Your Story Matters
What Are Your Writing Goals for 2023?
Years ago, when I was in the throes of hands-on parenting, my nightstand was piled high with parenting books.
One of those books was GOOD FAMILIES DON'T JUST HAPPEN.
As I recall, the author was the ...
Why I Read and Write Memoir
Behind the public-facing (Instagram) joy of landing my book deal, life is, as Glennon Doyle calls it, "Brutiful." Brutal + beautiful!
My 87-year-old mom fell eleven weeks ago and the stress hasn't le...
The Right Publication Path for Your LGBTQ+ Memoir
Maybe you’ve heard it’s impossible to get a book deal for a memoir if you aren’t a celebrity or you don’t have millions of followers on TikTok.
You’re not a celebrity (yet) and you don’t have million...
What to Do with Your Darlings, aka Your Writing Leftovers
After Thanksgiving Day, my fridge is always teeming with leftovers, which, in my opinion, is one of the best parts of the season!
Constructing the perfect meal—or bite—from what didn't get eaten in t...
Five Ways to Measure Growth as a Writer
This past Sunday, I gathered with my local writing community to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the group's founding.
What a full circle moment that was for me!
Five-and-a-half years earlier, o...
How to Combat Your Doubt Demons While Writing Your Memoir or Book
I'm nearing the home stretch with my revision of THE ONLY WAY THROUGH IS OUT, my later in life, coming out memoir, which will be published by the University of Wisconsin Press in February 2024!
Hoora...
5 Tips to a Successful NANOWRIMO for Memoir Writers
Last week I wrote about how National Novel Writing Month 2012 (NANOWRIMO)Â changed my life.
It can change yours too!
No, I didn't write a novel or a memoir in 30 days—in fact I ended up with a tangle...
How Writing for My First NANOWRIMO Changed the Course of My Life
I've always been fascinated by the idea that a single moment can change the entire trajectory of a life.
Sometimes that moment feels out of our hands and controlled by "fate"—you catch the train or ...
How to Find the Unique Angle for Your Memoir
"We're really excited about your book," the thirty-something editor said to me. "Because we want to publish the plurality of the queer experience."
Maybe that was her nice way of saying that there ar...
The Truth About Who Needs to Read Your Story
When I ask my book coaching clients WHY they want to write their story, they typically say something like:
"I want to write the book I wish I had when I was going through X."
I get that.
When I was...
