Writing Life Stories: How To Make Memories Into Memoirs, Ideas Into Essays And Life Into Literature

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1582975272 Unread store shelf copy with just a touch of wear to covers. Whether you're creating a memoir or a personal essay, writing about your own life can be a daunting task: ... How much do you remember? What's important to include in your story? What about truth and artistic license? How do you even get started mining a life's worth of memory? From drawing a map of a remembered neighborhood" to writing from old photographs to composing open letters that reveal the power of your own voice, award-winning author and teacher Bill Roorbach offers innovative techniques that will trigger ideas for all writers of creative nonfiction. With humor and candor, this completely revised and updated second edition of Writing Life Stories-which includes dozens of new lessons and exercises-will teach you to see your life more clearly and show you why real stories are often the most compelling ones. 296 pages. Read more Show Less

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More About This Book

Overview

How to Make Memories into Memoirs, Ideas into Essays, and Life into Literature

From drawing a map of a remembered neighborhood to signing a form releasing yourself to take risks in your work, Roorbach offers innovative techniques that will trigger ideas for all writers.

Writing Life Stories is a classic text that appears on countless creative nonfiction and composition syllabi the world over. This updated 10th anniversary edition gives you the same friendly instruction and stimulating exercises along with updated information on current memoir writing trends, ethics, internet research, and even marketing ideas. You'll discover how to turn your untold life stories into vivid personal essays and riveting memoirs by learning to open up memory, access emotions, shape scenes from experience, develop characters, and research supporting details.

This guide will teach you to see your life more clearly and show you why real stories are often the best ones.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble
This is your life! Why not write it down? Author Bill Roorbach has come up with this guide to Writing Life Stories.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781582975276
  • Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.
  • Publication date: 7/28/2008
  • Edition description: Revised
  • Edition number: 2
  • Pages: 304
  • Sales rank: 154,693
  • Product dimensions: 6.06 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 0.77 (d)

Meet the Author

Bill Roorbach has published six books (both award-winning fiction and nonfiction) and makes appearances at colleges and conferences across the country. He holds the Williams H.P. Jenks Chair in Contemporary American Letters at the College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, MA.

Table of Contents


Preface     1
Introduction     3
Getting Started     10
Memory     25
Scenemaking     44
Big Ideas     65
Characters and Character     87
Stage Presence     120
Finding the Facts     137
Metaphor and Meaning     158
Saying it Right     179
Building a Building     203
Getting Published     218
"Into Woods"   Bill Roorbach     239
"The Olive Jar"   Kristen Keckler     249
"On Apprenticeship"   Bill Roorbach     265
Suggested Readings in Creative Nonfiction     270
Index     292

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
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Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 17, 2012

    Snowstorms quest chapter one

    Snowstorm looked around at camp. Stormcl rebuildt the rubile of old camp well. Blueleaf te elders body ay by th new eleers den darkflamethe hero of th fire mourned for her alot. Shadestar was supervising all th cats when he saw snowstrom. "Your goning on a hunting patrol with flameblaze cinderspark rocktumble and lilacflow. Lilacflow is leadeing the patorl" he mewed. Lilacflow was standing by the exit with flameblaze cinderspak and rocktumble waiting impaitently as always. Soon they headed toward the forest. "I havent had a sniff of prey evr scine that fire" cinderspark mewed then meowed "....... i hate how fires rarely go to other clan territorys it always us". There was a silcnce afte cinderspark mewedd that. "Thres n prey all left or died" lilacflow obsverd. Then a twig cracked. " what was that prey cant betht stupid" rocktumble mewed. "I hope it is or we might just stave" snowstorm mewee hopefully. Then a giant twoleg kit ran out. Iit grabed snowstorm. "Help the kit got me" snowstorm mewed. The kit ran a she strugeld. Its gonna eat me she tbought in panic its gonna eat me. The the twoleg fell and she fell hitting he head blacking out compleatly chapter two next result

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 4, 2012

    Frostfur

    Be honest how did i do i was trying to make an after seris to the warriors plus what is the prize if u win ~frostfur deputy of calmclan

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 4, 2012

    Silverleaf

    Did anyone read my humans story? Its called sophias story by sophia.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 6, 2012

    Iceblaze

    Yes vineckaw can u rate my sisters story at untold result two it is Skyspirits destiny

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted May 11, 2012

    Snowy

    :3

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  • Posted September 27, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    Highly Recommended- Well worth the exercises

    This book is amazing! I have found it useful in my fiction and non-fiction writing. Two thumbs up!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
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