Crafting the Personal Essay and Resilient Editing Tips with Andrea Firth

Send us Fan Mail Andrea Firth joins the Writing Your Resilience podcast to talk about what personal essays are, how writers can uncover their essay’s aboutness, and how to develop resilient editing practices. As an added bonus, she also offers writers the inside scoop on how to get published on the Brevity Blog. Andrea’s Bio: Andrea A. Firth is a writer, editor and educator living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is an Editor at Brevity Blog and cofounder of Diablo Writers’ Workshop where she teaches creative writing and provides developmental editing. Andrea has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Saint Mary’s College of California. She was a finalist for The Missouri Review's 2021 Perkoff Prize in nonfiction, and her work has appeared in Dorothy Parker’s Ashes, Allium, The Coachella Review among others. Learn more about her and read her recent work at www.andreaafirth.com. Resources Mentioned During This Episode: The Beauty of a Busted Fruit by Natalie Diaz Secret Words by Andrea Firth Broken Glass by Andrea Firth Old John by Andrea Firth Brevity Blog Submission Guidelines Snot-Bubble-Cry Dance Parties that Boost Your Creativity by Lisa Cooper Ellison Looking at an Eclipse: A Braided Essay About Braided Essays by Lilly Dancyger Official Transcript Episode Highlights 4:00 The Difference Between Memoir and Personal Essay 7:00 Exploring the Inciting Incident for Your Essays 14:00 Common Struggles Essayists Have: Aboutness 21:00 The Power of the Braided Essay 25:00 Resilient Editing and Workshopping 34:00 Submitting to the Brevity Blog Connect with Andrea: Website: https://www.diablowriters.org/andrea-a-firth/ Writing Workshops: Diablo Writers' Workshop Instagram: @andreaafwriter Facebook: @andrea.firth.58 LinkedIn: @andreafirth Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Write More, Fret Less: https://lisacooperellison.com/newsletter-subscribe/ Website: https://lisacooperellison.com/ Instagram: @lisacooperellison YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UColPDzpoQlVktIv7-f7ObRg Facebook: @lisacooperellison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-cooper-ellison-b5483840/ Sign up for Psychology of Character Development for Memoirists: https://janefriedman.com/the-psychology-of-character-development-for-memoirists-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Produced by Espresso Podcast Production Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production