In their Q&A, Grogan explains how keeping a journal helped him flesh out details of the story that he may otherwise have forgotten:

A journal is a wonderful and safe place to practice the craft, a place you can take chances without risk of embarrassment. For a memoirist, it also is a great document of your life. The first thing I did when I began Marley & Me was pull out my journal entries for the thirteen-year window covered in the book. Not only did the journal have detailed accounts of day to day life, including many incidents that otherwise would have been forgotten; it also helped shape the book, leading me in directions I otherwise would not have thought to go.

That’s a good tip for bloggers who use their blogs like diaries or journals. The details of your daily life might seem insignificant at the time. But you never know when you’ll be inspired write an essay or memoir and can use the material.

You’ll find Fivecoat-Campbell’s complete interview with Grogan here.