autobiography Archives - Page 4 of 7

Prison Experience Inspires Memoirs

June 24, 2018June 29, 2011 by Rosanne Ullman

When former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick announced from prison his intention to write a memoir, MLive.com blogger Jeff Wattrick responded with a list of his top five jailhouse autobiographies. Now that my own former Governor, Rod Blagojevich, has been convicted and likely faces incarceration, I thought I’d review Jeff’s list in case Rod wants to start writing.

In the Belly of the Beast, by Jack Abbott, who had help from Norman Mailer in publishing his book. Six months after being released from prison, Abbott killed a man and was sent back to jail, where he committed suicide.
Soul on Ice, by Eldridge Cleaver, the Black Panther leader who authored this late 1960s fresh look at race relations that became a classic.
Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes. More autobiographical novel than memoir, the book and subsequent Broadway musical provided insight into the minds of those who tilt at windmills.
The Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. This one’s autobiographical history, giving readers an education about Russia, freedom and suffering.
Son of Hope, by David Berkowitz, also known as Son of Sam. His memoir prompted New York and other states to pass “Son of Sam??? laws to keep criminals from earning profits from their memoirs.

Next week I’ll discuss what motivates prisoners to write memoirs behind bars.

Baby Boomer Grandparents Are Sure to Write Memoirs

June 24, 2018May 31, 2011 by Rosanne Ullman

Baby Boomer Grandparents Are Sure to Write Memoirs

With about 10,000 of the American baby boom generation turning 65 each day for the next 19 years, we should see boomers put the boom in the memoir trend. They’ve redefined every stage of life, and there’s no reason to expect grandparenthood to be different. Consider:

There’s lots to write about. Boomers have been flower children in Haight Ashbury and soldiers in Viet Nam. They’ve marched for civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights and even animal rights. They make up a hefty piece of the workforce in every industry from finance and manufacturing to education, medicine and law. They’ve packed a lot into their 65 years.

Boomers talk about themselves. Whether you view them as narcissistic and egocentric or generously giving and open to sharing, there’s little argument that boomers have made an art of navel gazing. Will they leave this world without documenting their lives? Unlikely.

Being a grandparent is motivating. People want the next generation to have personal and family information about what came before.

It’s easier than ever to write an autobiography. Computers make all the difference. Word processing software provides spellcheck and grammarcheck, while the Internet offers places like our WriteMyMemoirs website for you to access tips and help to get your stories online and into print.

If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you’re a baby boomer. And if you’re here on the Memoirs site, you’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time you wrote your life story. As one of 78 million in your generation, you’re not the only one with that idea.

With about 10,000 of the American baby boom generation turning 65 each day for the next 19 years, we should see boomers put the boom in the memoir trend. They’ve redefined every stage of life, and there’s no reason to expect grandparenthood to be different. Consider:

There’s lots to write about. Boomers have been flower children in Haight Ashbury and soldiers in Viet Nam. They’ve marched for civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights and even animal rights. They make up a hefty piece of the workforce in every industry from finance and manufacturing to education, medicine and law. They’ve packed a lot into their 65 years.
Boomers talk about themselves. Whether you view them as narcissistic and egocentric or generously giving and open to sharing, there’s little argument that boomers have made an art of navel gazing. Will they leave this world without documenting their lives? Unlikely.
Being a grandparent is motivating. People want the next generation to have personal and family information about what came before.
It’s easier than ever to write an autobiography. Computers make all the difference. Word processing software provides spellcheck and grammarcheck, while the Internet offers places like our WriteMyMemoirs website for you to access tips and help to get your stories online and into print.

If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you’re a baby boomer. And if you’re here on the Memoirs site, you’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time you wrote your life story. As one of 78 million in your generation, you may not be the only one with that idea, but your story will still be unique!

A Summer Reading List Includes Tasty Memoirs

June 24, 2018May 24, 2011 by Rosanne Ullman

A Summer Reading List Includes Tasty Memoirs

My hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, devoted a full page of its Sunday books section of recommended summer reading to biographies and memoirs. If you like retrospecs on American icons, this is your summer.

