Most people who come to my memoir and personal essay classes know the story they want to tell. It’s the one that has been rattling away inside them. It’s a before-and-after experience in their life. It’s what shaped them into the person they are today.

Many times, the first version of that story is simply a retelling of what transpired. They describe the who, what, when, where but shy away from one crucial element—interiority.

Why is interiority so important in personal stories? Read more to find out.

In the process of writing, one thing is almost always certain—you will have days where the doubt creeps in. When you think, what am I even doing here? Is this all worth it? Is anyone ever going to read this? Let’s talk about a few things to help get you through when the inner critic shows up.

In the process of writing, one thing is almost always certain—you will have days where the doubt creeps in. When you think, what am I even doing here? Is this all worth it? Is anyone ever going to read this? Let’s talk about a few things to help get you through when the inner critic shows up.

Writing a personal story can be a daunting task. Writers often know the story they want to tell but don’t know where to begin. How do you sort through which parts to put into a piece and which ones to leave out? How do you create a framework to best tell the story? There is one guiding principle I tell writers to think about—the takeaway.