Writing Your Life: Putting Your Past on Paper

We all have stories to tell -- of a rapturous first kiss, a life-altering moment of choice, or the shocking revelation of a long-guarded secret. And these stories are often as distinctive, fascinating, exciting and entertaining as those found in the memoirs and autobiographies that currently top the nation's bestseller lists. We just need to know how to tell them best.

Veteran, writing teacher, lecturer, and author of So You Want to Write a Novel, Lou Willet Stanek can help you translate your joys and ordeals, thoughts and triumphs into superbly crafted nonfiction -- taking you step-by-step through the writing process with care, encouragement, and expert advice. She shows you how to unlock your memories, create settings and scenes, protray major characters and dramatic events. And she offers the key to finding your own unique voice, and to presenting your greatest charcter -- yourself -- without boring your reader or sounding egotistical.

Complete with invaluable exercises, nuts-and-bolts techniques, and motivational tools, Writing Your Life is indispensible for every aspiring writer who wishes to mine the rich lode of his or her past for all the gems hidden there.

Lou Willett Stanek, a novelist, critic, and teacher, practices what she preaches. She bases her workshops on the theory described in this book. Dr. Stanek earned a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, an M.A. at Northwestern, and a B.A. from Eastern Illinois University. She also served as a trustee at Millikin University. A Midwesterner, Dr. Stanek now lives in New York and teaches writing at The New School of Social Research.