Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and others.
Index of Questions
1. Why is it important to record life stories?
2. What if your life seems boring and ordinary? Who will want to read it?
3. What is the best way to capture the story? Video, oral tapes, written narrative etc.
4. What is a story? Definitions of different types of life experiences and how they are captured.
5. Who's who in the capture of a life event: Story teller, listener, interviewer, historian, audience, transciptionist, archivist etc.
6. What is the role of a listener? How should the questions be phrased so that bias or personality is subdued and the storyteller is in charge?
7. Is the role different if the storyteller is facing a life threatening disease?
8. How do you handle it if in telling of the story emotions and repressed feelings surface?
9. How do you get enough information? When do you turn to family members or public records?
10. How much time does it take to complete a story? Everyone is so busy and life goes by so quickly, how can I ever squeeze this in?
11. What is truth? Why would two different people present at the same event see it entirely different and which version do you believe and record?
12. How should you convey the story? First person, third person, lots of photos with captions, small easily read sections or one long letter?
13. What are the main types of personal anecdotes, life events, experiences, tragedies and triumphs that make a good memoir?
14. How do you narrow it down to the "real" story? What is hidden beneath the iceberg?
15. What are some questions to jog memories?
16. What about editing, spelling, composition etc? What if others judge your work and find it less than perfect?
17. How do you structure the narrative so that it is interesting, believable and leaves the message the story teller wanted to convey?
18. What do you do with the narrative when you have finished writing it?
19. Who does the finished work belong to?
20. Where can you find additional assistance on personal historians or story telling issues?
21. Where is the paper and pen?
If you are interested in getting the answers to these and other questions about life story writing, please contact us at judywright@artichokepress.com and sign up for a tele-class and our FREE e-zine: "The Artichoke" - finding the heart of the story in the journey of life..
?Judy H. Wright, Personal and Oral Historian - www.artichokepress.com
cleaning team near Winnetka ..Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
"You should write a book." For years, I had been... Read More
What Makes a Great Headline?Headlines are far more important than... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?When an idea comes to us for... Read More
How many times have you checked out a job board... Read More
Open any book on 'how to write,' and somewhere you... Read More
When you run an online agency for freelance writers, editors... Read More
Whether you are writing a magazine article, composing a press... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?What a plot is and what a... Read More
As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think... Read More
----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute,... Read More
Regardless of what sort of writer you are and how... Read More
Writers often get stuck because they make assumptions about writing,... Read More
When you get stuck for ideas, and the words won't... Read More
Remember back in the dark days of your school years... Read More
Suspense novels, unlike any other genre, need fast starts. Fans... Read More
Do you have a problem creating a focus in your... Read More
The Scanning ReaderWriting for the Web is different than writing... Read More
Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules... Read More
How do you describe a scene without slowing down the... Read More
Far too many inexperienced writers create flat, stereotypical characters: the... Read More
Sometimes a freelance writing career can feel very much like... Read More
Has the thought run across you mind that you might... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?I have said above that if a... Read More
family-safe home cleaners Northbrook ..It is satisfying to be a part of such a... Read More
LATER, LATTERLater means afterwards; latter is the second of two... Read More
EditingExpect, allow, and accept that every first draft will represent... Read More
What am I supposed to give Anthony as a wedding... Read More
If you are a serious writer who wants to publish... Read More
There's a little known secret we writers like to keep... Read More
Writing papers and book reports has long been the bane... Read More
Style manuals are all well and good, and in fact,... Read More
Think of writing like karate...it's about DISCIPLINE.Writing, like other forms... Read More
Questions and answers on writing life experiences for ourselves and... Read More
Have you ever had a student write to tell you... Read More
In one of the exercises in my "Getting Started as... Read More
Lately I've been noticing an odd trend amongst the freelance... Read More
Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules... Read More
As you set out to create your first niche non-fiction... Read More
In the current job market, many editorial workers have turned... Read More
How to get a lot of traffic to your website... Read More
When you get stuck for ideas, and the words won't... Read More
For many years, I've been a tutor for students undertaking... Read More
First drafts are for getting down the ideas. Anna Jacobs... Read More
"This is just brilliant. The whole interview is incredible? I'm?... Read More
A certified proofreader is one that has taken a few... Read More
The Big IdeaOkay. So youve figured out that you would... Read More
If you are like most writers, you're constantly searching for... Read More
A UK based freelance proofreader should be able to provide... Read More
Writing |