Every week I read the New York Times’ Modern Love column. Not because it’s about love (although that helps). I read it because it’s often a good story. Occasionally it’s written really well. And since a different contributor writes the column each week, it always has a different voice. In other words, reading this column […]
I’m constantly making mistakes throughout this book-writing process. I suppose that’s normal when you undertake a project for the first time and have no one to guide you through it. But it’s frustrating, especially when I think about how much time I would have saved had I done everything right the first time. What am […]
I don’t usually review books on this blog. Hell, I don’t even know how to write a book review. But because Elizabeth Gilbert’s Committed was the much-awaited sequel to what’s arguably the most popular book in my genre, Eat, Pray, Love, I’m going to tell you what I thought of it. When I say much-awaited, […]
Want more helpful tips on writing? Sign up for my free newsletter. Did you know Amazon.com has a new function that gives a word count for each book? (I did not discover this myself. Props to Suzanne for pointing it out.) This is awesome enough for me to get excited over. Why? Because it allows […]
Don’t you love when your Google Reader is bursting with awesome information? So much good stuff out there this week, including several memoir-specific posts: From Pimp My Novel: The Importance of Negative Reviews. If reviewers don’t have anything nice to say, should they say anything at all? A guest blogger on Guide to Literary Agents […]
Every writer knows it’s important to read within your genre. For me, this is not a reason to read travel memoirs as much as an excuse. I love travel memoirs. I read every one I can get my hands on. And now that I’m writing one, I read them in the name of research. One […]
UPDATE #2: Our Ning group has moved to Facebook. Request to join! UPDATE: I’ve created a Ning group, Travel Memoir Writers, where we can continue this conversation, share ideas and learn from one another. If you’re writing a travel memoir, please join us! Forgoing today’s Writers’ Roundup for something more fun: a blog party! We’ve […]
Just in time for the New Year, I’ve presented five of my friends with a gift: the first section of my book. Of course, they’re really the ones giving me the gift. These generous people have offered to read my travel memoir, front-to-back, and offer suggestions. A handful of writerly friends have read pieces of […]
Now that I’m revising my travel memoir, I spend a lot of time looking at scenes and paragraphs that make me uncomfortable and asking myself: should I really include this? That’s because in my first draft, I included everything. I included details that were embarrassing, that I wouldn’t even want my mother to read. I […]
I finished a draft of my book! That’s right, I’ve written through the entire manuscript. It feels like a huge accomplishment. I’m ready to move onto the next stage: revision. Actually, I’m already well into the revision process. I’ve edited 16 of my 33 chapters. At least one critique partner has read through them, and […]