I love mystery-thriller books. One of my favorite authors is Lee Child. If you are not familiar with his work, he writes a mystery fiction series with a protagonist named Jack Reacher. Child Gets Award Child was just named the recipient of the Diamond Dagger Award given by the Crime Writer’s Association. I had previously “liked” his [...]
You can tell a story, right? We all do it at some point. Whether it’s a joke, a recent incident or a memory, we all tell stories. At parties, at work, school and at home around the family dinner table, we tell stories to each other. Memoir writing is telling a story about yourself or [...]
The Tender Land: A Family Love Story by Kathleen Finneran Just a quick post today… I was researching dialog writing in memoir when I ran across this article: “Lying in the Land of Memoir: Straddling the Line Between Fact and Fiction” by Kathleen Finneran on the Writer’s Store website. It was amazing! It should be [...]
It happens. It’s so easy to get lost in the world of learning about memoir. All the wonderful books that teach you about writing. There are books that address every aspect of writing and specific genres. Books about dialog, plot, scene building, organizing your memories, finding your theme, getting your book published, finding an agent, [...]
I stumbled onto a blog post written by Kristen Lamb when I followed a link from the #Memoir Writing daily paper to a recent post of hers. Let me just say, I read through the first post, went and refilled my coffee carafe and then proceeded to drink in all the knowledge (along with the [...]
You can tell a story, right? We all do it at some point. Whether it’s a joke, a recent incident or a memory, we all tell stories. At parties, at work, school and at home around the family dinner table, we tell stories to each other. Memoir writing is telling a story about yourself or [...]
Note: A memoir essay is just a story from your life that isn’t book length. There’s no rules about how many pages — 1, 2, 10, 100 — just not enough to make a book. Below is a memoir essay; a short one so you get the idea. I hope you enjoy it! It’s the [...]
Yes — Valentine’s Day. What if you gave a piece of yourself to your Valentine this year? Get your feet wet or practice up your story-telling skills by writing to your Valentine this year. Giving special people in your life a short story of a special memory is an excellent way to give of yourself [...]
As I’ve said a bunch of times, our lives are made up of millions of stories. Each day or week, something out of the normal routine happens and a new story is born. But what about the stories of the past? What kind of stimuli will bring these stories to the forefront of our minds [...]
I have been diligently checking through my analytics to find out what people that are landing on my blog are searching for. Examples of memoir writing is near the top but another item bringing people how to write a story from your life. I have written a lot about story elements, what makes a tradition story and [...]
A picture may be worth a thousand words but painting a picture with words is priceless. Descriptive writing is an art. I’m still learning. Can you see it too? Are you there with me? Palm trees are swaying in the melody of the wind gusts, though the seagulls seem unaffected as they glide through the [...]
You can tell a story, right? We all do it at some point. Whether it’s a joke, a recent incident or a memory, we all tell stories. At parties, at work, school and at home around the family dinner table, we tell stories to each other. Memoir writing is telling a story about yourself or [...]
The Tender Land: A Family Love Story by Kathleen Finneran Just a quick post today… I was researching dialog writing in memoir when I ran across this article: “Lying in the Land of Memoir: Straddling the Line Between Fact and Fiction” by Kathleen Finneran on the Writer’s Store website. It was amazing! It should be [...]
It happens. It’s so easy to get lost in the world of learning about memoir. All the wonderful books that teach you about writing. There are books that address every aspect of writing and specific genres. Books about dialog, plot, scene building, organizing your memories, finding your theme, getting your book published, finding an agent, [...]
I just finished re-reading Plot & Structure, by James Scott Bell. Besides being an awesome writers resource, he goes deeper. He shares some of his own problems and solutions to writing a novel. Now, granted, this book is geared toward fiction writers but much of it can be adapted to work in the memoir genre. [...]
A memoir is a slice of your life — a day, a weekend, a year, 10 years — a portion that has a theme. That makes you the main character, the protagonist. However, the theme of your story — the reason you are writing it — is not you.You are simply the manifestation or vehicle [...]
