Allison K. Williams's Blog, page 54

Thank You, Writer’s Digest!

Each year, Writer’s Digest offers readers a list of the 101 Best Websites for Writers, hoping to “guide writers of all ages, genres, and skill levels to reputable and useful resources to inspire, educate, and support them in every stage of their writing journey.”

Among the categories offered are Best Genre/Niche Websites, and among that grouping is the category for Creative Nonfiction. Brevity is grateful to share the honors this year with Hippocampus Magazine, our favorite cousin. (If you ch...

“Write What You Want to Know More About”

By Dinty W. Moore

The tired maxim “Write what you know” is familiar to anyone who has ever lifted a pencil. Starting out on my writing path, I remember hearing that advice and worrying over how limiting that advice would be. I knew little to nothing.

Eventually, I ran across the reverse, teachers suggesting I should “Write what I don’t know.” That seemed far more expansive, but also counterintuitive. The world is full of people blabbering on about their opinions with little to nothing ...

The Life-Changing Magic of Micro Prose

By Darien Hsu Gee

Tell me a story about something true and real and important to you.

Now tell it to me in 300 words or less.

It may seem impossible, but it’s not. Micro (aka micro prose, micro narratives, micro essays, micro memoirs, or micro stories) is a short form of 300 words or less, the lesser-known cousin of flash. Three hundred words clock in at about one page double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point (using the first 300 words of this essay as an example). That may not seem l...

How I Lost 265,000 Words in Two Years

By Margaret Mandell

No before and after pictures needed here.

But I did have to write 300,000 words to get to my 35,000-word memoir. Those words were the stuff of my life, my heart, my rage, and my grief after the death of my husband of 45 years. I wrote to Herb every day for four years and the writing saved me. I told myself I had written a memoir. But it was not. It was a bloated tome.

I needed help. It would take two coaches and two more years.

My first coach understood that wi...

The Incredible Superpower of Flash

By Dinty W. Moore

Brevity magazine turned 25 this year, and understandably, I’ve been asked countless times to define “What makes a flash a flash?” or to reveal “How do you fit a full story in 750 words?”

My answers have varied over the years, but they’ve always included two essential concepts: compression and layering.

Here is how they work:

COMPRESSION

Poets know this well. Saying more with less. In flash prose, the challenge is twofold: eliminating unnecessary words and phra...

How to Maintain Your Writing Momentum After You Finish Your MFA

By Nancy L. Glass

In January 2023, I completed my MFA in Writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Leading up to graduation, I was already wondering how I would maintain momentum in my writing without monthly writing deadlines.

I have been working on a collection of CNF essays about my experiences as a pediatric hospice physician.  Some essays have been published, but the book is not yet finished.  I feel pressured to complete the collection, since I graduated at the ripe age of…gas...

Flashes of Memory: Exploring the Emotional Breadth of Short Form Writing

An Interview with Davon Loeb

By Arielle Bernstein

Davon Loeb

In his memoir, The In-Betweens, Davon Loeb writes lyrical essays that explore family, identity, and culture. I was particularly struck by Davon’s embrace of the short form and had the honor of speaking with him about his choices in crafting this beautiful and powerful collection.

Arielle Bernstein: Your short, lyrical essays are so poetic—what is exciting for you about the short essay form? What unique possibilities does tha...

99% Is the Hook: Writing Your Modern Love Essay

By Peter Mountford

This year, I have become something of an expert on the Modern Love column. Yes, the column has limitations—sometimes, a piece ends just as it’s getting interesting. Still, I do love a prompt with severe constraints, and this is certainly that—1600 words, more or less, on love (mostly romantic and familial love; no pet love, sorry, and generally no friendships, though there are a few exceptions in the friendship area). The tone also has to work for the NYT, but it’s best ...

Inclusivity Isn’t Simple

By Deborah Sosin

In the face of right-wing attacks on diversity, many progressive writers, including me, are doubling down on our use of respectful and sensitive language. But for those of us who value inclusivity, navigating the rapidly changing landscape of “correct” language is increasingly anxiety-provoking.

What’s the proper pronoun? What’s the appropriate demographic label?

One misstep into this minefield and boom, even the most well-meaning writers are criticized, ostracized, ...

Hunting for Truth and Berries

By Jodi Lee Reifer

Writing memoir can be like scavenging for wineberries in the wild bushes of upstate New York. To get to the juiciest fruit, you need to keep pushing through the spiked vines that every summer birth this lesser-known cousin of raspberries.

You might try to protect yourself with long-sleeved shirts and pants. But they’re of little help; the cuts and scrapes are inevitable. As sweat drips down your spine and humidity inflicts havoc on your hair, you must be okay looking ...