Kelly Corrigan, a bestselling memoirist celebrated for her relatable writing about family life, shares her insights on the emotional journey of writing. She discusses how to overcome the daunting blank page and highlights the healing power of writing through love and loss. Corrigan emphasizes the value of ordinary stories and their resonance with readers, showcasing how detail-oriented storytelling can transform mundane moments into captivating narratives. She also reflects on how writing can serve as a means to navigate grief and preserve memories.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Motivation
Visualize your ideal reader to stay motivated.
Imagine who you'd give your writing to; this can fuel your commitment.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Writing Habits
Make writing a daily habit and read while you write.
Find an accountability partner or writing group for support and motivation.
question_answer ANECDOTE
The Middle Place Success
Kelly Corrigan wrote "The Middle Place" for her father, a story about their relationship.
The book unexpectedly became a bestseller, surpassing even Barack Obama's book at one point.
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In 'The Middle Place', Kelly Corrigan explores the 'Middle Place' — the period when parenthood and childhood overlap. The book chronicles her journey to full-blown adulthood, triggered by her diagnosis with breast cancer and her father's late-stage cancer. Corrigan's storytelling captures the everyday details and tender, sometimes fractious moments that bind families together, offering a heart-wrenching yet funny account of family life and personal growth.
Tell me more
Stories About the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say
Kelly Corrigan
In 'Tell Me More', Kelly Corrigan delves into the twelve hardest things she is learning to say, examining phrases that make love and connection possible. The book includes chapters such as 'I Don’t Know,' 'No,' 'Tell Me More,' and 'I Was Wrong,' where Corrigan reflects on her life with a preoccupied husband, two mercurial teenage daughters, and profound observations on love and loss. With her signature warmth and honesty, Corrigan explores the importance of the right words at the right moment to change everything.
Writing can help you process thoughts, preserve memories, chronicle the stories of you and your loved ones. But that's only if you can get past the blank page. In this bonus episode, best-selling memoirist Kelly Corrigan offers advice for putting pen to paper. Corrigan has written four New York Times-bestselling books about her life and family in the last decade, including Tell Me More and The Middle Place. She was featured in the episode, "A guide to being brave in relationships."
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