IN ADDITION TO WRITING AND TEACHING about journaling and memoir writing, I enjoy visiting other journaling and memoir writing sites for additional inspiration, new approaches, and different perspectives on writing about and through life.
What I have discovered in doing so, is that there are really very few blogs out there that consistently offer quality content on these topics. Don’t get me wrong—there are many, many blogs written by memoir authors and proponents of journal writing. It’s just that the majority are either focused on selling products (books, art supplies, memberships, etc.) and/or the blog posts are personal writing from and about the author, rather than about the crafts of journaling and memoir. There are also many sites on journaling on which the last posts are dated a year or more in the past.
In addition, most of the blogs are written and maintained by women. I say “most,” though in truth I have only found one blog on memoir writing or journaling maintained by a man. And the content on that blog is not fresh. (So if you know of men who write memoir or teach journal writing, tell them there’s a niche audience out there just waiting.)
The following sites all post regularly on the craft of life-writing: memoir, journaling, personal essay, or some combination. Like mine, they all have products — books, memberships, classes, and services — but they also provide quality content for the information-hungry among us.
The Heart and Craft of Life Writing – Sharon Lippincott’s site on life writing is probably the closest thing to a WritingThroughLife sister site. Sharon’s posts are always informative and include writing prompts to help you develop your personal stories. The Writing Tree of Life image Lippincott created (shown to the right) represents her philosophy of the interrelationships of the different types of life writing. Sharron writes: “We grow individually by writing about our own lives, and we grow collectively as we share stories and provide safe spaces for affirming and supporting each other. As the seasons change and the tree matures, its leaves compost into the soil of memory for future generations, helping life go on.”
The National Association of Memoir Writers — In addition to free monthly roundtable teleseminars for nonmembers, NAMW offers resources, books, and services from a variety of authors and other writing professionals.
Telling Herstories – Telling HerStories is a life-writing blog connected to the Story Circle Network, a nonprofit, life-writing organization created by and for women. Though written with women in mind, if you’re looking for writing prompts or unique ideas, this blog is an excellent resource for writing tips and methods to begin getting your life story on paper, whatever your gender.
WomensMemoirs.com – While Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnet’s audience is, again, intended for women, the writing advice and resources offered here are not gender-bound. When you visit, you’ll find posts on everything from how to get started writing your memoir to how to write scene and structure your memoir stories. The site also solicits and posts stories from women, so if you’re interested in having your stories published online, you’ll want to keep an eye out for their frequent story contests.
Marion Roach Smith’s Memoir Blog – Marion Roach offers a no-nonsense approach to writing memoir, along with straightforward advice to help you get and stay started writing. I find her sales approach rather aggressive, and I disagree with her opposition to all writing exercises — when done in the context of exploring character and reflecting on life events, I think they can be very helpful — but, overall, her advice is excellent, her blog offers solid writing tips, and you certainly can’t fault her path to success. If you’re looking for a boot in the rear end to get going, her approach may be just what you need.
Creative Art Journal – If you love to paint, draw, and create collages, Creative Art Journal provides examples and inspiration for the many ways to incorporate art into your journal. Or maybe, even, incorporate a little writing into your art while recording the events of your life. In a recent post, Emily T writes, “Sharing ourselves is not narcissistic or entitled. Sharing ourselves is a gift. We are all made of the same stardust, so why not realize that whatever our own unique voice has to say is going to connect somewhere, somehow, deeply to another bit of stardust?” I heartily concur.
Create Write Now – Mari McCarthy’s CreateWriteNow blog focuses on the healing and transformational powers of journaling. She often invites guest bloggers, so it’s a good place to go for different perspectives and ways to use journaling for self-exploration and growth.
Do you know of other life-writing blogs we can add to this list?
They should be current, fresh, and post regularly on journaling, legacy, memoir, or personal essay writing. If so, please provide their URLs in a comment below, and I’ll check them out.
Thank you for your generous mention and link, Amber. I am honored to be included among those I admire and follow. I will share!
Jennifer Wilhoit used to live in Napa, and is now in Whidbey Island, WA. Her mission is to “compassionately support people as they discover and convey through writing their deepest stories.” Her monthly blog is inspiring and healing: http://www.Tealarborstories.com
Jenny, thank you for the link. I went to the site, but did not find what I was looking for there. There is no obvious link to Jennifer’s blog (I eventually found it here: http://tealarborstories.blogspot.com. I could access her monthly newsletters, but saw nowhere to sign up for them and when I read the archive, I saw that those newsletters were mostly about upcoming and past events and promotions for Jennifer’s services. The blog itself had a few writing prompts, but did not offer much in the way of content. So perhaps I’m missing something? While Jennifer’s mission and service look wonderful, I would not add the site to a list of resources because it does not offer much in the way of free content, as far as I could see.
