​Many writers find that writing the personal essay is fun and satisfying.  Blowing off steam, reflecting about people, life, morality, ethics, politics, recycling, neighbors - the list of topics is endless.  These topics reflect the universal themes we find in all writing.  After all, readers must connect emotionally and factually with a writer. In personal essays emotions/opinions hold hands with these themes allowing the writer to show their emotional investment in the essay.  We dig deep into ourselves in a personal essay about loss, abandonment, rejection connecting our readers with the writer’s opinions about a topic. Academic essays support or refute the facts in the thesis statement in the first paragraph of the essay.

Personal essays include the writer’s opinion and emotional take on a topic. Academic thesis essays support or refute the thesis using facts.

Beginning paragraph. Personal essays begin with a topic charged with emotion (negative or positive) and an opinion statement that is like an academic thesis statement: “I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t recycle this candy wrapper recycling would save the planet.”
 
 Academic essays begin with a thesis statement that is factual: “Recycling saves the planet.”
 
Succeeding paragraphs. Personal essays go on in the succeeding paragraphs to explore the writer’s opinion through examples of frustration or pleasure (i.e. emotional connection) with those that don’t or do recycle: “George, my next door neighbor, makes me crazy - he never uses his recycling bin.”
 
Academic essays are careful to cite facts and also have a transition sentence in the first line of the one of three succeeding paragraphs supporting or rebutting their thesis statement: “Although everyone should recycle, recent statistics from the State of IL show only 8% of us do.”

 Conclusion. A personal essay concludes with paragraph summing up: “I love to put this candy wrapper in the recycling bin knowing I am saving the planet. Then, too, I love to see the look on my neighbor’s face when I am taking my carefully sorted recyclables to the recycling bin and he is chucking everything into the garbage can. I wonder if he feels even a little guilty.”  
 
The academic essay supports/refutes the initial thesis statement: “Recycling saves the planet” mentioning negative statements and ending with the writer’s conclusion” “Everyone should recycle even though x, y statistics show a major impact has not been made yet.  L and M show in everyday life recycling has brought us innovation saving energy even in the use of the common light bulb.  Everyone should recycle and we will have more innovation and even save the planet.”

A couple of years ago I was asked by the managing director of a publishing house in Vermont if I would teach writing because, she said, "I am getting in so many manuscripts I can't publish because people don't know how to write."

So I packed up and moved to Vermont for two years where I created 150 three hour classes taught on a weekly basis in a place called the Writer's Barn south of Burlington, VT.  I taught memoir writing and I taught fiction writing along with a few poetry workshops.  It was a wonderful experience.

Men and women from all walks of life were in my classes.  Like all people beginning in my classes everyone was a little nervous but as they realized that the way I teach is a positive, what did you like or remember about the attendee's writing sort of way, they began to relax and not only tried new stories to write, but learned how to write believable characters, create scenes that resonated with the reader, write chapters than were page turners and much more.

Burlington, VT - in fact the entire state of VT - is a wonderful place to live.  It is like walking around in a landscape painting all day - no matter where you look.  The Green Mountains are to the east, the Appalachians  and Lake Champlain with its sparkling waters to the West.  The people are kind and generous, well read and I think most everyone has an advanced degree (or so it seemed).  

Writers are the same everywhere - sensitive, empathetic, unsure of themselves, but oh the marvelous work they do when they find their true narrator's voice. Never give up saying you are a writer because you would be doing something else instead of writing if you weren't drawn to telling stories.

Often from clients, attendees at lectures and workshops, either spoken out loud or I can see/hear from their writing struggles, the words or thoughts tumbling around in their minds about "am I a good enough?writer?" "Is this writing perfect?" "I can't find an agent. Does that mean my work isn't any good?"

When is my work good enough? 

Teaching memoir, I often have those in class who write something that reveals some intimate detail of their life. Love, sex, murder, theft, bullying, infidelity, divorce, anger, you name it and I have probably heard the story from someone along the way.

After revealing this dramatic scene and information, the author is generally a little anxious about his/her revelation.  How will I respond to including this scene after it is published? How will others respond to it?

In my view everything is from the narrator's point of view (POV). In memoir writing the author writes about what happened to them from their POV. What you cannot do is  castigate others. 

