It's easy for people to write about their feelings in a journal. It's more difficult, however, to convert personal experiences into stories worthy of publication - fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. Filled with engaging exercises, Writing What You Know guides writers in identifying story-worthy material and transforming their raw material into finished pieces, through conquering fears associated with personal exposure, determining a story's focus, shaping the material into a cohesive whole, and editing and revising as needed. Writers working in any form will find this book invaluable for supplying them with the inspiration and practical instruction they need to get their experiences and emotions into print. In addition, they will learn to:

- Tap into difficult, guarded parts of their lives to tell the stories they desire

- Write emotionally intense material

- Decide which literary form is right for their stories

- Create the illusion of real speech with effective dialogue

- Tell their stories with authority

- Develop effective beginnings, middles, and ends

- Share their work with others and deal with reactions courageously

Files' friendly, encouraging advice makes it a pleasure for writers to write the stories they are most passionate about. In an age when publishing can mean pushing a button on Facebook, Twitter, or a blog, there is an enduring urge to send stories out into the world. In an atmosphere of misinformation and lies that social media and the ease of publishing may encourage, we especially crave truth. The time to start telling it is now - so many aspiring writers have truths worth sharing and stories begging to be told.

Meg Files is the author of Meridian 144, The Third Law of Motion, Home is the Hunter and Other Stories, and The Love Hunter and Other Poems. She teaches creative writing at Pima College in Tucson, where she directs the Pima Writers' Workshop. Her poems, stories, articles and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals and magazines.