Why should you consider creating a memoir of your personal experiences for publication?
Who would want to read your life story?
I believe the main reason you may want to think about writing a memoir of your life is fairly simple. Everyone has different experiences in life that we learn from, that shape our lives, that hurt us, help us, give us insight, and allow us to grow.
As writers, I think, we have a gift for words and a unique ability to share our thoughts with others in an interesting, stimulating, intriguing, and effective format.
Why not write about what we know better than anything - our own life experiences?
If you're wondering who would care about what you may have to say, you should think about how your experiences may be similar to others, may help others to solve their own problems, provide people with food for thought or offer a new perspective to an old topic.
There may be several ways to make your memoirs publishable and profitable.
Below is my little list of suggestions to get you started.
1 - Think about the times of your life that were particularly emotional, poignant or influential in your overall development. Focus on a specific time frame and the key events that lead up to your memorable experience. Create a plan for your autobiography with this theme in mind.
2 - Review photos, scrapbooks, and any other images that may trigger your memory to a vivid recollection of a specific experience. Being able to visualize the events as the unfolded will help you to create the scene, develop characters, and add the essential details for readers to really see what you're talking about. You want them to feel like they were there with you. You don't want to tell them about it. You want to show them.
3 - Create emotion with your words. Make sure you share your true story in a way that stimulates thinking, provokes feelings, expresses moments that are somehow similar or related to the experiences of other people. Don't be generic. Be original and invidual, but make it clear why your story is different, why it matters, what you learned, what they can learn, how it effected your life etc...
4 - Remember that your memory of how events transpired may not mirror the memories of your friends or family members. Don't be afraid to tell your story as you remember it, but also don't be surprised if others are offended by what you say. Think about how what you write will effect others before you submit your work to any publisher.
Visit the page below for examples of online memoirs by various writers - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art290.asp
Resource Box - ? Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art290.asp
apartment cleaning near Highland Park ..Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
Lately I've been noticing an odd trend amongst the freelance... Read More
One obvious question that can get overlooked in the process... Read More
Whether you keep a separate spiritual journal or just want... Read More
During the past few months I have received many questions... Read More
What does one do as a writer who loves writing... Read More
Today I took the dog for a walk and realized... Read More
The creativity of Jaisini is not designed to be preaching... Read More
In large publishing houses, many manuscripts penned by first-time authors,... Read More
To keep it simple and basic: Jack Finney's Invasion of... Read More
Names are important. Names give clues about us, where we... Read More
Do you suffer from writer's block? Is there a pending... Read More
"If you're like me, than I'm sure you're pretty familiar... Read More
SALE, SAIL Sale is either offering something for purchase... Read More
Sometimes I can be dense when it comes to realizing... Read More
You are the only one who knows what being a... Read More
You know, I really hate it when someone catches me... Read More
When I asked new ezine subscribers, "What is your Number... Read More
Sailors had it for years. Great explorers had it as... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?What a plot is and what a... Read More
If you are an aspiring writer, or you simply want... Read More
"No one will ever know who I am, I'm a... Read More
ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in... Read More
It never ceases to amaze me when a prospective writer... Read More
Writing is a personal and introspective process. To share with... Read More
cleaning lady near Arlington Heights ..----------------------------------------------------------Permission is granted for the below article to forward,reprint, distribute,... Read More
ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in... Read More
In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I... Read More
When you write for international audiences, mainly directly in English,... Read More
What Makes a Great Headline?Headlines are far more important than... Read More
A QUERY LETTER is written to an editor or agent... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?We all tackle plotting differently. How you... Read More
If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
On my first newspaper assignment as a critic, I was... Read More
When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them... Read More
Word processors are so widely used now that I tend... Read More
Be careful when you write.Words you use, sentences you phrase... Read More
ADAPTATION 101Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing... Read More
Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock... Read More
1. Write it fast, fix it later.2. Commit to writing... Read More
I asked several writers how long it took them to... Read More
Eight or nine times out of ten, picking up and... Read More
Summer's here and the time is write for dancing in... Read More
The Blogfest 2005 Writing Contest has only been running for... Read More
As one of those fabulous Baby Boomers, you now own... Read More
Beginning writers often tend to think of a book as... Read More
Fiction manuscripts receive feedback that addresses and scores:? The theme... Read More
Ah, the age-old writer's debate--to outline or not to outline?Outlines... Read More
My Dad has this old joke that goes, "What's the... Read More
This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More
Writing |