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Writing the Stories of Your Life: How to Turn Memories into Memoir

by Elsa McKeithan

262 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1356; ISBN 1-4120-3528-7; US$24.95, C$31.00, EUR20.15, £13.96

Writing the Stories of Your Life provides a practical introduction to writing, editing and publishing autobiography and memoir. Seventeen chapters with examples and exercises are tailored specifically to the needs of the individual who wants to write a story or a book from personal experiences. Examples include stories from the author and memoir writers who have written their stories with her.

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About the Book      About the Author      Excerpts      Catalogue Information

About the Book

Writing the Stories of Your Life: How to Turn Memoirs into Memoir shows you HOW TO:

write freely and enjoy writing

gain access to your memories and shape them into stories

set goals for your memoir project and complete it

turn journal entries into stories

bring out the character in people and pets

turn places into settings

find stories from your family's past

structure a story to engage your reader

polish your stories and edit your memoir

illuminate the theme in your story

discover your own life themes

decode how to publish your story

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About the Author

Elsa McKeithan has a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, which enabled her to work for a few years in mental health administration. A natural teacher, she has taught college classes and led many workshops, been an editor, a secretary, a librarian, an artist, and a mom. Currently, she coaches individuals who are writing memoirs, novels, and theses. She is working on another novel. She loves to paint and, if she isn't splashing paint on some room in her house, may be found painting pots or canvasses.

She has managed to stay married for an unbelievably long time to a handsome man who does Bowen therapy and body mind healing. She's passionate about classical music, travel and art, loves purple, and has a cat named Mystie. She supports CaringBridge, an Internet project connecting families during times of crisis, and efforts which help women to become self realized.

Elsa McKeithlan is available for workshops and speaking engagements.

A Message from the Author

When I was writing it, I thought Writing the Stories of Your Life was a how-to book that would help people to write a better story. They would learn how to write life stories, edit and pull them together in to a book. I'd offer encouragement and practical advice. I'd show people where to look for ideas and answer the questions that often came up in my workshops, even say a bit about publishing...

The book does all of that, but more than that, it is about finding the courage to say what is there for you, connecting with others, and creating a better world. I've come to know that the very first step towards your dreams is knowing who you are and what you are about. Each of us is unique and has something to contribute. I hold for each person that your stories are important, and you can write them.

There was a time, not really a very long time ago, when there was nothing much to do after dark. Families sat around a fire an dsang or told stories. Today, we have light after dark, but our lives are fragmented and our families are likely to be scattered. There is so much technology that we are overwhelmed by the very things that bring us a better life. We don't want to return to the old times, not really - but there is something missing for many of us. We lack a sense of rootedness, the sure knowledge of who we are and how we are connected. We don't know what to do with all the stuff we have. We wish somebody would do something about the environment and the state of the world but we feel powerless. We long for a magic rope to pull us into the future where all the problems of the present are solved. Yet in this very uncertainty, lies wisdom.

What if people truly shared themselves with one another - their hopes and knowledge - and their stories? Would that provide understanding to lead us forward? Would that help us to know ourselves and what we want? Would that make a difference in the world? Could we solve some of the problems we face as people and as a planet?

Finding our stories and writing them provides the magic that reconnects us with those in our lives and those we have lost. We connect at a deeper level; through writing our stories we are able to move beyond whatever was stopping us and get on with our lives. The magic is that we all have stories, and the secret is that it is not hard to write them. Anyone can do it. The hidden mystery is that doing it makes a difference in your life, your relationships and in the world.

If you wish to communicate with me write to the address in the book or look for my website on line at www.talkingstonespublishing.com. I would love to have your questions and contributions for future books.

-- Elsa McKeithan

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Excerpts

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Catalogue Information

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