Start Your Memoir Right: A Writing Launch
By Denis Ledoux
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
Start Your Memoir Right is full of proven ideas and approaches to successfully move you from wanting to write to producing the finished family stories or memoirs you know will be a treasured legacy for your children and grandchildren.
1.21 Must-Do Memoir-Writing Steps / Best Practices to Write Quickly and Well. This brief overview orients you to the many tasks necessary to create an interesting and meaningful memoir. FREE.
2.Craft A Memoir / 12 Basic Steps for the First-time and (Perhaps) Only-Time Writer The newbie will find suggestions and techniques to facilitate memoir writing and complete your memoir.
3.Memory List Question Book / 100s of Not-a-Prompt Questions. Memory Lists are your magic bullet. Recall more details, dates, people, and events than you think possible.
4.Start Your Memoir Right shows you how to stop asking if you should write your memoir, find inspiration to begin, and practice techniques of the art of memoir writing.
5.Organize Your Memoir / Find Your Structure answers the perennial question: How do I put all my stories and manuscript pieces together? This book is a guide.
6.Don't Let Writer's Block shows you how writer's block CAN teach you to push beyond stuck. Banish writer’s block forever.
7.Write to the End / Eight Strategies to Thrive as a Writer will help you to complete your writing projects and reach your audience.
Also read our classic, Turning Memories Into Memoirs.
Denis Ledoux
YOU CAN LEARN TO WRITE FROM THE INSIDE OUTI believe in the power of telling our personal and family stories. These are our hero's journeys, and by telling them we honor ourselves and the people we have come from. An important early task for the writer is go inside and find the story that is worth telling. The story is not about "nice" words; it is about honest words, visceral words.LIFESTORIES FEED USStories have always played an important role in my life. I grew up in a three-generation home with paternal grandparents who lived upstairs. I heard tales of my extended family and their history recounted by the family storyteller, my grandmother Ledoux. These stories were a food for my soul. I could not get enough of them, and her gift to me was that she was a voluble, entertaining storyteller.I began writing as a short-story writer, drawing on family characters, settings, and stories for my fiction. In 1989, I won the Maine Fiction Award for Mountain Dance & Other Stories. My other titles include What Became of Them and Other Stories from Franco-America (1988), and Lives in Translation: An Anthology of Contemporary Franco-American Writings (which I edited in 1990). In 1992, I published (and it is still in print) Turning Memories Into Memoirs / A Handbook for Writing Lifestories; in 1996, The Photo Scribe / How to Tell the Stories Behind Your Photos; in 2009, The Consumer's Guide to Ghostwriting, in 2013, a memoir—We Were Not Spoiled. E-publication includes the books listed here in Smashwords as well as others.MAKING THE LEAP TO BECOMING A MEMOIR PROFESSIONALIt was a natural leap from my own family stories to helping others to record their stories in well-written accounts that apply all the techniques of fiction writing to autobiography, family reminiscence, and scrapbooking.In 1996, I was honored as Lifewriting Professional of the Year by the Association of Personal Historians.THE MEMOIR NETWORKToday, I continue to work as a writer, educator, teacher, autobiography co-author, memoir-writing coach, editor and publisher. I direct The Memoir Network, an international group of lifestory writing teachers who use my method and materials to lead the popular Turning Memories® and Photo Scribe® workshops and programs.My Memoir Network offers Memoir Professional Packages for individuals wishing to do what we call memoir work in their communities. [http://thememoirnetwork.com/memoir-professional-packages/] Please inquire if you are interested in becoming a Memoir Professional.BUILD YOUR MEMOIR-WRITING LIBRARYYou will find a number of my memoir-writing e-books on Smashwords. Begin to purchase them now so as to develop your memoir-writing library. These are the best memoir-writing books available anywhere at any price.BEYOND THE BOOKSIf you need more than these great books, give me call at 207-353-5454 for a free consultation to determine whether coaching, editing, or ghostwriting is a good fit for you. When you're ready, we can also do book production for you.Keep writing and stay in the memoir conversation.