I look at all scenes with the characters, conflict, details in the writing as serving the story . In memoir we have a focused theme, in creative writing the hero (protagonist) has to want something.  Whatever comes about creatively as writers do the writing exercises, and then write on their own, matters not because what they reveal is so intimate, but how it serves the memoir or creative writing piece they are working on.

For example, if someone writes about being a prostitute or seeing someone in their family killed, that scene is important because it provides: conflict, heightens tension, tells us about the family (what they did or did not do) or the individual escaping from their former life.  The emotion of those moments is what the reader responds to in the story. The reader identifies with the author in memoir, or hero in creative writing.

Those moments are authentic moments, the reader feels the narrator's distress, quandary, or flat-out fear. So write whatever comes to you without fear or worry.  In memoir each event you experienced that has had a profound impact on you matters. 


 In creative writing - it's the same thing, except our hero is fictional. Remember in first draft work write down everything -  you can always change it your writing in successive drafts.

Whether you are writing fiction/non-fiction/memoir/screenplay/short stories you are telling a story.  In all those forms of  writing, the hero has to begin somewhere, go through trials, be defeated, then begin to win and close by winning the prize (whether it is wisdom or something more concrete).

We may have a hero starting out not wanting to do either their journey to get something, live their lives despite fears or physical danger.  In non-fiction we begin with laying out what we want to talk about, then introduce people who usually have not benefited from whatever you are researching, then do find information and, because they found information on their travel, health, computer issues etc. they win something in the form of knowledge (and your audience loves having a non-fiction piece personalized).

You may wind up with a hero and a subplot enemy (or enemies), even our evildoers either in our lives (in a memoir) or in our fictional stories must have a narrative arc (they want to do something, but it is something nasty) and those wretched anti-heroes must be defeated: this is their narrative arc.

When you decide on your characters for fiction/memoir/screenplays etc. sit down, list all the characters in your work.  Then write a few words next to their names what they want.  It will clarify your writing tremendously.  Then write down the roadblocks they run into, and next to their names, if they are defeated meeting this roadblock or fail to overcome it.  Voila.  You are creating your own roadmap for your work.  And that, my friend, is good writing.

You look back on your life and wonder how can I possibly remember exactly what happened?   You speak with your siblings or other relatives about a pivotal incident that happened in your life, and they say "that is NOT HOW I REMEMBER IT."

I always tell my students that if your friends, relatives or siblings remember an incident differently that you do, well, tell them that you are fascinated they remember the event in a different way.  If they want to, they can write their own memoir. Have them sign up for one of my classes...

We remember incidents in our lives from our own point of view (POV).  We don't remember anything in complete detail.  I am going to say that again, in case you missed it: we don't remember anything in detail.  What we do remember is the way an incident, experience, conflict, good luck etc. affected us.  

So don't worry as you remember pivotal moments in your life.  If someone tells you "that's not the way I remember it" just smile and keep writing YOUR memoir.  It is your life, not theirs, and what matters is what is important to you.

Writers and illustrators are always looking for information and websites to help them answer specific questions.  Here are some that might be useful:

Websites for Children's Book Writers and IllustratorsThe American Booksellers Association 
The American Library Association 
Children's Book Council 
The Drawing Board for Illustrators 
Book Links Magazine 
Illinois Library Association 
Illinois Reading Council 
International Reading Association 
Internet Directory of Agents 
Publishers Catalogue Home Page 
The Purple Crayon 
Aaron Shepard's Kidwriting Page 
The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators

The power of words describing a character world.
It's not a joke, it's not religious, it's not political.
Writers: pay attention to the world of your character.
Please enjoy this one-minute clip. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Hzgzim5m7oU&vq=medium

 

I came across these agent Twitter accounts today.  I find following book publishing, writers, agents, literary magazines - in fact, anything to do with book publishing and selected writing professionals - helpful to keep up-to-date with what is going on in the publishing world.

Here is the list of agents on Twitter:

Best Literary Agents on Twitter

Looking for an agent? To help aspiring writers, literary agents, and publishing professionals connect online, we are building a new directory of best literary agents on Twitter.

If you are looking for more people to follow, check out our Best Book Editors on Twitter list, our Best Book Publicity and Marketing Twitter Feeds directory, our Best eBook News on Twitter list, our Best Library People on Twitter directory, and our Women in Publishing Twitter List.

