I’m writing to you from my own damp corner of the Pacific Northwest. I (rather quietly) published my first Substack about an hour ago, and in it I say, “I am no expert.” What I mean is: I am no expert on what I am writing about in my Substack, which is writing, which is the world of publishing, which is also by design. What I am in expert in, however, is being new, and while, at some level, I know this, your post today gives me the language to say it. Of course, I am also an expert in other things I write about elsewhere — I am a therapist with a complex trauma history that brings me to the work I want to do with my writing career (beyond the book I am writing/revising). Being on Substack, I’ve thought a lot about what I can offer here that would be of use and given that the majority of us here are writers, I do think this being relatively new is what I can contribute (my expertise on this platform). I’m a long-time fan of yours. I’ve watched *so* many of your Youtube videos on memoir craft and recently discovered Write-Minded, which I’ve really enjoyed. Thanks for all you contribute, thank you also for this specific encouragement to reframe how we think about expertise.
This is beautiful, Mirella. Of course we're not experts in all the things, but I appreciate you claiming here what you are an expert in. I think we're conditioned to say we're not experts, but then when we write and we want people to hear our words and absorb our messages, we have to go all in. :)
Thanks for reading my words and watching my videos and I'm happy to meet you here.
I enjoyed your article on Holly --------, I too have lost a parent, my mother, at age eight and a half. The loss is unending. I kept on wanting to know when she was coming back. Holly's term 'aftergrief' is a good way to describe the unending process. Far better than closure, as far as I can tell, there is no closure. I have been through all the stages, denial, anger, loss, still the grief remains. So far the only option that has provided any relief is sitting with the grief. During one of my visits to Yellowstone National Park, I paused to listen to an older woman as she played the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber with great feeling, selections from The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Evita. Tears flowed quietly as I listened. My mom was there, and I let her go, knowing the in doing so I was making it possible for her to be with me forever.
Hi Bob! Thanks for sharing about this here. Yes, you share that experience of loss and grief with Hope. I appreciate hearing your stories and your memories of your mom.
That was a great session, and gave me a lot to think about in terms of expertise. Last month I self-published a short little book about a year I spent with crows/corvids, and a couple Seattle radio stations and newspapers reached out to interview me. I kept saying, “I’m not a crow expert,” but for the purposes of the interviews, I guess I was… chatting about my experiences in a mini-memoir. And by definition we are the experts in our own memoirs. Hmmm.
Loved the piece on platform too. Lots on my to-do list.
Such an inspiring conference in many ways. Thank you for this post!
So great connecting with you at the conference! My head is buzzing with renewed energy and affirmation thanks the sessions I attended, including yours, and the people I met. It was just the push I needed as I finish my second novel and prepare to send it out into the world. I know from the experience of launching my first novel that books are beginnings. Becoming a published author (in my late 50s) was life altering and led to opportunities and connections I never could have predicted. It gave me the confidence to follow my muse and attempt an audacious idea -- a novel from the point of view of crows. After much research, observation and speculation (leading to more research), I'm proud to say I'm an expert on crow-based fiction. If that's not "a thing" yet, it should be!
Thank you for this encouragement. I published a debut memoir in March and caught the dreadful imposter syndrome. After three months and two dozen speaking engagements, I finally found “my area of expertise” in the questions readers asked repeatedly. I wished of seen it years ago and had begun building an author platform then. But your simple reply of “never” has urged me to keep on keeping on. I hope its never too late either! Thank you!
It's never too early and it's also definitely never too late!! Go for it, Becky. And thanks for naming Imposter Syndrome because, yes, clearly that's part of the equation when it comes to what distances us from claiming our expertise.
As the writer who needed “the push back” mentioned in this article, I found Brooke’s advice affirming and supportive. I did struggle with the “expert” label. But Brooke helped me understand that my expertise is in my lived experience. I am an expert on how to survive a childhood where the only parent present is bipolar. I am an expert on my journey of forgiveness and understanding. Thank you Brooke, for being a part of the Chuckanut Writers Conference and your insight into the wonderful world of writing! (Especially memoir!)
Hi Carolyn! Thanks for commenting and for outing yourself as the writer in the class on Friday. :) I think you're going to go far—and I could see you shift your thinking in the course of one hour. Can't wait to see what happens from here. Stay in touch!!
I never would have imagined being an expert at emotional and narcissistic abuse until I began writing my story. The discovery came abruptly when I found a paper I wrote in college about the relationship with my mom (now 97). I started to question every interaction I could remember over the last 60 years. I did research. I started therapy. Five years later, I’ve written a memoir and I keep learning. Growing. I’m self-aware. I’ve set boundaries. I’m becoming an expert through this experience which has been hard. Thank you for helping me realize that what I now know has a name, and it feels good.
