Elizabeth Partridge: Writing the Deepest Truth—How to Choose Between Historical Fiction, Nonfiction and Memoir

Elizabeth Partridge talking about Boots on the Ground,
her National Book Award finalist YA novel
that also won a SCBWI Golden Kite Nonfiction
for Older Readers 

Award-winning author Elizabeth Partridge urged fellow writers to "Go straight to what you are most passionate about. Choose a genre that best helps you write that."

She recognized her passion for stories surrounding the Vietnam War, a pivotal event that shaped her youth. As a result, Elizabeth has written a nonfiction book (Boots on the Ground), a short memoir story in verse, and a historical fiction novel (Dogtag Summer), all dealing with various aspects of the war and its impact on American and Vietnamese people.

Elizabeth provided examples with her work as well as the works of other authors such as Jacqueline Woodson and Barb Rosenstock to showcase how each of the three genres provide a different vehicle with which to convey a story to readers. 

Follow Elizabeth on Twitter and visit her website to learn more about her books.