This list is not comprehensive, yet. Add your favorite agent (or yourself) to our growing directory.

Laurie Abkemeier: Literary Agent (former Editor), Looking for the Next Big Thing, home of the AGENT OBVIOUS TIP OF THE DAY

Jason Allen Ashlock: Founder of Movable Type Literary Group

Holly Bemiss: Literary Agent. Working to rescue cool writers from obscurity, one book at a time

Carole Blake: Literary agent with a fabulous list of wonderful clients, author of FROM PITCH TO PUBLICATION on how to get published

Brettne Bloom: Literary Agent. Mom. Chelsea Girl

Michael Bourret: Literary Agent, bran muffin enthusiast and nerdy cat person

Brandi Bowles: Literary Agent at Foundry Literary + Media

Chris Bucci: A literary agent with Anne McDermid & Associates

Lucy Carson: I’m a literary agent living in NYC, eating as many fried foods as youth allows, and generally ready with an opinion at all times, on everything.

Farley Chase: Literary agent, Waxman Literary Agency

Danielle Chiotti: Literary agent @ Upstart Crow Literary, book lover, food lover!

Ginger Clark: I am a literary agent. I work at Curtis Brown. I respond only to queries I’m interested in. This twitter account will be boring.

Jill Corcoran: Agent with Herman Agency representing MG and YA authors.

Erin Cox: Gun For Hire

John M Cusick: Author of the young adult novel GIRL PARTS. Literary agent with Scott Treimel NY. Managing fiction editor at Armchair/Shotgun. Mostly harmless.

Greg Daniel: Literary agent, sumo wrestler.

Stacia Decker: Literary agent specializing in crime/mystery fiction.

Brian DeFiore: Literary agent, publishing geek, former editor/publisher, pretty good dad of two teenage girls.

Lucienne Diver: Agent, author, blogger.

Lisa Ekus: Providing PR and Media services to authors, chefs and restaurateurs since 1982. We also specialize in media training and book agenting

Matthew Elblonk: Literary Agent

Stephany Evans: Lit agent on the run. Love good food, good wine, good books, and good roads.

Jessica Faust: literary agent, blogger, business owner, book lover and dog worshiper

Natalie M. Fischer: Literary Agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, making my way through adventures in agent land.

Melissa Flashman: Literary Agent at Trident Media Group

Dawn Frederick: Literary Agent/Owner Red Sofa Literary-represents nonfiction and YA

Miss Daisy Frost: London lit agent and general mischief maker around town.

Louise Fury: Literary Agent, Marketing advocate and general lover of books.

Rachelle Gardner: Literary agent, firefighter’s wife, mom of two awesome girls, Starbucks freak.

Kate Garrick: I like books and i like food; i only like one of those things professionally.

Jonny Geller: literary agent & md of Curtis brown books. Publishing is not a closed book. It just looks like it sometimes.

Karen Gerwin: Literary agent at DeFiore and Company

Barry Goldblatt: Barry Goldblatt Literary.

Samantha Haywood: Literary agent with Transatlantic Literary Agency (@TransLitAgency) in Toronto. Lives with daughter and husband, Pieter Swinkels, in Amsterdam.

Kathryn Helmers: Creative Trust agent.

Sam Hiyate: President and Literary Agent at The Rights Factory Inc

Kristina Holmes: Non-fiction book agent, author advocate, obsessed with nut butters. Often found curled up with a book in one hand and a spoonful of peanut butter in the other.

Mandy Hubbard: Agent with D4EO Literary and author for Razorbill/Penguin, Harlequin, and Flux. For a book list visit my website.

Weronika Janczuk: Lit agent with D4EO Literary + writer (YA/lit/hist fiction). Lover of witty books, ’80s ♫, tea

Elizabeth Jote:  Slushpile Warrior. Bibliophile. Horder of paper. Literary Agent. Chameleon. Random howler from inside the publishing beast.

Deidre Knight: Literary Agent and multi-published author of romance/women’s fiction who loves to travel to far away places, mentally and geographically.

Mary Kole: Kidlit enthusiast and associate agent at Andrea Brown Literary Agency!