Yes, sometimes it's hard to be an expert in things that feel painful, or which have stigma. I so get that. And . . . to be so is to be a beacon for others. I imagine your memoir has been/will be such a support to others. Good for you for writing it.
Loved this! I wrote my book about my "expertise" and experience as a 22-year political spouse. It's an often untold story, and when told, only usually by spouses of higher-level politicians versus local politicians. Unlike political spouses on the national level, I didn't have a PR team to craft my image, voice and platforms. My expertise was from that of an average person. Because of that, and the response to my book, I believe we all have a story within us, and if desired, it deserves to be told.
This was so helpful and encouraging. I am an expert on stroke survivors and caregiving. I also love to write about my faith in God, relationships, and content creation.
Hi Brooke! I share my expertise on partner loss, solo parenting, raising a child on the autism spectrum, and midlife reinvention. I write about my life after my husband died in August 2021, some of the crazy things I did in early grief. I'm very open and honest about sex and dating in midlife. Most recently I wrote about being scammed by a hybrid publisher (I wish I'd submitted my work to She Writes Press instead) and things to look out for to avoid predatory publishing tactics.
Thanks for sharing these experiences (and expertises!), Amy. And I'm sorry you had a bad experience with a predatory publisher. I can't even call them hybrids. :(
Unfortunately, they call themselves hybrids, but you are right, they are vanity publishers or worse — they take your money and run. In my case, they took a couple of hours of my time, but nothing else.
This is very helpful and something I will use as I launch my book in the world in the fall. Your insight from your personal experience benefits us newbies so much.
Exactly, Brooke. While my first book is not done, I’ve been working on my platform of community development in the domains of health, education, and employment. Very much in lived experience, participant observer mode.
Excellent, thought-provoking, inspiring! One reason some find it hard to go from authoring to authority-being is that-- even if we're willing to own our expertise--the skill sets are so different.
Excellent push to writers to own up to their expertise. Thank you!! For many of us, who truly would rather have not experienced what we did to become experts in areas like mental health/trauma/loss, it may take a while to own our place in that space. I know it took me 5 years to be able to fully commit to it. What helped me eventually was knowing that I am able to share what one has to look forward to after we face our trauma head on and deal with it. There’s hope and strength that follows. From a single book, Stripping, TWBH has evolved to much more. Great post!
100%—it takes a while to own when it's something that you've perhaps lived much of your life trying to grapple with, distance yourself from, wish away. I love that we're living during a time when so many things that used to be stigmatized are opening up and becoming more normalized. And it's the experts and those willing to share who've created that sea change. Thanks for your role in that, Sunita.
Thank you, Brooke! It may take one person to start a movement but it then takes a community to push it forward. You are definitely doing your part by being a thoughtful force for change in the publishing industry. Kudos!
Wow Brooke, what a refreshing and liberating newsletter! This could not come at a better time for me. As you know, it took me a long time to own my expertise. I didn’t believe “lived experience” was enough to make me an authority, and I would bury my day job way down the list of my credentials. With your support and guidance, I’m now trying to own it as an essential part of my story. So here goes: my expertise is in living with grief while preserving love and hope, navigating the loss of a loved one, understanding the impact of terminal illness in a family, and learning to appreciate and make the most of the time we are given. Inspired by my personal experience of losing my dad to ALS and my professional background as a doctor. I also think you make such a pertinent point that it can be easy to become fixated on our book being the end goal. But really our goal is to connect with others, to touch people’s hearts and make an impact, to find like-minded people and create community. I’m hoping to do this through sharing my lived and professional expertise on my new Substack “From the Heart to Beyond”. Thanks as always Brooke for your insightful advice and encouragement for all writers!
Thank you; I appreciate the post. It wasn't easy to claim my expertise. In fact, it took me several years until I felt ready to begin writing about it. But now, it's a huge part of my writing. I am an expert in living with an invisible disability. I say that with the caveat that each chronic illness patient experiences diseases/disorders/conditions differently. All I know is my experience with chronic pain and chronic illness and invisible disability. In fact, I write a weekly blog (www.wendykennar.com) about Books, Boys, and Bodies (living with an invisible disability). And I am currently querying agents for my memoir-in-essays.
