The Times of Our Lives : A Guide to Writing Autobiography and Memoir

A friendly guide, built around the practical and enjoyable exercises on the special craft of writing about oneself. The book is also full of wisdom on the craft of writing in general, and on the pleasures of memory and reflection.

A TIME TO WRITE AND TO REMEMBER
A common regret form many of us is that we wait too long to ask those near us about the truths of our lives. We can do nothing about these lost stories except write our own, so we dont deprive those we leave behind of some record of what mattered to us.

We live in an autobiographical age. The last decade--and particularly the last few years--has seen a blossoming of first-person accounts, with autobiographical books by such diverse household names as Lee Iacocca, Charlie Manson, Mel Torme, Russell Baker, Arthur Miller Phillip Roth, Donald Trump and Donald Regan, Shirley MacLaine and Shirley Temple.

But you dont have to be a movie star, a tycoon, a White House aide, a literary giant, or a criminal to write about yourself. Indded, some of the most fascinating memoirs are by ordinary people, people who have led outwardly unremarkable lives, yet have searched deeply for connections and meaning in their experience. We all have a story to tell, if only we would.

Writing your own story may not make you rich or famous, but it will certainly be appreciated by someone, even if that someone be only your family or only yourself. The rewards of autobiography are great, for they reflect the examined life and the rich harvest of memory.