gave me the chance to talk with current PWNers and potential ones. I try to spread the word whenever and wherever I can.

Jen G: Having the table as a home base was a comfort—the conference can be overwhelming. I got to see people I don’t always get to hang out with and hear what they were working on.

Eileen: It was great to have a home base and be with my PWN people in person. It reminded me of the old days, but better—because now we have a strong track record of publications behind us. Working the table was a pleasure. So many great people with great stories.

Liz: I love our writing community so so much. I loved seeing people IRL who I’d only met on Zoom before. I love how we support each other. Just good vibes all around for the PWN community.

Tell us about a memorable encounter with a writer, editor, publisher, or a stranger in line.

Shanda: I saw Roxanne Gay. I met so many writers I’m a fan of, in person, for the first time.

Court: I love the offsite evening readings at AWP. At Flash the Court and Ghost Parachute, I met so many longtime luminaries in the flash field—writers whose work I’ve admired for years. I also ran into Courtney Maum by the on-site shipping center. She thanked PWN for hosting her, and I got to tell her how fantastic she was as our feature. There’s something about expressing gratitude in person that you just can’t replicate on Zoom.

Eileen: I recognized Tommy Dean and said hello—he seemed genuinely surprised to be recognized. I spotted the poet Kazim Ali from across the room and, even at that distance, felt a little unworthy.

Liz: Andrea Firth, who is doing a workshop for us, Write About Writing, came to our table to introduce herself. She said, “You guys are getting a lot of big names.” And I thought yes, we’re doing it! I’m so proud of our little nonprofit that could!

The Bookfair can be overwhelming. What did you discover there?

Shanda: Torch Literary Arts, an organization dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black women writers, was a standout. I also met at least ten people I can collaborate with on book promotion and more.

Court: I rediscovered my low-residency MFA program, which has undergone a lot of changes since my graduation in 2017. Sierra Nevada College is now the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe, but the people are just as wonderful. I spent time with the new director, the former director, current students, and fellow alumni. Another literary community doing great work.

Jen G: Just putting faces to the literary magazines made the submission process feel more personal—like these are people who are genuinely excited to read your work and, despite the rejections, are rooting for you.

Eileen: I loved Camie at Does It Have Pockets, and the folks at StoryStudio Chicago—similar to PWN but more established. They always make me feel like family.

Liz: This sober introvert can “people” as long as I remember to take breaks. I wrote about how I took care of myself in a recent Substack post.

What would you tell a book inc writer who’s on the fence about attending AWP next year in Chicago?

Shanda: Just do it. You gain so much in a short time if you take advantage of being there. There really is nothing else like it.

Court: AWP is an opportunity to strengthen connections. I’ve attended most years since my first in LA in 2018, and I hope to see everyone again in Chicago in 2027. As an attendee, you set your own schedule—you can design your days around your particular needs and interests.

Jen G: Go. No matter what stage of the writing process you’re in, you’ll find inspiration. Being surrounded by all those writers actually felt like the perfect antidote to imposter syndrome.

Eileen: Absolutely, go. It’s a great way to meet people and learn new things. The energy is everything.

Liz: OMG come! We are going to have so much fun. It will be St. Paddy’s Day in Chicago! The river will be green!

Finish this sentence: “I came home from AWP and immediately…”

Shanda: …wrote down all my new connections, followed them on Instagram, and emailed when appropriate.

Court: …did some yard work, because the spring bulbs were starting to poke through!

Jen G: …checked AWP’s Instagram to see what I’d missed on the last day!

Eileen: …went to bed, because with all that networking, I caught a cold.

Liz: …emailed Jane Friedman. She’s going to do a workshop for PWN. Yay!

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

“Fishing With Pelicans: Lessons in How to Hook a Publisher”

by Liz deBeer

Published in the Brevity Blog on February 27

“Overhead, a pelican circles, exhibiting its huge wing span, big beak, guttural grunt, and prehistoric vibe. It glides above the cove, searching for flashes of movement before diving straight down. I hold my breath, silently cheering for the bird. But it’s a miss. The pelican tries again. And again. Finally, throat pouch bulging, the large bird swallows its prey. Watching from the shore, I’m struck by how this scene resembles my pursuit of publication and inspires me to keep trying.”

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Liz deBeer is a language arts teacher living in New Jersey. Her latest flash has appeared or is forthcoming in Sad Girls Diaries, Blue Bird Word, 10 by 10 Flash Fiction, Spillwords, and others. She teaches Flash Fiction at Project Write Now and is working on young adult novels in book inc, Project Write Now’s writing collective.