I’m a sap. Let’s just get that out there right now. I like happy endings. The memoir genre, being only a slice of your life, has a good chance for ending happily. I guess I have always been drawn to the — obstacle enters — deal with obstacle — overcome or live with obstacle realization [...]
I stumbled onto a blog post written by Kristen Lamb when I followed a link from the #Memoir Writing daily paper to a recent post of hers. Let me just say, I read through the first post, went and refilled my coffee carafe and then proceeded to drink in all the knowledge (along with the [...]
I kind laugh a bit when I read the analytic reports for the site. It’s funny which articles pull in readers. One particular place I seem to be failing is in regard to kids and memoir. Why? Because I am a student, not a teacher. However, since people are ending up here while looking for [...]
I found an interesting memoir resource today. It is from the Purdue University OWL site (Online Writing Lab). It’s actually a course description but explains some important factors about memoir. It explains the difference between personal essay and memoir writing and generating ideas for personal memoirs. Short read but very interesting! Purdue University OWL – The [...]
Memoir writing and fiction writing are similar in form. Obviously, the difference being a story about something that actually happened versus something completely made up. For publishing, there are a lot of similarities as well. Staying out of the rejection pile is hard work. Heeding advice from publishers and agents should be at the top [...]
Today, I was gearing up to clean house. This is quite a chore right now since we are also in the midst of packing and moving. But, since I had uncovered some dust and debris while wrapping and packing treasures to take to the new house, I figured now was as good a time as [...]
My favorite quote is from author Lou Willett Stanek. She said “For fiction writers the magic words are ‘what if…’ for memoir writers ‘I remember’ breaks the ice.” I read that in her book Writing Your Life: Putting Your Past on Paper. I read that book cover to cover with hardly a bathroom break. Her [...]
You can tell a story, right? We all do it at some point. Whether it’s a joke, a recent incident or a memory, we all tell stories. At parties, at work, school and at home around the family dinner table, we tell stories to each other. Memoir writing is telling a story about yourself or [...]
May 5th, Cinco De Mayo, my father-in-law would have celebrated his 74th birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away 14 years ago at the tender age of 60, so young. My husband and I are back in the area where my father-in-law is laid to rest after a 15 year absence. We got flowers and went to [...]
It’s been a rough 3 years. Four moves in three years but each time, for the better. Ever notice how the “event” that changes your life seemingly happens instantly but the recovery process takes forever? Not a completely true statement but that is the way it seems — or the way it is perceived. One of [...]
I walked to the steaming coffee pot this morning, after a pit stop in the bathroom, filled my Mickey Mouse mug to the brim with the aromatic brew and headed to the front porch. Still a bit chilly but I was hoping the cool, crisp air would lift the fog that had settled on my [...]
In the first part of this 2 part series (Memoir OR Ficton based in Real Life), fiction writers (and others) question the memoir genre. How do memoir writers answer these questions? Memoir Writers I did some more research on the internet to see how memoir writers and teachers handle the inevitable question of truth vs. [...]
I have been flitting around the net recently and through different search phrases, have happened upon a bit of a feud. It seems there are many articles and blogs floating around out there by both ticked-off fiction writers and hard core memoir writers. Fiction Writers – Fact or Fiction? If I read one, I read [...]
Yes — Valentine’s Day. What if you gave a piece of yourself to your Valentine this year? Get your feet wet or practice up your story-telling skills by writing to your Valentine this year. Giving special people in your life a short story of a special memory is an excellent way to give of yourself [...]
Happy Holidays everyone! Yes, I’m still here though it’s been a while. I apologize for the break but with moving and the holidays approaching things have been chaos. I just wanted to leave you with a suggestion for your memoir writing during the holiday celebrations. Memoir prompts can come from everywhere during this season. Keep [...]