Brooke,
I’m writing to you from my own damp corner of the Pacific Northwest. I (rather quietly) published my first Substack about an hour ago, and in it I say, “I am no expert.” What I mean is: I am no expert on what I am writing about in my Substack, which is writing, which is the world of publishing, which is also by design. What I am in expert in, however, is being new, and while, at some level, I know this, your post today gives me the language to say it. Of course, I am also an expert in other things I write about elsewhere — I am a therapist with a complex trauma history that brings me to the work I want to do with my writing career (beyond the book I am writing/revising). Being on Substack, I’ve thought a lot about what I can offer here that would be of use and given that the majority of us here are writers, I do think this being relatively new is what I can contribute (my expertise on this platform). I’m a long-time fan of yours. I’ve watched *so* many of your Youtube videos on memoir craft and recently discovered Write-Minded, which I’ve really enjoyed. Thanks for all you contribute, thank you also for this specific encouragement to reframe how we think about expertise.
This is beautiful, Mirella. Of course we're not experts in all the things, but I appreciate you claiming here what you are an expert in. I think we're conditioned to say we're not experts, but then when we write and we want people to hear our words and absorb our messages, we have to go all in. :)
Thanks for reading my words and watching my videos and I'm happy to meet you here.
I am so very happy to meet you, as well, Brooke. Thanks so much for your message. :)
I enjoyed your article on Holly --------, I too have lost a parent, my mother, at age eight and a half. The loss is unending. I kept on wanting to know when she was coming back. Holly's term 'aftergrief' is a good way to describe the unending process. Far better than closure, as far as I can tell, there is no closure. I have been through all the stages, denial, anger, loss, still the grief remains. So far the only option that has provided any relief is sitting with the grief. During one of my visits to Yellowstone National Park, I paused to listen to an older woman as she played the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber with great feeling, selections from The Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Evita. Tears flowed quietly as I listened. My mom was there, and I let her go, knowing the in doing so I was making it possible for her to be with me forever.
Hi Bob! Thanks for sharing about this here. Yes, you share that experience of loss and grief with Hope. I appreciate hearing your stories and your memories of your mom.
That was a great session, and gave me a lot to think about in terms of expertise. Last month I self-published a short little book about a year I spent with crows/corvids, and a couple Seattle radio stations and newspapers reached out to interview me. I kept saying, “I’m not a crow expert,” but for the purposes of the interviews, I guess I was… chatting about my experiences in a mini-memoir. And by definition we are the experts in our own memoirs. Hmmm.
Loved the piece on platform too. Lots on my to-do list.
Such an inspiring conference in many ways. Thank you for this post!
Nice to be with you this weekend! Did you see Pam's post above about being an expert in crow-based fiction? I hope you two know each other!
Wow, that is so funny! 🐦⬛ Thanks for pointing that out!
So great connecting with you at the conference! My head is buzzing with renewed energy and affirmation thanks the sessions I attended, including yours, and the people I met. It was just the push I needed as I finish my second novel and prepare to send it out into the world. I know from the experience of launching my first novel that books are beginnings. Becoming a published author (in my late 50s) was life altering and led to opportunities and connections I never could have predicted. It gave me the confidence to follow my muse and attempt an audacious idea -- a novel from the point of view of crows. After much research, observation and speculation (leading to more research), I'm proud to say I'm an expert on crow-based fiction. If that's not "a thing" yet, it should be!
Love it—crow-based fiction. You're on the leading edge. ❤️
Thank you for this encouragement. I published a debut memoir in March and caught the dreadful imposter syndrome. After three months and two dozen speaking engagements, I finally found “my area of expertise” in the questions readers asked repeatedly. I wished of seen it years ago and had begun building an author platform then. But your simple reply of “never” has urged me to keep on keeping on. I hope its never too late either! Thank you!
It's never too early and it's also definitely never too late!! Go for it, Becky. And thanks for naming Imposter Syndrome because, yes, clearly that's part of the equation when it comes to what distances us from claiming our expertise.
As the writer who needed “the push back” mentioned in this article, I found Brooke’s advice affirming and supportive. I did struggle with the “expert” label. But Brooke helped me understand that my expertise is in my lived experience. I am an expert on how to survive a childhood where the only parent present is bipolar. I am an expert on my journey of forgiveness and understanding. Thank you Brooke, for being a part of the Chuckanut Writers Conference and your insight into the wonderful world of writing! (Especially memoir!)
Hi Carolyn! Thanks for commenting and for outing yourself as the writer in the class on Friday. :) I think you're going to go far—and I could see you shift your thinking in the course of one hour. Can't wait to see what happens from here. Stay in touch!!
Thank you Brooke! This weekend was really great and inspirational! I love what you do and the fact it is a woman run business!💪
I never would have imagined being an expert at emotional and narcissistic abuse until I began writing my story. The discovery came abruptly when I found a paper I wrote in college about the relationship with my mom (now 97). I started to question every interaction I could remember over the last 60 years. I did research. I started therapy. Five years later, I’ve written a memoir and I keep learning. Growing. I’m self-aware. I’ve set boundaries. I’m becoming an expert through this experience which has been hard. Thank you for helping me realize that what I now know has a name, and it feels good.