Dear Amber,
How kind of you to include my blog here. Thank you. I am honored and delighted to be in such great company.
Again, my thanks.
Best,
Marion
Marion, I appreciate your contributions to and mentoring of memoir writers.
I am really looking forward to exploring these sites. I must say, however, that I have also been enjoying hearing more of the nuts and bolts advice found on Brevity or in books by professionals with Mfa degrees. I am now reading Allison K. William Get Published in Literary Magazines. Tomorrow, I will start C. Tennis’s and D. Morton’s Finishing School: The Happy Ending to that Project You Can’t Seem to Get Done. Since I have never been to school for an MFA, it is interesting to hear about “life in the writing and publishing trenches” by people in the know. The Poets and Writers website has a really nice feature in sending regular emails with a review of a book on these nuts and bolts of writing (or the emotional fallout associated with it).
I agree, Stacy. It’s always good to look for as many knowledgable sources as possible. I also like Brevity (as you know), and many of the well-known magazines, such as Writer’s Digest, and Poets and Writers have great articles and blogs online as well. Thanks for the reminder.
I know of a man who enjoys writing memoir. Me 🙂
With that said, I’d like to add to the female-dominated links in this post and recommend my friend Gloria’s blog. The URL is https://gloriaharrison.wordpress.com
She recently wrote a piece over at The Rumpus that will rip your heart out called “Where the Highway Splits,” which can be read at http://therumpus.net/2017/06/where-the-highway-splits/
Welcome, Jeffrey! According to Google Analytics, about 15% of my regular readers are men. And thank you for adding Gloria’s blog to the list.
You’re a king among men, Jeffrey Pillow.
What about Bill Roorbach? He teaches amazing courses on memoir writing, and his book club”Writing Your Life” was the text in one of my English classes. 😉
http://billanddavescocktailhour.com
Thank you, H Jensen! I love Roorbach and teach a course titled “From Memories to Memoirs” based on his book on life writing. I didn’t find his blog when I was searching for memoir-writing blogs, so appreciate the link!
I am starting the journey of writing my first book, an inspirational memoir. Like most writers, I want my book to get out into the world and make a difference. I have a website with a blog, but I am guilty of not having much content or posting regularly. This article gave me helpful tips and a place to start; thank you!
I’m glad I could be of help, Jennifer!
I post once a week on my site, https://scribblersguild.com. I also publish two newsletters a week dealing with writing challenges, writer’s block and memoir.
I teach High School English and I am looking for some memoir blogs for high school students to follow. Do you have any recommendations?
Amy, thank you for your question. I don’t know of any memoir blogs that are geared specifically toward the young writer. There are many, many memoir blogs (including this one), all written with an adult audience in mind. I recommend checking out the many articles here on memoir writing and the sites I’ve recommended and then curating articles that you think will work with your group of students. Also, I suggest finding one or two published memoirs by younger writers (in their 20s or early 30s) that could be used as examples of the type of memoir a younger writer might create. I’m sorry I can’t be more specific than that.
An amazing post as always. Anyone will find your post useful. Keep up the good work.
Love all things memoir. Thanks for the info about some of the great sites and how they can help people in their memoir journey. I am a ghostwriter, and help people for whom the task of writing all together is just too much for whatever reason. I regularly post BLOGS on my site about story, writing tips for anyone interested in doing it on their own. I’d love for you to check it out if you have time! http://www.telegramsociety.com
I have been looking at ways to get my blog read by a wider audience. It is memoir style and about having bipolar and it’s journey which has evolved into so much more. I am a fiction writer normally but my writing this year has ventured into a new area. Please check out https://www.dayslikethese.live/ I hope you enjoy it at least
Thank you for sharing your blog with us, Elizabeth.
I am submitting my serial memoir blog to your company to gain readers, and to release the experiences I’ve endured in a therapeutic style for myself. It is called Awakened Memoir, and is posted on a Feedpost’s list for 2023 reading. Thanks!
wakingmemoirblog.wordpress.com
Email: charli031674@gmail.com
My Memoir Blog
http://www.MarciaRosen.com
Blog Link
Author of 11 books, Memoir to be published in 2024