The autobiographies the Trib recommends are:

All In: From Refugee Camp to Poker Champ, by poker’s Jerry Yang with Mark Tabb

If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t), by everyone’s favorite senior Betty White

Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank Sinatra, by fourth wife Barbara Sinatra

Stories My Father Told Me: Notes from “The Lyons Den,??? by film critic Jeffrey Lyons

Witnesses to an extreme Century, by phistorian and psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, a memoir sequel by Alexandra Fuller

This is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx, another memoir sequel, this time by the Motley Crue bass player

The recommended biographies are:

Clarence Darrow: American Iconoclast, by Andrew E. Kersten

David Bowie: Starman, by Paul Trynka

Ethan Allen: His Life and Times, by Willard Sterne Randall

Jane Fonda: The Private Life of a Public Woman, by Patricia Bosworth

Reagan’s Journey: Lessons From a Remarkable Career, by Margot Morrell

Stan Musial: An American Life, by George Vecsey

Thoughts Without Cigarettes: A Memoir, by novelist Oscare Hijuelos

The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 MPH, by one-time Dodgers player Shawn Green with Gordon McAlpine

What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years, by Ricky Riccardi

Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, by Don Van Natta, Jr.

Happy reading!

My hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune, devoted a full page of its Sunday books section of recommended summer reading to biographies and memoirs. If you like retrospecs on American icons, this is your summer.

The autobiographies the Trib recommends are:

All In: From Refugee Camp to Poker Champ, by poker’s Jerry Yang with Mark Tabb
If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t), by everyone’s favorite senior Betty White
Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank Sinatra, by fourth wife Barbara Sinatra
Stories My Father Told Me: Notes from “The Lyons Den,??? by film critic Jeffrey Lyons
Witnesses to an extreme Century, by historian and psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, a memoir sequel by Alexandra Fuller
This is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx, another memoir sequel, this time by the Motley Crue bass player

The recommended biographies are:

Clarence Darrow: American Iconoclast, by Andrew E. Kersten
David Bowie: Starman, by Paul Trynka
Ethan Allen: His Life and Times, by Willard Sterne Randall
Jane Fonda: The Private Life of a Public Woman, by Patricia Bosworth
Reagan’s Journey: Lessons From a Remarkable Career, by Margot Morrell
Stan Musial: An American Life, by George Vecsey
Thoughts Without Cigarettes: A Memoir, by novelist Oscare Hijuelos
The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 MPH, by one-time Dodgers player Shawn Green with Gordon McAlpine
What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years, by Ricky Riccardi
Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, by Don Van Natta, Jr.

Happy reading!

Memoir vs. Autobiography

June 24, 2018May 10, 2011 by Rosanne Ullman

Memoir vs. Autobiography

The other day someone asked me to define the difference between memoir and autobiography. Here at Write My Memoirs, we use the terms interchangeably, so I had to do a little research to learn whether we’re in accordance with general usage. While I think that most people do consider the terms to be more or less synonymous, some writers and publishers make a distinction.

The best explanation of memoir vs. autobiography I found was by Laura Tretter, director of the San Juan Island Public Library. First, I needed to figure out where San Juan Island was. Did you know that it’s nowhere near San Juan, Puerto Rico? Nope, it’s part of Washington state—far north, near British Columbia, Canada. So I learned something there.

When Ms. Tretter researched the use of these two similar words, she discovered that, primarily, people who distinguish memoir from autobiography consider the former to be an account of any part of the author’s life, delivered in any order, while the latter relates all of the notable events of the author’s life, typically in chronological order. So if you’re writing only about your service in World War II or your days as a Broadway dancer, you’re crafting a memoir. If you’re starting with your birth and providing your life’s details leading to present day, you’re writing an autobiography. At Write My Memoirs, we invite you to author either one!

The other day someone asked me to define the difference between memoir and autobiography. Here at Write My Memoirs, we use the terms interchangeably, so I had to do a little research to learn whether we’re in accordance with general usage. While I think that most people do consider the terms to be more or less synonymous, some writers and publishers make a distinction.