The instructor in my college creative writing class insisted that journal writing was not “real” writing. He said it was fine for getting warmed up, but because it doesn’t follow a structure, it was not serious writing. Because I have been a faithful journal keeper for decades, I assumed that meant I can’t consider myself a real writer. This belief has impacted me more than I thought. Every time I try to produce something “real,” I’m paralyzed. Was he right? If so, how can I turn into a real writer?

Signed,

Imposter

Dear Imposter,

I view the idea of being a “real” writer much the same way I view being a step-parent. The skills involved in being a step-parent are much the same as being a biological parent. At some point, it’s all just awkward semantics. In my view, a writer is someone who writes. Period.

Perhaps your instructor never kept a journal. If so, he’s likely in the minority. Though I have no statistics to back up my claim, I believe it is a rare writer who never had a journal of some sort. Some notable writers, such as Susan Sontag, Sylvia Plath, Franz Kafka, and Virginia Woolf, kept journals from a young age. In fact, there are published books consisting solely of journal entries, such as The Diary of Anaïs Nin and Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. I daresay those authors are considered real writers.

It’s worth noting that much like the definition of a writer, the definition of journaling is also varied. Some writers keep a diary-like journal filled with emotional tussles and confessions meant for their eyes only; others keep a notebook to record thoughts and ideas that may be used in future writing projects; still, others use journals as a warm-up, to work things out before writing. Anaïs Nin insists her life-long diary writing helped her “discover some basic elements essential to the vitality of writing.” Seems like a good tool to me.

At some point, of course—and solely at the writer’s discretion—words and ideas can be lifted up out of the journal and be shaped into a recognizable form familiar to readers. If a writer doesn’t want to take that step, that doesn’t preclude them from being a “real” writer.

If you’d like to make that leap, consider putting just as much time and energy into other forms of writing as you do your journal. Maybe start out a writing session with a short journal entry and then shift to another page or screen to do more formal writing, and/or you might employ an adaptation of thematic coding, a qualitative research technique: go through your journals with a colorful highlighter and mark up sentences or phrases that stand out or repeat. Carry them over onto a new page and see if a piece of “real” writing begins to take shape.

Used in this way, a journal can be a powerful tool in a writer’s toolbox. As such, the debate about it being “real” writing seems irrelevant and certainly shouldn’t define who you are or aren’t.

Finally, your instructor is just a human with a clear opinion, as am I. But since you wrote to me, I get the final say: I anoint you a real Writer, with a capital “W.” Congratulations!

Now, go write.

Reference:

• Popova, M. (n.d). “Celebrated Writers on the Creative Benefits of Keeping a Journal.” The Marginalian

About Tina

Tina Goodyear is a board member of Project Write Now and a book inc Peer Artist Leader. She recently completed a draft of her memoir, FROM THE NECK DOWN. When not writing or teaching the art of writing, she helps adult students earn college credit for their work and life experiences.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

“Is Your Idea Novel Worthy?”

by Olivia Kenney

February 2, 2026

Today, we're thrilled to showcase Olivia Kenney's "The Writing Year" Substack — a wonderful resource for writers at every stage of their journey.

In her February 2 post, Olivia explores what to do when a story idea strikes, how to move from inspiration to the page without losing momentum, and why the best stories often become something entirely different from what we first imagined. It's an encouraging, insightful read for anyone who has ever stared down a big idea and wondered, now what? Check it out and subscribe to stay inspired all year long!

“If your goal is to share your unique idea with the world, in my opinion, writing (or creating in your chosen medium) is necessary— along with its risks. Including the risk that the story will become something you didn’t expect. And frankly, I think that’s okay. Perhaps even good.”

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Me: Did I tell you my memoir is getting published?

Friend/Family: No! Oh my god, that’s amazing!

Me: Yeah, July 2026!

Friend/Family: That’s so great! Congratulations!

Me: Well, it’s a hybrid publisher …

And immediately after I say, “Well, it’s a hybrid publisher,” I hate myself for downplaying my accomplishment, for apologizing for not taking the traditional publishing route. Why can’t I just be proud that my book is getting published?

What Is a Hybrid Publisher?

For those unfamiliar, a hybrid publisher combines elements of traditional and self-publishing. Authors pay upfront costs but receive higher royalty percentages than traditional publishing offers. It’s the middle ground between going completely solo and landing a Big Five contract. As Barbara Linn Probst explains in her comprehensive guide “Hybrid Publishing: Everything You’ve Always Wanted to Know,” reputable hybrid publishers maintain quality control by vetting manuscripts, provide professional services, and offer real distribution—not just print-on-demand uploading.

But let’s be clear, the author pays. She Writes Press requires a $10,000 upfront investment for their publishing package. As someone who had dreamed of receiving an advance rather than paying to publish, this felt like a failure at first.

