By Kerry Graham
Granted, I don’t know what it is. When it happened. Where.
But I know you have a story—many stories, in fact. I know the world will be made better (more whole, more hopeful) when you tell what only you can tell.
No, I don’t know who was there. Who wasn’t. How, or how much, what happened affects you. I just know that it’s a story we’re eager for you to share.
Maybe you’ve heard this before, this urging to tell your truth. Maybe you’d like to but are worried you won’t do your story justice. Maybe you don’t know where to start—or where to end.
Please don’t let that stop you from trying.
I am a seasoned writer of creative nonfiction; I write personal essays and vignettes, offering my readers glimpses of what and who matter to me. This genre shows me, time and again, that what appears to be the most unique is also often the most universal; narrating the nuances of our lives can be how we best connect to others.
I am also an instructor of creative nonfiction; I lead virtual workshops to support fellow writers—or fellow humans, folks with stories simmering within, whether or not they know how to tell those yet—in creating a narrative out of their lived experience.
I write creative nonfiction because it’s one of the most reliable ways to share what I find most precious. I teach creative nonfiction because I want as many people as possible, especially those with the least amount of experience, to have the option to do the same.
My quickest advice to anyone interested in writing creative nonfiction is to use the same level of imagination and intention to write as you would in other genres: a piece of fiction. Poetry. The fact that you’re recounting something that actually happened doesn’t change that it’s art. Your words are the color and shape of the scene unfolding on the page; you just need to know how to wield them. How to use your words to show. Evoke.
Starting in January, I will teach a monthly workshop series with Yellow Arrow called Write Here Write Now. Each session will be a new opportunity, a chance to work with a different skill, to craft creative nonfiction. We’ll discuss, practice, and have the opportunity to receive feedback on character development so that your readers will come to love or loathe the people in your story just like you do. In another session, we’ll cover setting—what it contributes to a scene and how. We’ll also travel through time, playing with flashbacks and flash forwards to figure out the most compelling way to reveal what it is that you have to say.
Write Here Write Now is designed for anyone eager to share their truth, regardless of previous writing experience. The first three sessions are on January 9, February 13, and March 12, which you can sign up for at yellowarrowpublishing.com/workshop-sign-up/whwn2024. While each session stands alone, they’ll be most valuable if you attend all three; you’ll see the cumulative impact of the skills, as well as how they can be used alongside one another to make your words even more resonant.
I don’t know your story, but I want to. And if you’ll have me, I’d be honored to help you tell it.
Kerry Graham is a Baltimore-based writer, book coach, and former high school English teacher. Her newsletter, Real Quick, offers solidarity with, and strategies for, the writer ready to become more confident and capable in their craft. Kerry is a Creative-in-Residence at The Baltimore Banner.
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