Tag: nonfiction
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on imagining the past
“I want to write about my childhood, but I don’t remember all the details,” a client said to me once. “How can I write a memoir if my memory is spotty?” This is a common doubt, and one that stops people from writing about their lives. If their memory isn’t perfect, they believe, they’re somehow…
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on carnival glass & self-love
We’re clearing out my grandfather’s house this month. That means I’m packing up things I’ve seen my entire life but never once looked at: ornately decorated plates, strangely shaped pots, glasses for every imaginable cocktail. Among these are this funky-colored glass with intricate patterns that shimmer in different colors depending on the light. Some are…
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how do you write a book?
When I was 25, I moved from a crowded Brooklyn loft to a rural Carolina island. There, I would write my first book. As I finished moving in, anxiety washed over me. How, exactly, do you write a book? I’d done all the planning: finding a summer rental. Subletting my room in Brooklyn. Buying printer…
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on magic
“This winter hasn’t been very wintry,” I said to my boyfriend the other day. “When is it going to get cold?” “It might not this year,” he said. “Because of El Niño. It could last all year.” Where I’m from – Rochester, NY – this would be unheard of. There, the four seasons come like…
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on getting started
This month, I’ve talked to several people with fascinating material for books. They came from different fields, different countries, and with different goals, but they had one thing in common: They had a strong vision. But they didn’t know where to start. Some were overwhelmed by their own ideas.(“Too much” can be scarier than “too little.”)…
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on getting edited (part two)
Welp…I got the dev editor’s feedback on my novel. I’m pleased to report that I did not immediately lie down upon reading it, nor has there been any crying. But neither do I feel a lightning strike of brilliance. No “That’s it! That’s what I needed this whole time!” I feel kind of … flat.…
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on what you get from a writing coach
“I hope this isn’t asking too much. I know it’s our first call,” someone asked me yesterday, “but how do I just…write better?” I’ll tell you what I told him in a sec. But first: Of course that isn’t asking too much. Yes, a writing coach’s job is to give you tools. But that’s not…
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on the wisdom of founders – part 2
Here’s something I’ve noticed working with high-powered founders:(Part 2 of 3) They don’t build businesses by fixing their weaknesses. They build them based on what they’re naturally good at. 📈 Very often, that natural talent and interest trace back to their childhood. One started learning her craft from her immigrant mother at 5. One grew…
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on miracles
Ever since I was a kid, I dreamt of publishing a book. And I worked at it. I wrote constantly, read, got an MFA, wrote some more. But for my first novel, something still wasn’t gelling. Even outside the million rejections I got, I knew something was off. Eventually I realized: Publishing a book takes more than just…
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on glimmers
Seven years before I moved to Iquitos, a friend mentioned it in passing. “There’s Machu Picchu, Arequipa, Iquitos,” he said, listing places to visit in Peru. “Iquitos? What’s that?” I’d never heard of it before, and something about the word snagged my attention. “It’s a city in the jungle,” he said. “I don’t know much…
Kimberly Bunker, MFA 