LitFriends: Are You Afraid and Stingy or Bold and Generous?
“Offering help is courageous and compassionate, but so is asking for help.”
— Brené Brown
Eleven writers agreed to read The Alchemy of Sass and consider giving me a blurb.
Asking was hard. Reminding a few was harder. But every one came through.
I almost didn’t want to share any of their words with you because it sounds suspiciously like bragging. Which may prove the point.
National Book Award winner Bob Shacochis wrote:
“…I confess I love sassy women, and Amy Lou Jenkins is their queen.”
Thank you Bob! Find more ways to support each other and more below.
1 Two new reads for you
What Is Narrative Nonfiction?Memoir, biography, essays, literary journalism, travel writing, nature writing. Do they all belong under the same umbrella? This article sorts out what makes narrative nonfiction narrative and where the factual boundaries lie.
The Grimké Sisters: Gerda Lerner and Sue Monk KiddSarah and Angelina Grimké grew up benefiting from slavery and became abolitionists. What helped them question beliefs that protected their own comfort? Biography, history, and fiction offer some clues.
2 And for writers, there’s another kind of support
🕯 Author Platform Tip: Collaborate strategically
Instagram collaboration posts can put the same post in front of both your audience and another creator’s audience.
The key is audience fit. Don’t ask someone to collaborate because they have followers. Ask because the post genuinely serves both audiences.
Create your post or Reel Choose Tag people Choose Invite collaborator Select the accountOnce accepted, the post can appear on both profiles.
And yes, that invitation includes me. If you’re creating a post that aligns with the ideas I talk about on Instagram, send me the idea.
Which brings me to the bigger question.
3 What can I help you share?
More than 12,000 followers and subscribers connect with me through social media and this newsletter. I’d like to use some of that reach to help good work find readers.
Have a book, article, event, or project I should know about? Want to propose an interview or conversation? Have something useful to share with LitFriends about writing or reading?Hit reply and tell me.
4 Writing your own narrative nonfiction?
I’m finishing up with my current memoir writers and will soon open a new memoir-writing cohort.
If you’re working on memoir or another form of narrative nonfiction, drop me an email and let’s talk about your project.
And readers, I have one more question for you.
5 What books are you looking for?
The holidays are approaching, and I’ll be putting together book recommendations.
Who is hard to buy for? What subjects or kinds of stories are you looking for? What would make a book recommendation genuinely useful to you?Reply and let's support each other.
Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram to receive that content between LitFriends newsletters. You may also see how I'm building my readership through social media. Perhaps you will see opportunities to collaborate as we all build our brands to serve our movements.Low-cost (especially low right now) writing studio sessionsIf you are looking for steady support before our next writers begin working with us, visit WriterClubhouse.com for low-cost writing studio sessions.
The goal is simple:
Show up. Settle in. Get words on the page in good company.
You do not have to have the whole project figured out.
You only have to begin.