Today, I was gearing up to clean house. This is quite a chore right now since we are also in the midst of packing and moving. But, since I had uncovered some dust and debris while wrapping and packing treasures to take to the new house, I figured now was as good a time as [...]
Need a prompt to jump start your memories? One of the best ways I have found is by using writing prompts. They can be about anything and sometimes a memory will jump to mind just by reading them. Try one of the five listed below. Sit down in an area or room — play music [...]
As I’ve said a bunch of times, our lives are made up of millions of stories. Each day or week, something out of the normal routine happens and a new story is born. But what about the stories of the past? What kind of stimuli will bring these stories to the forefront of our minds [...]
When you are walking down the street, talking with a friend or relative, or stop cold at work and have a de ja vu moment – write about it. It’s our memory banks that stimulate that feeling of having done or seen something before. What were the circumstances? What do you remember that is so [...]
Have you ever told somebody that you feel a certain way about something only to have them say something like, “You shouldn’t feel that way”, or “That’s not right” or even “I didn’t see it that way”? Here’s the problem with those comments: Everyone is entitled to feel the way they feel. It’s about perception, [...]
Note: A memoir essay is just a story from your life that isn’t book length. There’s no rules about how many pages — 1, 2, 10, 100 — just not enough to make a book. Below is a memoir essay; a short one so you get the idea. I hope you enjoy it! It’s the [...]
May 5th, Cinco De Mayo, my father-in-law would have celebrated his 74th birthday. Unfortunately, he passed away 14 years ago at the tender age of 60, so young. My husband and I are back in the area where my father-in-law is laid to rest after a 15 year absence. We got flowers and went to [...]
As I’ve said a bunch of times, our lives are made up of millions of stories. Each day or week, something out of the normal routine happens and a new story is born. But what about the stories of the past? What kind of stimuli will bring these stories to the forefront of our minds [...]
I was talking with my neighbor tonight and we got on the subject of writing memoir — life stories. He said, “I can’t write a memoir. I don’t have an addiction, illness or abuse story to write and I’m not famous.” I just looked at him at first. I asked if he really thought that [...]
I have been trying to put together a story about my dad’s time in Vietnam. Earlier this year, he was finally listed as 100% Agent Orange diabled through the VA for one of his on-going ilnesses – Ischemic Heart Disease. Since we moved North, we have been staying with my parents while we recover a [...]
I sit here on the patio gazing across the yard at the little stream, the birds hopping and playing and the squirrels chasing each other. While I still have to wear my jacket to be warm enough, I think spring is finally on her way. At this time last week, we had a Winter Storm [...]
I read an awesome article that was in included in my paper.li Memoir Writing paper and just had to pass it along. I found myself at Meghan Ward’s blog titled Writerland. The article is 5 Things I’ve Learned About Memoir Writing. (I know that’s a lot of links, but I want to give credit where [...]
I read a lot — fiction, non-fiction, journalism, blogs, etc… My husband asked me how I decide if a book (blog or article) is truly good. I told him it was probably different for every person but how I know I’ve read a truly good book (article or blog) is the mind movies they bring [...]
One of my favorite fiction writers is James Patterson. I recently discovered his books and have been reading one after another. The good news is reading fiction books can help with understanding fiction writing techniques that can then be adapted for memoir writing. Fiction Techniques It was a cool morning so I donned my comfortable [...]
What a Memoir Is A memoir is capturing and focusing on one portion of your life. It spans a certain time period like childhood, teen years, career, retirement, raising your children, etc… It can be about a relationship with your best friend, a parent or grandparent or about one week in your life that things [...]
Hi there! Welcome to my Writing Life Story blog. Putting your experiences and stories down on paper is one of my passions.
If you are interested in writing life story too, join me on the journey of discovery, learning and the how-to's of memoir writing. Check back often and comments are always welcome.
Mandee
More Memoir Articles
I have written all my life — some poetry, some personal essay, some memoir stories (longer than essay). I enjoy reading non-fiction as well as fiction. Life is about learning
... Read More »
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.