And I’m under no illusions that I will even break even on my investment.

Last year’s article, “The Cruelty—and Possibilities—of 21st-Century Book Promotion,” by Michael Castleman (The Authors Guild Bulletin, Spring/Summer 2025) warns, “Releasing a book? Keep your expectations low. Only 20 percent of new titles sell 100 copies. On the other hand, if your book sells 100, it’s in the top 20 percent. Sell 1,000, you’re in the top 6 percent.”

How much I will earn depends on how my books are sold. For books I sell directly at events, I can expect to earn $13.95-$15.95 per book; books sold through retailers like Amazon will net me only $1.39-$3.39 per book, and e-books will earn me approximately $3-$5 per book, depending on the platform.

Can you do the math? I cannot. I’m a writer.

But I know enough to realize that I won’t make enough from book sales to buy my dream Vermont house where I can host a writing retreat. Bummer!

Why I Chose Hybrid Over Self-Publishing

So wouldn’t it be better to self-publish, you might be asking yourself? To avoid the upfront costs and to keep all the money from the sales of my book? Maybe for some. But I knew I didn’t have the bandwidth to navigate Amazon’s publishing platform, coordinate professional editing, or manage metadata across multiple retailers. As Probst notes in her guide to hybrid publishing, the model combines the professional support of traditional publishing with the higher royalty rates and creative control of self-publishing.

She Writes Press vets manuscripts for literary merit. They handle the complex relationships with distributors, manage inventory from their warehouse, and provide quarterly royalty statements to their clients. Most importantly, for someone like me, they offer the hand-holding that self-publishing platforms don’t. Every Tuesday, the publisher Brooke Warner hosts Zoom office hours to answer any questions authors have about the publishing process.

Confronting Publishing Hierarchy Shame

But why did I initially feel embarrassed about choosing this path? The publishing industry has long perpetuated a hierarchy that places traditional publishing at the apex of legitimacy. I had internalized the belief that anything other than a Big Five contract meant settling for less.

She Writes Press books are distributed through Simon & Schuster, appear in bookstores nationwide, and are eligible for traditional review outlets that exclude self-published works. They’re listed in industry catalogs and benefit from professional sales processes. When I realized most readers couldn’t name three of the Big Five publishers anyway, I understood that perceived prestige matters far less than reaching the right readers.

My goal isn’t literary fame or mortgage-paying royalties. It’s sharing my story with people who need to hear that recovery is possible, that there are many paths forward, and that sometimes the unconventional route leads exactly where you need to go.

The Real Measure of Success

Recently, when I told a childhood friend about my book news, I said my usual. “Well, it’s a hybrid publisher …”

“I don’t know what that is,” she responded.

“Nevermind,” I said, with a wave of my hand. “My book will be in bookstores in July! And it’s available now for pre-order!”

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

What’s AWP?

For those who don’t know, AWP, the annual conference of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, is the largest gathering of writers, editors, publishers, and literary enthusiasts in the country. Thousands of writers descend on one city for panels, off-site readings, and the legendary Bookfair, where hundreds of literary presses and magazines set up tables, and the energy is unlike anything else in the writing world.

Flashback

Last year was our first time attending as an organization, and it was transformative. Seven book inc writers made the trip to Los Angeles, and they came back changed. They connected with publishers, sat in on panels that shifted how they think about their craft, and were reminded that they are part of something much larger than themselves.

Vida Penezic captured it perfectly: “I loved being surrounded by 12,000 fellow writers who share something in their makeup that makes us members of the same subspecies. The LA Convention Center felt like home.” Read all of their reflections from AWP 2025 here.

Come Find Us at Booth T532

This year, we’ll once again have a table in the Bookfair exhibit hall. Come say hello, browse what we’re up to, and meet the book inc community in person. We’d love to see you IRL.

Where to Find Us Around Baltimore

Beyond the Bookfair, book inc writers will be out in the Baltimore literary scene all conference long. Here’s where to catch them:

Flash the Court Off-Site Reading
Thursday, March 5 | 6 to 7:30 p.m. | The Harbor Room, The Towers at Harbor Court, 10 East Lee Street

book inc writers Liz deBeer and Eileen Toomey will be among the readers at this off-site flash fiction event, moderated by Flash the Court Founding Editor Court Harler. Recent contributors will share work that runs the gamut — playful, serious, and everything in between — all showcasing the flash form at its finest. Learn more here.

Shanda McManus Reading with Split/Lip Press
Friday, March 6 | 6:30 to 8 p.m. | Greedy Reads Remington, 320 W. 29th Street

book inc’s own Shanda McManus will be reading from her debut memoir Brother Epistles as part of a reading hosted by Split Lip Press. Learn more here.

