BOOK INC’S Tips on Process & Craft For Memoir & Novel Writers



01/26/23 Rewriting Revision

Novel Revision With Multiple Points of View

Renee Walsh  novel revision, point of view, reader feedback

I enjoy novels written with multiple points of view. I love experiencing the same plot twists and storylines viewed from different perspectives. It’s amazing how the same event can look really diffe...

read more 9



01/19/23 Getting It Done

Writing Memoir Different and the Same

Shanda McManus  memoir writing, voice

My five children are very different despite sharing the same genetic material and growing up in the same house. One is a planner, one is a spur-of-the-moment type, one is a logician, one can’t stay ...

read more 9



01/05/23 Inside the Memoir Incubator

2022 Memoir Incubator Wrap-Up

Elizabeth Jannuzzi  growing as a writer, memoir, writing goals

Well, folks, I’m almost at the end of my yearlong Memoir Incubator program. Tonight (January 5), we have one last feedback session for our Slot #3 writers. I’m excited to talk about my podmate’s...

read more 9



12/22/22 Rewriting Revision

Emulate Writing That Works

Renee Walsh  comps, openings, revision

Every day in my first-grade classroom, my students and I read stories together. We discuss the author’s message, describe the characters and the setting, and share our reactions. Then, we reread our...

read more 9



12/15/22 Getting It Done

Post-Partum Memoir Writing Blues

Shanda McManus  completing a draft, memoir writing

As Peer Artist Co-leaders, Jen and I have been proud of our Memoir Incubator group’s accomplishments. The 10 of us have spent almost a year together—conceiving our stories, drafting, and now shari...

read more 9



12/08/22 Trust the Process

Can Anyone Write a Novel?

J. Greg Phelan  MFA, novel writing

Can anyone write a novel? “If they put their mind to it,” Haruki Murakami claims, in his wonderful new collection of essays, Novelist as Vocation. Unlike other arts that require intense training, ...

read more 9



12/01/22 Inside the Memoir Incubator

What To Do in Memoir When Truth IS Stranger Than Fiction

Elizabeth Jannuzzi  building trust, memoir

One time in a workshop while giving me feedback on one of my personal essays, my classmate said she didn’t believe me when I said my mother never came into my teenage bedroom. 

read more 9



11/28/22 Rewriting Revision

Two Approaches to Querying Your Novel

Caitlin Maskowitz  querying your novel, revising

In our recent Book Revision Lab meeting, we spoke about querying agents. We wondered: When is the right time? Do I start with my top choice? How do I know when I’m really done? And the question that...

read more 9



11/21/22 Spotlight

Giving Your Writing the Whole Nine Yards

Jennifer Gaites  memoir writing, writing inspiration

I love going to museums. The art. The learning. The creative space. But the people … well, I don’t always love the people. I get annoyed by crowds. I’m not proud to admit that I often end up peo...

read more 9



11/17/22 Getting It Done

How Writing My Memoir Made Me a Better Doctor

Shanda McManus  memoir writing, revising

When I was a medical student at the start of my clinical training, a white-haired Marcus Welby look-alike attending physician sagely advised me, "The patient will tell you what's wrong if you listen."...

read more 9