"Ann, I can't believe you're a nurse. You missed your calling as a writer, but you know it's never too late to write," Erma Bombeck told novelist Ann Garvin at her college graduation.

Those were powerful words because Ann had heard "Just shut up!" for her entire life. 

Grant saw Ann deliver a keynote address at the Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and was inspired by Ann's rousing talk about not letting yourself be silenced, her modern-day Erma Bombeck spirit, and her message for writers to use grit, determination and Erma's spirit to fuel their writing journey. (And never shut up.)

This week we are kicking off Memoir Showers, our April prompt-a-day invitation and challenge, with ten ways you can use prompts to support your writing journey. If you don’t usually write to prompts, give it a try! If you already love prompts, you’re in for a treat. 

This week on the Memoir Nation newsletter, Brooke offers up five best practices for memoirists who are already on Substack or want to start a Substack. Substack is a great place to connect with fellow writers. It’s a place to grow community and an audience, and having some parameters for what you’ll write about and how you’ll go about it is always helpful. If you’re already doing it right, share your own tips. We’d love to hear from you and invite you to post your Substack URLS to the Weekly Question space as well. Write on!

This week's newsletter considers the value of reading aloud in front of your Community here in Memoir Nation. We experimented with Feedback Friday last month and it was a huge success—because of the heartfelt experience of taking in the words from ten of you beautiful writers, and what the experience has to offer us, both as readers and as listeners. That reciprocity is what Brooke explores in this week's newsletter—and more Feedback Fridays to come. 

This week’s Memoir Nation podcast with guest Sarah Aziza was the inspiration for Brooke's newsletter about literary memoir—and whether memoir necessarily needs to be literary or artistic to be important, or to be widely read. While artistic language can elevate a story, some readers simply want honest, accessible storytelling. This post is a reminder that memoirists don’t need to emulate literary writers—what matters most is writing in a voice that feels authentic and true to your story.

This week we're celebrating all the writers who participated in JanYourStory. Way to go! We encourage everyone to come and check out what's next at Memoir Nation, and to take a look at our membership offerings to keep the vibes going strong!

This week’s newsletter offers up some respite for anyone who feels like they might be dragging a bit. You are invited to cross-train your memoir writing. Try one of these five offerings: 1) Do morning pages; 2) follow another thread; 3) take a shot at an op-ed; 4) write a letter; 5) do a Substack post. All of this counts, and builds your memoir-writing muscles.

This week's newsletter talks about the electric nature of beginnings—the jolt, the buzz, the urgency, the excitement of it all. Harness that energy, yes! But also get mentally prepared for when it dips by finding all kinds of ways to sustain the current through to the end of your project. This post is practical and inspirational, encouraging you to notice the highs and lows of your writing process.

This week's newsletter talks about the electric nature of beginnings—the jolt, the buzz, the urgency, the excitement of it all. Harness that energy, yes! But also get mentally prepared for when it dips by finding all kinds of ways to sustain the current through to the end of your project. This post is practical and inspirational, encouraging you to notice the highs and lows of your writing process.

Writing is solitary, but it can also be communal. As JanYourStory approaches, Brooke offers an invitation to “write out loud” by sharing your commitment, inviting a friend, and discovering how community creates accountability, momentum, and connection.

We’re getting ready for JanYourStory. In this post, Grant writes about how community transforms creativity.

Brooke writes about time—its elusiveness, our challenging relationship with it, and the fact that there’s never enough of it. For writers, time is one of the most pressing things we’re up against, and so, if we want to do the writing we’re being called to do, we must not just find the time, but make the time. And we can!

In this post, Brooke reflects on Mark Nepo’s teachings about honor, truth, and following what brings us alive, connecting those ideas to the vulnerable, courageous work of memoir writing. She invites writers to recognize their work as an act of honoring their lived experience and to share what supports them in staying the course amid doubt and fear.