You: The Story: A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

by Ruta Sepetys

Overview

The nonfiction debut by #1 New York Times bestselling and Carnegie Medal-winning author Ruta Sepetys. Perfect for fans of Burn After Writing and Bird by Bird.

Life is story in motion. Each day, you add to your story, revise it, and view it from a different angle. You erase things. Tear pages out. And sometimes, in hindsight, wish you could put them back. A day is a story. A year is a story. A life is a story.
You are a story.

Ruta Sepetys is known for creating vivid characters and harrowing plots. After five award-winning works of historical fiction and countless hours of meticulous research, she can affirm that the secret to strong writing is embedded within your life experience.

You: The Story is a powerful how-to book for aspiring writers that encourages you to look inward and excavate your own memories in order to discover the authentic voices and compelling details that are waiting to be put on the page. Masterfully weaving in humorous and heartfelt stories from her own life that illustrate an aspect of the craft of writing (such as plot, character development, or dialogue), Sepetys then inspires readers with a series of writing prompts and exercises.

Perfect for fans of Burn After Writing and Bird by Bird, You: The Story awakens the emerging writer and reveals that with some reflection, curiosity, and courage, you have a story to tell.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593524404
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	229,643
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ruta Sepetys is the internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of I Must Betray You and other historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Her five novels have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists. Between Shades of Gray was adapted into the film Ashes in the Snow, and her other novels are currently in development for TV and film. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Sepetys is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, the European Parliament, in the United States Capitol, and at embassies worldwide. Ruta was born and raised in Michigan and now lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Twitter @RutaSepetys and Instagram @RutaSepetysAuthor.

Editorial Reviews

★ "Instructive and inspiring for storytellers of all ages." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Part writing guide, part memoir, Sepetys’ fresh, fun handbook is all inspiration." —Booklist, starred review

★ "With the same skill and craft that Sepetys employs to write relatable and moving invented characters, she paints a picture of her family, friends, and acquaintances, proving she is capable of more than enthralling fiction. . . . This is a must for any collection where young readers have an interest in storytelling, as well as generally a good pick for fans of the author." —School Library Journal, starred review

"This is an inspirational book that gives readers direction as they begin writing and will make them want to keep writing, and rewriting, their own stories." —SLC

"Sepetys discusses the principles that underlie good fiction and recounts details from her own life to illustrate how personal anecdotes can fuel literary creativity. . . . Novice writers will appreciate a bounty of writing prompts." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

04/17/2023

Novelist Sepetys (I Must Betray You) makes her nonfiction debut with a proficient guide on how to write better stories that are informed by one’s life. Sepetys discusses the principles that underlie good fiction and recounts details from her own life to illustrate how personal anecdotes can fuel literary creativity. “The reality of life is so ludicrous” that it provides fertile material for fiction, she contends, encouraging readers to look through old photos of themselves and “invent an entirely new story around the image.” She recounts receiving a backhanded compliment at a Hollywood red-carpet event to illustrate that “dialogue is not only what someone is saying, but how they’re saying it.” The advice largely follows prevailing wisdom, such as the exhortations to show a character’s personality rather than tell readers about it and to “avoid general descriptions and drill into the details.” Still, novice writers will appreciate the bounty of writing prompts, which include contemplating how a vivid childhood memory might inform the backstory of a character and composing first- and third-person accounts of a time when “you might have misjudged a situation.” Sepetys’s suggestions are solid, though there’s not much here that other programs haven’t said before. This is most likely to appeal to amateur writers and fans of Sepetys’s fiction. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Acclaimed writer Ruta Sepetys exudes an infectious positivity as she uses her own experiences to illustrate the craft of writing from research to conception to revision. In an upbeat conversational tone, she encourages listeners to plumb their own lives for writing inspiration. Sepetys shares personal anecdotes, both humorous and profound, to demonstrate how life experiences are fodder for plot, character development, voice, perspective, setting, and dialogue. You may want to take notes or grab a print copy to work on her many prompts, but it is the audio version that will inspire you. If you're a writer (or want to be), listen up! Ruta Sepetys believes in you. L.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

July 2023 - AudioFile

Acclaimed writer Ruta Sepetys exudes an infectious positivity as she uses her own experiences to illustrate the craft of writing from research to conception to revision. In an upbeat conversational tone, she encourages listeners to plumb their own lives for writing inspiration. Sepetys shares personal anecdotes, both humorous and profound, to demonstrate how life experiences are fodder for plot, character development, voice, perspective, setting, and dialogue. You may want to take notes or grab a print copy to work on her many prompts, but it is the audio version that will inspire you. If you're a writer (or want to be), listen up! Ruta Sepetys believes in you. L.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

AudioFile - JULY 2023

★ 2023-02-08
A gifted storyteller shares the method and memories behind her magic.

With chapters bearing labels such as “Plot,” “Character Development,” “Setting,” and “Voice,” award-winning teen historical fiction author Sepetys’ first foray into nonfiction may look at first glance like an ordinary book on the craft of writing, but the introductory line, “life is story in motion,” reveals a more sophisticated yet accessible approach: sideways, through the lens of memory. Her parents’ early struggles and lifelong artistry gave her the sense that plots were everywhere. Discussing characterization, she recalls her 12-year-old self asking permission to paint her entire bedroom “brown like poop” (she even saved up for the paint). They agreed—and offered guidance on choosing an accent color. Eavesdropping on strangers trained Sepetys’ ear to write dialogue, and she presents lowlights from her dating career as an exercise in character research. Each themed chapter ends with a recap of the main points presented, a set of writing prompts, and an intriguing set of “Stories To Uncover and Discover.” Diving further into the subject of revision, Sepetys relates an anecdote that reveals how knowing only one side of a story leads to misunderstanding and errors, critical information for anyone writing history, whether theirs or someone else’s. The dedication, hard work, and attention to detail that her fiction is known for show here in every carefully considered line, but most of all it’s her heart that shines through.

Instructive and inspiring for storytellers of all ages. (Nonfiction. 12-adult)

Kirkus Reviews