When Ms. Tretter researched the use of these two similar words, she discovered that, primarily, people who distinguish memoir from autobiography consider the former to be an account of any part of the author’s life, delivered in any order, while the latter relates all of the notable events of the author’s life, typically in chronological order. So if you’re writing only about your service in World War II or your days as a Broadway dancer, you’re crafting a memoir. If you’re starting with your birth and providing your life’s details leading to present day, you’re writing an autobiography. At Write My Memoirs, we invite you to author either one!

Reading Memoirs? Speed Reading Classes Couldn’t Hurt!

June 24, 2018March 29, 2011 by Rosanne Ullman

Reading Memoirs? Speed Reading Classes Couldn’t Hurt!

If you follow us on Twitter (twitter.com), you’ll see that today we suggest taking a speed reading course to help you zip through all of those memoirs you’re reading as you write your own. A lot of people think speed reading is a bunch of “malarky,??? as we used to say.

Full disclaimer: I used to teach speed reading with the company I recommend, Iris Reading (irisreading.com). I’m not currently associated with the firm, but I learned a lot by going through the training and watching how the course improved people’s reading habits. I now do read faster than I did before I became involved with it. Everyone can speed up a little or temporarily, and if you continue to practice the methods you can permanently cut your reading time significantly.

The key is to silence the little voice in your head as you read. You still see every word, but instead of hearing each word you have to let your brain recognize the words almost as you would recognize a face. Sometimes it’s fun to read slowly and really savor a book—I hope people do that with your autobiography when you complete it! But, typically, we read in order to gather information as quickly as possible. Don’t fall for any company’s claim that you can learn to read 10,000 words per minute. Iris sets realistic goals and holds affordable classes all over the country. Can’t hurt to try!

If you follow us on Twitter (twitter.com), you’ll see that today we suggest taking a speed reading course to help you zip through all of those memoirs you’re reading as you write your own. A lot of people think speed reading is a bunch of “malarky,??? as we used to say.

The key is to silence the little voice in your head as you read. You still see every word, but instead of hearing each word you have to let your brain recognize the words almost as you would recognize a face. Sometimes it’s fun to read slowly and really savor a book—I hope people do that with your autobiography when you complete it! But, typically, we read in order to gather information as quickly as possible. Don’t fall for any company’s claim that you can learn to read 10,000 words per minute. Iris sets realistic goals and holds affordable classes all over the country. Can’t hurt to try!

Oprah Says: Your Memoirs May Help Others

June 24, 2018March 8, 2011 by Rosanne Ullman

Oprah Says: Your Memoirs May Help Others

Did you see Oprah’s recent interview of Meredith Baxter? Meredith has been making the talk show circuit to publicize her new memoir, Untied, and Oprah devoted a full hour to the book. Like many memoirs, Baxter’s story revealed a life filled with personal challenges. She grew up with neglectful parents, faced spousal abuse, took up alcohol for a time, battled cancer and came out as a lesbian. It’s not your typical life.

But unusual circumstances are exactly what prompt many people to write their memoirs. Part of the motivation is that catharsis of getting it all out there and off your chest. But Oprah hit it when she mentioned the other part: hoping to save others from the same fate. We all can feel so alone when dealing with hardship. Reading other people’s accounts of how they handled that same difficulty can make us feel less alone as well as, perhaps, showing us ways to solve our problems. Although I don’t remember her exact words, I recall hearing Oprah making a very pointed statement, something like: you hope when you write these things that you’ll help other people who find themselves in a similar situation.

Now and then one of our members confirms that, telling us, “I had a terrible childhood and want my story out there to help others.??? The memoir can serve as a cautionary tale or an uplifting assurance of redemption. If Oprah says so, it must be true!