Yes, sometimes it's hard to be an expert in things that feel painful, or which have stigma. I so get that. And . . . to be so is to be a beacon for others. I imagine your memoir has been/will be such a support to others. Good for you for writing it.
Loved this! I wrote my book about my "expertise" and experience as a 22-year political spouse. It's an often untold story, and when told, only usually by spouses of higher-level politicians versus local politicians. Unlike political spouses on the national level, I didn't have a PR team to craft my image, voice and platforms. My expertise was from that of an average person. Because of that, and the response to my book, I believe we all have a story within us, and if desired, it deserves to be told.
This is great, and super interesting, Kerry! Thanks for sharing.
This was so helpful and encouraging. I am an expert on stroke survivors and caregiving. I also love to write about my faith in God, relationships, and content creation.
Hi Brooke! I share my expertise on partner loss, solo parenting, raising a child on the autism spectrum, and midlife reinvention. I write about my life after my husband died in August 2021, some of the crazy things I did in early grief. I'm very open and honest about sex and dating in midlife. Most recently I wrote about being scammed by a hybrid publisher (I wish I'd submitted my work to She Writes Press instead) and things to look out for to avoid predatory publishing tactics.
Thanks for sharing these experiences (and expertises!), Amy. And I'm sorry you had a bad experience with a predatory publisher. I can't even call them hybrids. :(
Unfortunately, they call themselves hybrids, but you are right, they are vanity publishers or worse — they take your money and run. In my case, they took a couple of hours of my time, but nothing else.
This is very helpful and something I will use as I launch my book in the world in the fall. Your insight from your personal experience benefits us newbies so much.
Exactly, Brooke. While my first book is not done, I’ve been working on my platform of community development in the domains of health, education, and employment. Very much in lived experience, participant observer mode.
Excellent, thought-provoking, inspiring! One reason some find it hard to go from authoring to authority-being is that-- even if we're willing to own our expertise--the skill sets are so different.
Excellent push to writers to own up to their expertise. Thank you!! For many of us, who truly would rather have not experienced what we did to become experts in areas like mental health/trauma/loss, it may take a while to own our place in that space. I know it took me 5 years to be able to fully commit to it. What helped me eventually was knowing that I am able to share what one has to look forward to after we face our trauma head on and deal with it. There’s hope and strength that follows. From a single book, Stripping, TWBH has evolved to much more. Great post!
100%—it takes a while to own when it's something that you've perhaps lived much of your life trying to grapple with, distance yourself from, wish away. I love that we're living during a time when so many things that used to be stigmatized are opening up and becoming more normalized. And it's the experts and those willing to share who've created that sea change. Thanks for your role in that, Sunita.
Thank you, Brooke! It may take one person to start a movement but it then takes a community to push it forward. You are definitely doing your part by being a thoughtful force for change in the publishing industry. Kudos!
Wow Brooke, what a refreshing and liberating newsletter! This could not come at a better time for me. As you know, it took me a long time to own my expertise. I didn’t believe “lived experience” was enough to make me an authority, and I would bury my day job way down the list of my credentials. With your support and guidance, I’m now trying to own it as an essential part of my story. So here goes: my expertise is in living with grief while preserving love and hope, navigating the loss of a loved one, understanding the impact of terminal illness in a family, and learning to appreciate and make the most of the time we are given. Inspired by my personal experience of losing my dad to ALS and my professional background as a doctor. I also think you make such a pertinent point that it can be easy to become fixated on our book being the end goal. But really our goal is to connect with others, to touch people’s hearts and make an impact, to find like-minded people and create community. I’m hoping to do this through sharing my lived and professional expertise on my new Substack “From the Heart to Beyond”. Thanks as always Brooke for your insightful advice and encouragement for all writers!
Beautiful, Ruhie. So good to see you here. I love seeing you own this essential part of your story. Yes!
Thank you; I appreciate the post. It wasn't easy to claim my expertise. In fact, it took me several years until I felt ready to begin writing about it. But now, it's a huge part of my writing. I am an expert in living with an invisible disability. I say that with the caveat that each chronic illness patient experiences diseases/disorders/conditions differently. All I know is my experience with chronic pain and chronic illness and invisible disability. In fact, I write a weekly blog (www.wendykennar.com) about Books, Boys, and Bodies (living with an invisible disability). And I am currently querying agents for my memoir-in-essays.
Thank you for sharing this, Wendy!