How To Write Your Life Story in Ten Easy Steps

by Sophie King

Overview

Writing your life story is one of the greatest gifts you can give your family. In writing it you will find yourself drawing even closer to your children and grandchildren. You will also find it an exciting and fascinating process, one that helps you to make sense of your own life. Writing your own life story is also a very good way for creative writers to find inspiration and get started in the habit of writing. This step-by-step guide will steer you through different ways of telling your life story, in ten easy steps: * HOW TO BEGIN * USING THE POWER OF MEMORY * HOW TO START YOUR RESEARCH * DIFFERENT WAYS OF STRUCTURING YOUR LIFE STORY * HOWTO MAKE YOUR LIFE STORY STAND OUT WITH PICTURES, COLOURS AND SMELLS, ETC * HOW TO PROVIDE A CONTEMPORARY FEEL TO YOUR LIFE STORY * BRINGING THE REST OF THE WORLD INTO YOUR STORY * HOWTO END YOUR LIFE STORY AND MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN T HURT ANYONE (INCLUDING YOURSELF) * HOW TO PRESENT YOUR LIFE STORY AND GET IT PUBLISHED *STORIES TO INSPIRE YOU / Nowadays, you can publish your life story should you want to do so. For a small amount of money, you can get a few bound copies or you can publish it free on the net. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to write an heirloom which will last for ever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848034426
Publisher:	Little, Brown Book Group
Publication date:	10/29/2010
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	300
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Sophie King is author of such novels as The School Run, The Supper Club and The Wedding Party for Hodder. She also writes under the name of Janey Fraser for Random House. Her other How To Books are How To Write Short Stories for Magazine, How To Write Your First Novel and How to Write Your Life Story in Ten Easy Steps. Sophie is an active creative writing tutor and attends many of the annual writing conferences as a speaker.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS:
Introduction
STEP ONE HOW TO BEGIN
1. Who do you think you are?
Introducing yourself to your future readership
What exactly should you say?
Why you are writing this
Summary
STEP TWO USING THE POWER OF MEMORY
2. Do you remember when?
Using memories to write your life story
Your first memory
Triggers to help release early memories
Triggers for later memories
How to use your memories in your life story
Summary
STEP THREE HOW TO START YOUR RESEARCH
3. Researching the spoken word
Talking to living relatives
What to put in - and what leave out
If your parents have died...
How to find relatives and friends to talk to
Summary
4. Researching written records
Tracing your ancestors
Not forgetting these written sources...
How to use this material
Summary
STEP FOUR DIFFERENT WAYS OF STRUCTURING YOUR LIFE STORY
5. How to structure your life story
- chronologically
Using the simple chronological approach
How to start
The early years
Getting bigger
The teenage years
Young adult
Middle years
Later years
Conclusion of your life story
Summary
6. How to structure your life story by using specific timespans
Advantages of this method
Disadvantages of this method
I'll never forget the day/week/month/year/when...
Summary
7. Where were you when...? The Death of Diana, Princess of Wales, 1997
9/11
The Queen's Coronation 1953
7/7
Summary
8. Desert Island Discs method
How to start...
Piece of music
Advantages of the Desert Island Discs format
Disadvantages of the Desert Island Discs format
Summary
9. You've got a first!
How to start
My first...
Summary
10. Places I have lived in...
Guidelines
Case studies
Summary
11. Quirky ways of telling your life story that you might not have thought about
Recording on tape
Telling your life story in the third person
Summary
STEP FIVE HOW TO MAKE YOUR LIFE STORY STAND OUT WITH PICTURES, COLOURS AND SMELLS, ETC.
12. Pictures
Using pictures to add interest
Summary
13. Noises, smells, colours
Bringing the senses alive
How to use this
Summary
STEP SIX HOW TO PROVIDE A CONTEMPORARY FEEL TO YOUR LIFE STORY
14. Fads, gadgets and innovations
Fads
Gadgets and innovations
Traditions
What we didn't have - and how we managed without!
Summary
15. Making a song and dance!
How to use them
Dance/theatre
Television programmes
My favourite book was...
Summary
16. How much did that cost?
Old and new money
STEP SEVEN BRINGING THE REST OF THE WORLD INTO YOUR LIFE STORY
17. Writing a timeline
How to start
How to find out the answers
Summary
STEP EIGHT HOW TO END YOUR LIFE STORY - AND MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN'T HURT ANYONE (INCLUDING YOURSELF)
18. How to end your story when you're still alive!
A summing-up
A profile
A spiritual summing-up
Lessons in life
Sayings
Poems
Message for future generations
My hopes for the future
It's your funeral!
Good advice
19. Ouch! The importance of thinking about other people's feelings
20. Writing a life story for someone else
How to go about it
Writing a life story as a commission
Cost
Summary
STEP NINE HOW TO PRESENT YOUR LIFE STORY AND GET IT PUBLISHED
21. Presentation and getting it printed
Presentation
Bound copies
Is my life story good enough to be sold in a bookshop?
How to contact an agent and/or publisher
Self-publishing Magazines
22. Problems and solutions when writing your life story
STEP TEN STILL STUCK? TRIED AND TESTED REMEDIES
23. Writer's block
Still stuck? More tips to help you write your life story
Stories to inspire you
Useful contacts.