Did you see Oprah’s recent interview of Meredith Baxter? Meredith has been making the talk show circuit to publicize her new memoir, Untied, and Oprah devoted a full hour to the book. Like many memoirs, Baxter’s autobiography revealed a life filled with personal challenges. She grew up with neglectful parents, faced spousal abuse, took up alcohol for a time, battled cancer and came out as a lesbian. It’s not your typical life.

But unusual circumstances are exactly what prompt many people to write their memoirs. Part of the motivation is that catharsis of getting it all out there and off your chest, and Oprah really nailed it when she mentioned the other part: hoping to save others from the same fate. We all can feel so alone when dealing with hardship. Reading other people’s accounts of how they handled that same difficulty can make us feel less alone as well as, perhaps, showing us ways to solve our problems. Although I don’t remember her exact words, I recall hearing Oprah making a very pointed statement, something like: you hope when you write these things that you’ll help other people who find themselves in a similar situation.

Now and then one of our members confirms that, telling us, “I had a terrible childhood and want my story out there to help others.??? The memoir can serve as a cautionary tale or an uplifting assurance of redemption. If Oprah says so, it must be true!

WriteMyMemoirs Would Love Your Feedback!

June 24, 2018January 25, 2011 by Rosanne Ullman

WriteMyMemoirs Would Love Your Feedback!

As all of you are busy actually writing your memoirs, we want to address any any way that we can help you. Of course, our tech pros are always standing by if you’re having any technical problems, but we also have professional writers who can respond to questions about grammar, structure and research. Even though you can find motivational pieces right on the website, we’ll be happy to “light a fire under you??? if your energy begins to fade. If writing your autobiography is your New Year’s Resolution, for example, the end of January often is about the time that resolutions fall to the wayside. We don’t want that to happen!

You can respond to the blog here, but also please find WriteMyMemoirs on Facebook and Twitter. We would like to start a meaty conversation! While there are lots of grammar sites on Facebook, many of them dissolve into name-calling or pointless discussions about obscure grammar issues that are more a matter of preference. Our language experts will stay on task to provide educated advice about your writing. Further, we monitor our page so that nothing abusive is permitted to remain on it, and remember—there are no stupid questions!

Twitter is even more direct. If you tweet us a question, we can get back to you promptly with a response. It’s like having your English teacher looking over your shoulder!

As all of you are busy actually writing your memoirs, we want to address your questions and any way that we can help you. Of course, our tech pros are always standing by if you’re having any technical problems, but we also have professional writers who can respond to questions about grammar, structure and research. Even though you can find motivational pieces right on the website, we’ll be happy to “light a fire under you??? if your energy begins to fade. If writing your autobiography is your New Year’s Resolution, for example, the end of January often is about the time that resolutions fall to the wayside. We don’t want that to happen!

Twitter is even more direct. If you tweet us a question, we can get back to you promptly with a response. It’s like having your English teacher looking over your shoulder!

Your Name as a Pun in the Title of Your Memoir

June 24, 2018January 4, 2011 by Rosanne Ullman

Your Name as a Pun in the Title of Your Memoir

To pick up from the post two weeks ago, as promised I will share with you some autobiography titles that are puns. The idea is to think of your first or last name as if it’s just a word. Does it sound like any other word? If that doesn’t work, maybe your story focuses heavily on your profession and you can use that instead. An example is the memoir of singer Davy Jones, They Made a Monkee Out of Me.

Some names are easier than others. When Chris Lemmon wrote a biography of his father, actor Jack Lemmon, their shared last name served up all sorts of ideas. He could have selected “Lemmon Aid??? or “Lemmon Juice??? or something, but he chose A Twist of Lemmon. The 2009 autobiography of “Full House??? actress Jody Sweetin is titled Unsweetined: A Memoir, while actor David Hasselhoff drew from both his name and his nickname to publish Don’t Hassel the Hoff.

