Resources

Writer, editor, and author Kate Goggin has always shared best practices in business and in life. Disappointed there were no manuals to follow, she often created those for herself and then shared them with others. This long-term information sharing inspired many of her projects. These include a newsletter, an iPhone application, and her recent book. This resource page is another way for Kate to share references for writing and for life. Check out these resources from her writing workshops, blog posts, book talks, and social media updates.

I am not paid nor compensated for the resources or references listed below. I update the list monthly.

Book Production and the Writing Business

  • The Business of Being a Writer, 2025, Jane Friedman. I try to do everything Jane suggests in this book! She is the expert who will answer all of your questions about publication and promotion. This is especially important in the age of AI. Also, check out her free industry updates on YouTube and in her newsletter.  
  • The best resource for step-by-step information on self-publishing from novelist Scott Frost. Treading the Self-Publishing Abyss. Free Google document. Updated regularly.
  • Want to finish your book, but feel stuck? Contact book writing coach, Elizabeth McCrea. She has vast experience in academia and the non-profit world. From her website, she notes, “As a fellow writer with a background in marketing, I specialize in helping entrepreneurs, authors, and thought-leaders create focused, professional texts that attract attention and make an impact.” Contact info: [email protected] and Active Writing.
  • Need a book editor? Contact Stacey Porcaro at Rock Solid Revisions. She comes highly recommended by several award-winning authors. Contact info: [email protected].

Creative Writing

  • Peter Elbow on Writing and the freedom to “make a mess.” 2019, (full video available through your local library on Kanopy)
  • Jill Chamberlain Film Courage. “If you have a character who does not change, you don’t have a story, you have a situation.” 2020, This Is How 99% Of Screenwriters Write A Story – Jill Chamberlain YouTube.

iPhone Application Writing

  • Backpack Kids: The Safety Planning Checklist for Overseas Travel, 2010, an iPhone app written by Kate Goggin. This app helped parents, teachers, and volunteer leaders plan international travel for kids and was sold in 2011.

Journal Writing /Journaling

  • How to journal for creativity, my method. Obligation to Inspiration: How Journaling Can Jump-Start Your Creative Drive – Kate Goggin . Also, please view my journal writing workshop.
  • Free journal prompts from my book. 10-Free-Journal-Questions-from-the-book-10-Little-Rules-When-Good-Jobs-Go-Bad.pdf
  • How to journal using card prompts. Eileen Wiedeger’s “Get Lit” cards, part of her Everyday Transcendence workshop, “Finding Your Spark”. Get Lit cards available at Etsy  
  • How to journal borrowing a line and using a writing prompt – Jaouad, S. The Book of Alchemy: A Creative Practice for an Inspired Life, 2025.
  • Example of an excellent memoir created after filling out a family history gift of genealogy/life questions: Anita. L. Helm (2024). Leap of Faith: A Life Filled with Questionable Choices. 4 Does Productions, LLC.
  • Example of a successful self-published memoir organized into a series of short stories. Great Deeds, Indeed: A Memoir of Short Stories, by Carl DeShazior, is a heart-warming account of one man’s lifetime effort to reach down and lift up others.
  • A great step-by-step book to become a writer; starts with journal writing; Susan M. Tiberghien, Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer’s Art and Craft, One Year to a Writing Life, 2007.
  • How to turn your journaling or “morning pages” into creative gold. Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way, A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, 2002.
  • An inspiring authorized biography based on a lifetime of journal writing. Alice Walker, Gathering Blossoms Under Fire: The Journals of Alice Walker, 1965–2000.
  • A literary memoir pulled from her notes while hiking the Pacific Coast Trail. Cheryl Strayed, Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found, 2012.

The science behind self-expressive journaling

  • Pennebaker, J. W. Writing About Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process. Psychological Science. 1997.
  • Klein, K., & Boals, A. Expressive Writing Can Increase Working Memory Capacity. Journal of Experimental Psychology. 2001.
  • Lukenda, K. “Expressive writing as a practice against work stress.” Review: European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 2024.

The science behind handwriting versus typewriting

  • Askvik, Johanne, et al. “Handwriting but Not Typewriting Leads to Wider Brain Connectivity: A High-Density EEG Study with University Students.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 14, 2024, Article 1219945.
  • Tarr, James. “The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing — Who Wins the Battle?” Cureus, vol. 17, no. 3, 2025, pp. 1–8, doi:10.7759/cureus.60230. Neuroscience Review, 2025.
  • “Handwriting Boosts Brain Activity More than Typing, New Research Shows.” EMJ General Healthcare, 2025, www.emjreviews.com/general-healthcare/news/handwriting-boosts-brain-activity-more-than-typing/.

Nature Writing

  • Writing in Nature Workshop hosted by the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy at Rust Sanctuary in Leesburg, VA. Free. In-person. See my blog post about it or sign up here.

Newsletter Writing

Non Fiction Writing

  • On Writing Well: The Essential Guide to Mastering Nonfiction Writing and Effective Communication, 2006, William Zinsser. This is the Bible for non fiction writers to follow.

Plain Language (also known as Plain English) Writing

Songwriting

  • Check out Andrea Stolpe retreats and workshops. I took her online beginner songwriting class. It was exceptional and led to my first song project, Down to Your Love. You can read about that fun, creative journey and hear the song here.

Technical Writing

Writing Groups

Work-life Balance

  • (Washington, D.C.) DC Public Affairs and Communications Jobs. Includes work in communications, public relations, media, web development, lobbying, and related fields + internships!
  • Jessica Pryce-Jones. Happiness at Work: Maximizing Your Psychological Capital for Success, 2010.
  • Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator (MBTI), invented by Katharine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers. Origin story. 81 year old test still administered, but questionable science behind it.
  • Via Character Strengths test. Very helpful free test to identify your strengths and increase self-awareness at home and in the office. Based on positive psychology principles. View the interpretation of my test results from professional coaches Teresa Lisum and Linda Karchner on YouTube. Decoding Your Superpowers with Kate Goggin.
  • Oncken, William Jr. Wass, Donald L. “Who’s Got the Monkey” Harvard Business Review, 1999. Excellent article on how to better manage individual responsibility work.
  • Sutton, Robert I. “Why I wrote the No Asshole Rule” Harvard Business Magazine, 2007. You’ve worked with them, so don’t hire them!
  • Mission Collaborative career redesign fellowships (was previously named boot camps).
  • Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report
  • Bridges, William. “Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes: 40th Edition.” Hatchette Book Group, 2019.