Memoir Writing For Dummies

Learn to:

Mine your past for great stories Choose the best structure to highlight your story Get your memoir published Market your finished memoir

Expert tips and strategies to help you craft your life story and get it published!

Memoir writing is a growing phenomenon — and it′s not just for celebrities and politicians. Everyone has a story to tell, and Memoir Writing For Dummies provides you with the tools you need to share your life story with the world. With easy–to–follow, step–by–step instructions — along with helpful tips and advice on how to get published — Memoir Writing For Dummies shows you how to put pen to paper and hone the craft of writing a truly compelling memoir. You′ll get advice on how to explore your memories, map out your story, perfect your plot, and so much more. Packed with proven tips and writing tricks of the trade, Memoir Writing For Dummies gives you everything you need to ensure your life story is never forgotten.

Remember the past — put on your research cap and uncover your memories Get over writer′s block — find out how to deal with distractions and focus on the task Write your first draft — develop your structure, setting, characters, and dialogue Edit your work — explore ways to push your story to the next level and make revisions like the pros Get published — understand the publishing process and decide which route is right for you Market your memoir — develop strategies to get the word out about your memoir

Open the book and find:

Ways to unlock your memories Writing exercises in each chapter to improve your manuscript How to use metaphor and figurative language Strategies for fine–tuning your story Tips for editing your work How to find a literary agent Understanding the difference between traditional publishing and self–publishing Ways to promote your finished product

Introduction  1

Part I: The First Steps to Writing a Memoir  7

Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Memoir Writing: Just the Basics 9

Chapter 2: Getting Started: What You Need to Know about Writing Your Memoir 17

Chapter 3: Understanding What Readers Expect: The Story Behind a Good Story 35

Chapter 4: Researching and Remembering: Gathering Enough Material 47

Chapter 5: Developing Ideas like the Pros 61

Part II: Telling Your Story with Pizzazz  75

Chapter 6: Giving Your Story Some Structure77

Chapter 7: Establishing the Setting and Scene 93

Chapter 8: The Character of Characters 111

Chapter 9: Making the Most of Dialogue 129

Chapter 10: Realizing the Power of Voice 153

Chapter 11: Handling Point of View 165

Chapter 12: Bold Beginnings and Fantastic Finishes 179

Part III: Revising, Editing, and Pushing Your Story to the Next Level  193

Chapter 13: Adjusting the Big Picture: Fine–Tuning Structure and Story 195

Chapter 14: Ensuring the Theme and Meaning Are What You Want 207

Chapter 15: Making Revisions 221

Chapter 16: Streamlining Your Story with Sentence–Level Edits 231

Chapter 17: Saying the Unsayable: Knowing What to Include or Exclude 251

Part IV: Sharing Your Story: A Publishing Primer  263

Chapter 18: Locating and Landing a Literary Agent 265

Chapter 19: Making Sense of Traditional Publishing and the Submission Process 281

Chapter 20: Going It Alone: Self–Publishing and E–Publishing 299

Chapter 21: Promoting Your Finished Product (and Yourself) 317

Part V: The Part of Tens  333

Chapter 22: Ten Myths about Memoirs 335

Chapter 23: Ten Reasons Memoirs Are Rejected 341

Chapter 24: Ten Tips to Writing Your First Book 347

Index  353

Ryan G. Van Cleave, PhD, is the author of 20 books, including creative writing textbooks, an illustrated humor book, a young adult novel, and a bestselling memoir.?He lives in Sarasota, Florida, where he works as an international speaker, a freelance writer, and the creative writing coordinator for The Ringling College of Art + Design. He has taught memoir writing at numerous universities as well as at prisons, community centers, and urban at–risk youth programs.