Writing Resources

Writing the body

Making yourself a character in your story

On revealing secrets in our stories

The diptych as short-form memoir

Life writing tips: How asking questions can spark new stories

Visual CNF forms: A look at the concrete essay

4 powerful ways to use images and text in CNF

Answering the call: On writing about trauma and loss

Let’s get graphic: A look at the visual essay

On seeking the truth in our stories

4 new ways to tell your stories

Striking the balance: On showing and telling

5 hacks to make your CNF more compelling

Spark Your Story

Designed as a creativity accelerator for life writers, SYS is a series of transformative online writing workshops scheduled to the end of June 2020 (with a self-study learning option in the works). Based on the Foundations of Story mini-course — a life writer’s guide to the creative process — each workshop includes pre-writing exercises, prompts, and journal reflections designed to tap your most potent material. Upcoming workshop themes include Where the Heart Is (April); The Bigger World (May); and Nature + The Spirit (June).

Spark Your Outlier Story

An outlier is someone or something that exists on the margins, set apart by what makes it unique. In this popular 6-week course we’ll explore the flash essay, prose poem, lyric essay, and hermit crab essay—forms ideal for crafting new, surprising, and innovative short-form memoir that readers (and editors) will love!

Spark Your Visual Story

The photo essay, concrete essay, pictorial essay, and paper craft essay combine textual and visual storytelling to create greater depth, meaning, and impact for the reader. In this exciting 6-week course on CNF forms inspired by visual art we’ll craft innovative personal narratives that bend—and blend—genres.