Writing What You Know: How to Turn Personal Experiences into Publishable Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry

It's easy for people to write about their feelings in a journal. It's more difficult, however, to convert personal experiences into stories worthy of publication—fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Filled with engaging exercises, Write from Life guides writers in identifying story-worthy material and transforming their raw material into finished pieces, through conquering fears associated with personal exposure, determining a story's focus, shaping the material into a cohesive whole, and editing and revising as needed. Writers working in any form will find this book invaluable for supplying them with the inspiration and practical instruction they need to get their experiences and emotions into print. In addition, they will learn to:

Tap into difficult, guarded parts of their lives to tell the stories they desire
Write emotionally intense material
Decide which literary form is right for their stories
Create the illusion of real speech with effective dialogue
Tell their stories with authority
Develop effective beginnings, middles, and ends
Share their work with others and deal with reactions courageously

Files' friendly, encouraging advice makes it a pleasure for writers to write the stories they are most passionate about. In an age when publishing can mean pushing a button on Facebook, Twitter, or a blog, there is an enduring urge to send stories out into the world. In an atmosphere of misinformation and lies that social media and the ease of publishing may encourage, we especially crave truth. The time to start telling it is now—so many aspiring writers have truths worth sharing and stories begging to be told!

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Meg Files is the author of the novels Meridian 144 and The Third Law of Motion, Home Is the Hunter and Other Stories, and The Love Hunter and Other Poems. She teaches creative writing at Pima College in Tucson, where she directs the Pima Writers’ Workshop.