“M.A.S.H.??? actor Jamie Farr could have gone with the obvious and called his memoir something like “Going Too Farr,??? but instead he chose to make the pun on the word “for??? and titled it Just Farr Fun. Go figure. Probably my favorite pun title belongs to Hank Ketchum, the creator of Dennis the Menace, who named his autobiography Merchant of Dennis. Give it some thought. Maybe hidden in your name lies the potential to devise a catchy title for your life story

To pick up from the post two weeks ago, as promised I will share with you some autobiography titles that are puns. The idea is to think of your first or last name as if it’s just a word. Does it sound like any other word? If that doesn’t work, maybe your story focuses heavily on your profession and you can use that instead. An example is the memoir of singer Davy Jones, They Made a Monkee Out of Me.

Some names are easier than others. When Chris Lemmon wrote a biography of his father, actor Jack Lemmon, their shared last name served up all sorts of ideas. He could have selected “Lemmon Aid??? or “Lemmon Juice??? or something, but he chose A Twist of Lemmon. The 2009 autobiography of “Full House??? actress Jody Sweetin is titled Unsweetined: A Memoir, while actor David Hasselhoff drew from both his name and his nickname to publish Don’t Hassel the Hoff.

“M.A.S.H.??? actor Jamie Farr could have gone with the obvious and called his memoir something like “Going Too Farr,??? but instead he chose to make the pun on the word “for??? and titled it Just Farr Fun. Go figure. Probably my favorite pun title belongs to Hank Ketchum, the creator of Dennis the Menace, who named his autobiography Merchant of Dennis. Give it some thought. Maybe hidden in your name lies the potential to devise a catchy title for your life story that no one else is likely to have.

Choose the Right Title for Your Memoir

June 24, 2018December 21, 2010 by Rosanne Ullman

Is there any such thing really as a “right title??? for your memoir? Maybe not, but before you go calling it My Life—or just Life, which is what Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards called his—at least give some thought to what differentiates your life story from every other one out there.

Maybe it’s your career. Let’s say you’re an accountant or bookkeeper. You could title your book It All Adds Up. Or, instead, you could refer to a cherished hobby. If you love working with your hands, for example, you could name your book Crafting a Life. Perhaps you identify most with being a parent. Then you might choose a title like A Dad’s Tale. If you prefer to focus on how your upbringing shaped your life, you could try something specific like Shy Daughter in a Show Biz Family.

Many of us have a favorite saying that we repeat often and can be reworked to serve as a handy title for an autobiography. For example, if you mention in your book that you’re constantly saying, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,??? you could call your book Still in the Kitchen as a way to show that you’re always willing to stand up for your beliefs. And then there are puns. Oh, the puns! Let’s save those for next time.

A Strong Memoir Conveys Struggle, Triumph

June 24, 2018November 2, 2010 by Rosanne Ullman

Many of our members who talk to us about writing their memoirs have been through some very rough times. It’s a relief for them to spill it out by writing, and some hope that perhaps a movie will be made about their life and the way they survived their hardship. Continuing with our series of reviewing celebrated author Kurt Vonnegut’s eight rules for writing short stories, we’re up to the sixth rule, and this one is a good fit for writing memoirs:

Rule 6: Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

Applying this fiction-writing rule to non-fiction, you do not have to invent your troubled times, because you’ve lived them! Even if you’ve had a relatively easy life, no one escapes some difficulties. The chapters that deal with those episodes may end up being the most compelling parts of your autobiography. They also may be the most challenging for you to write. Recounting your darkest days will provide the opportunity for you to demonstrate, as Vonnegut says, what you’re “made of.??? Misfortune tests your mettle; what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Whether your life story centers on your triumph over adversity or includes only a couple of sad experiences, use those accounts to keep your readers interested and put a yardstick to your personal growth during your lifetime.

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Prison Experience Inspires Memoirs

Baby Boomer Grandparents Are Sure to Write Memoirs

A Summer Reading List Includes Tasty Memoirs

Memoir vs. Autobiography

Reading Memoirs? Speed Reading Classes Couldn’t Hurt!

Oprah Says: Your Memoirs May Help Others

WriteMyMemoirs Would Love Your Feedback!

Your Name as a Pun in the Title of Your Memoir

Choose the Right Title for Your Memoir

A Strong Memoir Conveys Struggle, Triumph

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