Tips from Someone Who’s Been There

First time at AWP? Shanda also attended the conference back in 2022 — before book inc made its official debut — and came back with advice worth passing on. Read her full Q&A here.

A few highlights to keep in mind as you plan:

• Build a daily schedule before you arrive. Review the panels in advance and map out your days. You’ll go off-script — that’s half the fun — but having a plan keeps you grounded in a conference this size.

• Pack smart for the Bookfair. Bring a backpack, not a shoulder bag. Shanda learned this the hard way: “By the end of my book fair tour, my shoulder was killing me from carrying all the books.”

• Leave room in your suitcase. You will buy more than you expect. Plan accordingly — or plan to ship.

We’ll see you in Baltimore. Stop by Booth T532, catch a reading, and come be part of something great.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.

I currently write a weekly Substack that I am pretty consistent with. My regularity is something I’m proud of. However, I’m also trying to finish a memoir in essays and aim to publish my creative nonfiction in literary magazines. The problem is that the Substack posts, which are basically blogs, are much easier to write. They are quick anecdotes and observations, hopefully with a message at the end. The literary essays are way more difficult, I could even say tedious to write. I have to delve deep, focus on my senses, write into a question, hoping that maybe I arrive at some sort of answer.

When I go for walks before my writing time, new Substack ideas pop into my head like kernels in a popcorn popper. When I sit down to write, I have a Substack post idea I want to start writing. But this means that the more difficult flash or literary essays I also want to write don’t get the attention they deserve. I don’t give my literary writing adequate time to develop.

Any suggestions on how to force myself to write that essay while still keeping a consistent Substack schedule?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Stuck on Substack

Dear Stuck,

I think most of us spend an awful lot of energy worrying about what we think we should be doing rather than rejoicing in the things we actually want to do. Sounds to me like you enjoy your Substack posts, and you get a sense of accomplishment every time you finish and post one. In short, it feels good because you are keeping a promise you made to yourself.

However, you also promised yourself that you would write and submit essays for publication in literary magazines. If I’m reading between the lines correctly, that promise is beginning to feel like a form of slow torture. While I’m not suggesting that you eschew all things “hard” in favor of all things enjoyable, I think there might be some merit in easing up on yourself. It’s as if you are trying to force yourself to write while holding anvils in your hands.

It may be true that discipline is the key to a successful writing career, but you already seem pretty disciplined with your weekly Substack posts! Sometimes it’s all I can do to write this monthly column! So, clearly you have the “write” stuff, that’s for sure.

So what if you eased up on the weekly requirement you’ve imposed on yourself? Since you’ve already established an audience, is it possible to post every other week? Maybe then you could use the off weeks to focus on essay writing. The ideas that bubble up during your morning walk could be used as essay topics instead.

Or maybe the answer lies inside your Substack posts. Instead of treating them as separate from more “serious” work, think of your posts and literary essays as partners walking hand in hand. Your Substack posts are likely full of seeds for future essays.

Yes, I know: Substack posts are considered published works, and many literary magazines won’t publish previously published work. I’m guessing, though, that if you re-read every post, you may find some sparks — a line, an idea, a phrase — that could be used to launch a more in-depth essay. Look at earlier drafts before they were polished posts: did you remove an anecdote or idea that could be reborn into an essay? Like Substack posts, essays need messages, too, and there is no copyright on the message itself; there are just different ways of conveying the same message. If you can find inspiration from a Substack post and turn it into an essay — and do that without a self-imposed deadline looking over your shoulder — you might even enjoy the essay-writing process.

Finally, some armchair psychology: think of yourself as a parent to your writer self. Most of the time, when a parent forces a child to do something they don’t want to do, it backfires. Even if the child does the thing — even if it’s “for their own good” — they may never end up enjoying it and will likely be resentful. Instead, once the forcing stops, the child might even decide to do the dreaded thing on their own and be happy about it. I don’t think we are really that different from how we were as children, so follow your joy. Keep writing your Substack posts — guilt-free — and let the essay ideas come to you naturally. I promise, they will.

Send Ask Tina Your Writing Questions

Do you have a writing-related dilemma? Send your questions to asktina@projectwritenow.org. Selected questions will be featured in upcoming columns, and Tina will ensure her answers offer valuable insights for writers facing similar challenges.

About Tina

Tina Goodyear is a board member of Project Write Now and a book inc Peer Artist Leader. She recently completed a draft of her memoir, FROM THE NECK DOWN. When not writing or teaching the art of writing, she helps adult students earn college credit for their work and life experiences.

About book inc

book inc is a writing collective dedicated to helping writers draft, revise, and publish memoirs and novels. Our book incubators and revision workshops help writers realize their artistic and commercial potential.