Don't Miss Narratively Academy's Top Stories of 2025
From how to land a book deal to how to blend art into your writing practice, here's a look at the 10 stories that got writers in our community most excited this year.
Yes, it’s another best-of-the-year post :) We couldn’t let 2025 close without one. It’s been a whirlwind six months since launching NarrativelyAcademy.com back in June. Our team and I have truly enjoyed working with so many of you in our classes, seeing you join our live videos, and more. We launched this new site because we wanted to create a resource to help writers day in and day out—with our writing classes—but also via our “Open Book” live video series (now a podcast too!), as well as the tips and how-tos in our StoryCraft section. Here’s a look at the 10 stories that you read, watched and shared the most this year.
Have a request for what kind of guide we should share or which writers and editors we should interview in the new year? Shout out in the comments.
How to Take Rejections Well and Keep Going
A few months ago, I received a rejection email from a goal publication that left me feeling a bit bummed. I had been so sure it was a good fit, and yet the form letter stated exactly the opposite: “Our editors were drawn to your writing style, but unfortunately did not feel the piece was quite right for [redacted publication name].”
How Reporting Can Add Layers of Meaning to Your Personal Essay
Next week at Narratively Academy, Kristina Gaddy is teaching Focus on Craft: Reporting the Personal Essay. (Just 4 seats left!) Today, Kristina joins us to share some of her favorite examples, from Melissa Febos to E.B. White, of how research and reporting took personal stories to the next level.
How to Use Fragments to Tell Your Story
We recently read this Craft Classic from Creative Nonfiction by Beth Kephart for the first time, and it was just what we needed at this moment. Hope many of you feel the same!
Thanks so much to Lee Gutkind, Jesse Sposato, Erika Hayasaki, Kern Carter, Noah Rosenberg, Lizzie Widdicombe, Kristina R. Gaddy, Susannah Cahalan, Beth Kephart, Nupu Press, Abeer Hoque, Melissa Petro, Parisa Saranj, Jerry Portwood, Eva Recinos and many others for dropping so much knowledge on us this year!
Looking forward to going back and making sure I've read them all. Happiest New Year to you all at Narratively!!
Thank you for including me!