Read more from Denis Ledoux
Beyond Writing Prompts / A Better Way / Hundreds of Memory List Questions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings21 Must-Do Memoir-Writing Tasks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Turning Memories Into Memoirs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJumpstart Your Memoir Business Success Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Photo Scribe: How to Write the Stories Behind Your Photographs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How to Craft a Memoir - 12 Basic Steps for the First-Time and (Perhaps) Only-Time Writer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Write to the End / Eight Strategies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Add Stories to Your Photo Albums Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Consumer’s Guide to Ghostwriting Services Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Nice-Nice Club Holds Its Last Meeting Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Sugary Frosting: A Memoir of a Girlhood Spent in a Parsonage Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Let Writer's Block Stop You / Push Beyond Stuck Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Start Your Memoir Right
Related ebooks
How to Craft a Memoir - 12 Basic Steps for the First-Time and (Perhaps) Only-Time Writer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Life Is a Book And It's Time to Write It! An A-to-Z Guide to Help Anyone Write Their Life Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Journey of Memoir: The Three Stages of Memoir Writing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rut-Busting Book for Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWrite That Memoir Right Now Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Elemental Journey of Purposeful Memoir: A Writer's Companion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Memoir: The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Write to the End / Eight Strategies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Writer’s Journal Workbook: Creating space for writers to be inspired Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBreaking Ground on Your Memoir: Craft, Inspiration, and Motivation for Memoir Writers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Telling Your Story: A Guide to Writing Your Memoir Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Writing Wonderfully: The Craft of Creative Fiction Writing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Busy Writer's Tips on Writing for Children: The Busy Writer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThis Creative Life: A Handbook for Writers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFree-Range Writing: 75 Forays For The Wild Writer's Soul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLive Writing: Breathing Life into Your Words Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crafting a Novel the Critics Will Praise Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbracadabra: Creative Writing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWriting Tips And Tricks - More Than 40 Ways to Improve YOUR Writing Today!: Author's Secrets, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Heartful Art of Revision: An Intuitive Guide to Editing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAre You Actually Going To Write A Book Or Just Talk About It?: Actually Author Series Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Writing, a practical guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMemoir Writing For Smart People Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Writer's Survival Guide: An Instructive, Insightful Celebration of the Writing Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Project Management for Writers: Gate 1 – What?: Wordsworth Writers' Guides, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eightfold Writing Process: A New Creative Workflow to Help You Write Book After Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings52 Stories in 52 Weeks: One Writer's Journey in Tackling, Shackling, and Shooting His Inner Critic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Indie Writer Companion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Writer's Devotional: 365 Inspirational Exercises, Ideas, Tips & Motivations on Writing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5True to Life: Fifty Steps to Help You Write Your Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Composition & Creative Writing For You
Pity the Reader: On Writing with Style Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Zen in the Art of Writing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Write a Mystery: A Handbook from Mystery Writers of America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lincoln Lawyer: A Mysterious Profile Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeople, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human and How to Tell Them Better Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Emotion Thesaurus (Second Edition): A Writer's Guide to Character Expression Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing to Wake the Soul: Opening the Sacred Conversation Within Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Writing Series You'll Ever Need - Grant Writing: A Complete Resource for Proposal Writers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text with Exercises Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Letters to a Young Poet (Rediscovered Books): With linked Table of Contents Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letters to a Young Poet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing to Learn: How to Write - and Think - Clearly About Any Subject at All Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5THE EMOTIONAL WOUND THESAURUS: A Writer's Guide to Psychological Trauma Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Craft of Research, Fourth Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Elements of Style: The Original Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Into the Woods: A Five-Act Journey Into Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Writer's Diary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Creative Journal: The Art of Finding Yourself: 35th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Better Grammar in 30 Minutes a Day Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Art of Dramatic Writing: Its Basis in the Creative Interpretation of Human Motives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Everything Writing Poetry Book: A Practical Guide To Style, Structure, Form, And Expression Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Start Your Memoir Right
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent stuff.
Easy to follow tips.
I loved it.
i recommend this book to anyone who is planning to write a memoir.
Book preview
Start Your Memoir Right - Denis Ledoux
Your Memoir:
Get Started – Keep Going
Strategies for Lifestory Writers
Denis Ledoux
denis@turningmemories.com
Twitter: @denisledoux
Facebook: http://facebook.com/MemoirNetwork
My blogs: The Memoir Writer’s Blog
The Memoir Professional’s Blog: Earn Money Memoir Writing
Copyright 2013 Denis Ledoux
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations.
Smashwords Edition
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: When You Start to Write?
Chapter 2: Early Tasks
Chapter 3: Writing Set-ups
Lifewriting Resources
Memoir Professional Resources
About the Author
FREE STUFF
We hope you enjoy Getting Started – Keeping Going and feel, as we do, that it's a great tool to use to write memoir.
The book comes to you free. If it contributes to your writing—whether to its quantity or its quality—would you please take a moment to write a short review of the book? Tell your fellow writers what they might expect of Getting Started – Keeping Going. Thanks.
Introduction
Can I do it?
you ask, perhaps unsure of yourself. Can I write a book of lifestories that portrays my life’s experience to family and friends—and perhaps even to people I don’t know?
Sure you can!
Every year, people—perhaps just like you who have never written a book—decide to write just one of their lifestories and, lo, story by story, they succeed at writing their memoirs.
You, too, can write your lifestories and know the tantalizing success of achieving something you had never thought you would.
One woman from my Turning Memories Into Memoirs® Workshop, a woman with no prior writing experience, produced a book that was reviewed in Library Journal, a major American venue for pre-publication reviews. Hers was a sweet writing success that