Craft Resources

Does Concision Matter Anymore?

I’ve noticed a paradox in our digitally-addled age.

Jun 3 •

Joshua Doležal

What Is Lyricism? Part Two.

If lyricism is defined in part by musical language, its other essential attribute is resonance.

May 13 •

Joshua Doležal

What Is Lyricism? Part One.

One of the unexpected delights of this spring has been building a bespoke syllabus in the art of the personal essay.

Apr 29 •

Joshua Doležal

How To Craft Enduring Metaphors

I know of few literary devices more delightful than metaphors, those artful comparisons between two otherwise unrelated things.

Apr 1 •

Joshua Doležal

To Call Each Thing By Its Right Name

I was thinking about Christopher McCandless the other day.

Mar 4 •

Joshua Doležal

The Accordion of Time

Imagine yourself at a coffee shop with a new friend.

Feb 18 •

Joshua Doležal

The Mountaineer’s Method for Book Mapping

There is a section in The Dawn Wall, a documentary about two record-breaking climbers, where Tommy Caldwell has completed a portion of the route, but…

Feb 4 •

Joshua Doležal

The Problem With Writing Dialogue In Memoir

In “On Keeping a Notebook,” Joan Didion reflects on a lunch with her father when she may or may not have ordered cracked crab, even though she now…

Jan 21 •

Joshua Doležal

Answering The "So What" Question With The XY Formula

In my end-of-year post I resolved to finish a new memoir by the end of 2025.

Jan 7 •

Joshua Doležal

Why Everyone Should Keep An Authority List

Nov 5, 2024 •

Joshua Doležal

Discussion: Seeing Our Mothers As Characters

Earlier this week, I shared some thoughts about transforming real people — especially parents — into characters in memoir.

Sep 13, 2024 •

Joshua Doležal

Seeing Our Mothers As Characters

In his memoir Nobody’s Son, Mark Slouka recalls an afternoon when he caught a glimpse of his mother with her lover, a man he only ever names as “F.”

Sep 10, 2024 •

Joshua Doležal

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