Writing Nonfiction: Know Your Audience

Writing Nonfiction: Know Your Audience

When writing nonfiction, you need to know your audience. As a writing coach of primarily nonfiction and memoir, I’m struck by how often writers with good minds and creative ideas, try so hard to appeal to a wide audience that they fail to know their audience and risk...
Should I Write a Book?

Should I Write a Book?

Whether it’s a pandemic, an injury, a layoff or the kids are finally in school or college, when facing a stretch of time on your hands, it’s not uncommon to ask, “Should I write a book?” You may want to write a book because you’ve had an interesting life, something...
How To Write A Memoir

How To Write A Memoir

Are you wondering how to write a memoir? With COVID-19 keeping most of the world housebound these days, a lot of people are thinking about writing that memoir they’ve always wanted to write. And if you’re one of them, one of the first things you might be wondering is...
Writing a Nonfiction Book—Where to Begin

Writing a Nonfiction Book—Where to Begin

When I was setting out to write my dissertation, someone gave me a piece of advice that has stuck with me and helped me to write many books. And that piece of advice is this: never start with an outline. Outlines have a tendency to stretch infinitely, which only makes...