When we write memoir, we reclaim our own voice, we stake a claim to our version of the story. Every family has multiple story lines. There is the “official” version, controlled by the most powerful people in the family, usually the parents or those who have the most to lose. The “lesser” points of view—most often held by the children or those lesser in power—are often not believed or accepted as true.

Over the course of my writing life, I have noticed that other writers and I cycle through a series of steps on our path toward maturity as a writer. When people come to me for coaching, they often do not know where they are on the path and what they need to move forward. I’ve identified the phases and given suggestions for the support will best serve at each phase. Of course, I have seen the powerful impact of coaching at each phase, but I have added other means of support th...

Start your writing with conflict if you want to guarantee sales, grab an agent or publisher, get paid a big advance. Your protagonist wants something and your antagonist wants to block it. If you want to be the publisher’s star-of-the-month, just hand out a strong dose of conflict right up front. Bold like. Then, they’re wrapped up in your story and it’s too late for them to escape. Trust me, readers, agents and publishers are going to consider writing with a strong dose of c...

The term creative writing is used to discern certain types of inventive or artistic writing from other general types of writing. The field of creative writing is broad and includes many different formats and genres of writing. The broad and general description of it is purposeful in its effort not to limit the imagination of the potential writer, or that of the reader. Creative writing is totally different from other types of writing, such as technical writing, scientific wri...

Whether a crawling novice or polished professional, writers from every walk of life have room for improvement in their work. An endless array of rules and techniques must be kept in mind when writing – punctuation, grammar, transition, show don’t tell, etc. As a result, it’s extremely important to have a firm grasp on the fundamentals. By stressing the fundamentals, coaches and trainers have transformed individuals of modest talent into world class competitors. Why should wri...

How to get published? That’s the big money question for writers. Writing is fulfilling in and of itself, but every writer ultimately wants to learn how to get published. A lot of writers think getting published is a matter of luck. Or it’s a matter of knowing the right person. Or it’s a matter of simply being born a brilliant writer. Although all of the above will help you get published, you don’t have to have any of these things. You can LEARN how to get published...

It's been said that you should "write about what you know". It's also been said that doing that condemns you to a life of boredom as you'll never grow beyond your current limitations. Not very helpful, is it? It's also been said that you should write about what you're passionate about, interested in or otherwise taken by, as you'll spend so much time researching it, writing it and rewriting it, that it had better light your fire, or it will drive you insane. And then ag...