Writing Your Life: Putting Your Past on Paper

by Stanek, Lou Willett

• ISBN13: 9780380786251
• ISBN10: 0380786257
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-02-10
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

We all have stories to tell -- of a rapturous first kiss, a life-altering moment of choice, or the shocking revelation of a long-guarded secret. And these stories are often as distinctive, fascinating, exciting and entertaining as those found in the memoirs and autobiographies that currently top the nation's bestseller lists. We just need to know how to tell them best. Veteran, writing teacher, lecturer, and author of So You Want to Write a Novel, Lou Willet Stanek can help you translate your joys and ordeals, thoughts and triumphs into superbly crafted nonfiction -- taking you step-by-step through the writing process with care, encouragement, and expert advice. She shows you how to unlock your memories, create settings and scenes, protray major characters and dramatic events. And she offers the key to finding your own unique voice, and to presenting your greatest charcter -- yourself -- without boring your reader or sounding egotistical. Complete with invaluable exercises, nuts-and-bolts techniques, and motivational tools, Writing Your Life is indispensible for every aspiring writer who wishes to mine the rich lode of his or her past for all the gems hidden there.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(6)
BREAKING THE ICE	7	(2)
Following The Rules of the Writer's Road	9	(31)
You Learn to Write by Writing	9	(7)
Writing Regularly	16	(3)
Giving Yourself Permission	19	(6)
Thinking Like a Writer	25	(4)
Keeping a Notebook	29	(7)
Achieving Distance	36	(4)
Finding Your Material	40	(36)
Childhood Memories	40	(5)
Families by Birth and Marriage	45	(8)
Families of Choice	53	(4)
Choices	57	(3)
Regrets	60	(6)
Missed Opportunities	66	(3)
Shame, Embarrassment, Confusion	69	(3)
Accomplishments	72	(4)
Becoming the Main Character without becoming an Egotistical Bore	76	(31)
Point of View, Tone, and Voice	76	(8)
Irony	84	(5)
Including the Major Players	89	(9)
Including the Major Places	98	(9)
WRITING YOUR MEMOIR	107	(10)
Myth and Memory: Reinventing, Reconstructing, Reordering	109	(8)
Developing Your Style	117	(50)
Focusing	117	(6)
Creating a Setting to Be Felt and Seen	123	(8)
Portraying, Describing, and Developing The Major Players	131	(7)
Show, Don't Tell	138	(4)
Adding Details	142	(7)
Language	149	(10)
Figurative Language	159	(8)
Choosing a Title	167	(6)
Becoming Your Own Editor and Critic	173	(5)
Memoirs and Sources	178