Title | : | Writing Memoir (Lit Starts): A Book of Writing Prompts |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | 1419741381 |
ISBN-10 | : | 9781419741388 |
Language | : | English |
Format Type | : | Paperback |
Number of Pages | : | 96 |
Publication | : | Published February 11, 2020 |
Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto. Writing Memoir starts with a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims, who offers pointers for crafting a compelling narrative from your own experiences. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to write, providing opportunities to reframe aspects of your life in thoughtful and interesting ways. Among other ideas, you’ll be asked to write:
a virtual tour of your hometown
a description of what’s in your purse or wallet right now
a list of all the lies you’ve told
an account of a historical event from your own lifetime, in a way that reveals something significant about yourself
Perfectly sized to take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute, this book is designed for practicing your creative writing a little bit at a time.
Special Features
Paperback with textured cover stock, flaps, and a lay-flat binding
Advice from a published writer, followed by fill-in prompts and space to write
Part of the Lit Starts series, a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers’ Grotto
Check out the other books in this series: Writing Action, Writing Character, Writing Dialogue, Writing Humor, and Writing Sci-fi and Fantasy.
Writing Memoir (Lit Starts): A Book of Writing Prompts Reviews
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Memoir seems like an often-misunderstood genre, and the introductory essay here, by Julie Lythcott-Haims, is clear-headed and offers helpful ways to look what separates memoir (the story of "a particular experience, a period, or a lesson learned") from autobiography ("a person's entire life"). I appreciate the way Lythcott-Haims asks you to evaluate whether you are driven by a desire for attention (“the wild scream of ego”) or a quiet certainty that the way you tell the part of the story you tell “bridges your experience to that of others.” I personally am interested in exploring her idea of “reporting from the body,” which she illustrates with an amazing example from Frederick Douglass’s memoir. There are eight prompts to help you report from the body, and a lot of other prompts to help you understand yourself as a narrator. I’ve thought a lot about memoir but hesitated to jump in. This book gives me a way of putting more than just a toe in the water.