Here’s a book I want to write
Introducing my idea for a complete and up-to-date Alaska history
My dad’s big gamble and how he told of it
As Charles's father demonstrated, quality matters even for a self-published memoir
How thoughtful stories knit our minds
The decline of literary fiction and serious film has contributed, in part, to America’s current social and political division. These art forms once helped glue us together through empathy and mutual comprehension. That’s not just a self-serving writer’s view. It is based on cognitive psychology. About 15 years ago scientists in Toronto established that people …
Is a good book a window or a tile?
My son Robin was about five years old when he asked me at bedtime one night, “Is a computer screen a window or a tile?” He was fascinated by our Mac Classic with its little black-and-white screen, which did look like a tile. But his question is relevant to all expressive artists, especially writers. Do …
How permission can lead to more authentic truth
Winning permission to enter whaling camp and the promise of honesty
Who are better writers, the old or young?
Young people have more vivid imaginations—there’s neuroscience on that—sharper memories, and quicker access to information. Old people know more—not more facts, but more about the nature of the world. They have lived the stories they tell. Young people care passionately about things that turn out, long after, not to have mattered. Old people have learned …
Why some good books should remain unpublished
George Fischer wrote 19 autobiographies without ever planning to publish them. And he could have. Not only was he a talented writer and an accomplished scholar, but he had witnessed some of the most historic moments of the twentieth century. Eleanor Roosevelt talked about him in her memoirs, which she did publish. But Fischer made …
Social media will not make you an author
Beginning authors often receive the advice that to publish a book they need to develop a large social media following. Or, I would add, you could become a rock star or a professional athlete. That helps get publishers’ attention and sells books, too. Social media stardom is stardom. Authors always need to self-promote, but writing …
How non-fiction books get published
Publishing a book is easy, but selling books is hard. For the most part, only books from mainstream, traditional publishers reach wide readerships, and those big publishing houses have many gatekeepers. I frequently explain this difficult news to potential clients at our initial, no-cost meeting. Most of what I say is discouraging. But there are …
Lying in a memoir is just plain lying
My rule is extreme and increasingly unpopular. I say everything in non-fiction should be true. You don’t get to make anything up. Authors talk about “different kinds of truth,” or say their memoirs, “explore the slipperiness of memory.” That’s self-serving nonsense. They know what truth is. They change things to make the story better or …