Jennifer Laughran: “Literary agent at andrea brown lit, children’s bookseller, reader, raconteur, eccentric multi-millionaire and patron of the arts… and some of those are lies”

Sarah LaPolla: Associate Literary Agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd., pop culture junkie, writing enthusiast, all around book nerd.

Kate Lee: Literary Agent

Betsy Lerner: Agent and Author of The Forest for the Trees.

Kim Lionetti: Literary Agent representing women’s fiction, romance, mystery, true crime, pop culture and pop science.

Noah Lukeman: President of Lukeman Literary Management, a New York literary agency representing a broad range of high profile fiction and non-fiction.

Kevan Lyon: Literary Agent, historical fiction fanatic, dog lover, beach walker…

Alexandra Machinist: Literary agent. Cultural explorer. Voracious reader. New Yorker. Observer. Sometime Nancy Drew. Sometime Carmen Sandiego. Lover of sandwiches.

Lauren E. MacLeod: A literary agent @strothmanagency with an emphasis in YA and MG fiction and nonfiction. Opinions are my own

Jean Martha: Lit Agent. Potty Mouth. Per @DonLinn you should follow me for NYC cab ride and bus commentary, general fun-and-games, wine-soaked lunches and baked goods

Taylor Martindale: Literary Agent with the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

Anthony Mattero: NYC Rookie, Lit Agent, Philly Sports Apologist

Kate McKean: Literary Agent, www.morhaimliterary.com

Laurie McLean: literary agent and novelist

Sara Megibow: Associate Literary Agent at Nelson Literary Agency. Publishing and parenting – that’s most of it. Some reading and skiing thrown in for sanity.

Dupree Miller: Literary Agents Creativity is Our Resource, Negotiation is Our Talent, Relationships are Our Passion

Brianne Mulligan: Once an editor, always an editor… But now I’m an agent.

Dana Newman: Tech/contracts/intellectual property lawyer, literary agent, mom, book lover, runner

Laura Nolan:  literary agent, digital opportunist, foodie

Ayesha Pande: Literary agent, citizen of the world, lover of the written word, proprietor of boutique agency and book nerd

Jason Pinter: Bestselling thriller writer, upcoming ZEKE BARTHOLOMEW series for young readers, agent at the Waxman Literary Agency, HuffPo Books columnist, publishing wonk.

Barbara Poelle:  literary agent, theater wife, professional Polish vodka sampler, it could get a little weird.

Janet Reid: travail-agent for The Fabulosity and the reef-dwellers

Chris Richman: Kid’s book agent, music snob, Philadelphia sports fanatic.

Holly Root: Literary agent, theater wife, cat person, iphone addict.

Elana Roth: Brooklynite, children’s book agent, Squarespace support-team member, semi-pro Jew, bourbon drinker. I work for lots of people. None of these tweets are theirs.

Tamar Rydzinski: Literary agent, mom, Washington Heights resident, scared of dogs

Meredith Smith: Literary agent, Episcopalian, flag football player, reluctant Tweeter.

Rebecca Sherman: Literary Agent at Writers House. Midwesterner transplanted to NYC. Musical theater loving, pop culture addict vegetarian.

Michael Stearns: Literary agent. A bit obsessive compulsive about words and writing, books and pop culture.

Laura Strachan: literary agent representing literary fiction and narrative nonfiction. Loves books, art, theatre — compelling stories, well told.

Kari Stuart: I’m a literary agent in NYC. When I’m not reading fabulous new, unpublished books, you can find me testing new recipes or running in the park with my dogs.

Suzie Townsend: book lover, former HS teacher, literary agent, sci-fi/fantasy nerd, and owner of an unused $6000 wedding dress. love my life.

Rachel Vogel: A literary agent based in NYC.

Joanna Volpe: NYC lit agent and lover of pizza.

Carly Watters: An associate literary agent’s bookish twitter feed. Reads and reps commercial and literary fiction, non-fiction. Loves travel, art, photography and cupcakes.

Scott Waxman: Founder, Waxman Literary Agency

Jennifer Weltz: Literary Agent at Naggar Literary Agency

Ted Weinstein: Weinstein represents a broad range of non-fiction for adult readers

Michelle Wolfson: I’m a literary agent. Check out my site and if you think we’re a fit, let me know. Otherwise just support my authors and buy their books!