What do you do when you come across journals, letters or personal stories written decades ago by a stranger? Do you throw them away without looking at them or do you take the time to read them?
As for me, I’m innately curious. I’m excited to discover a bit about the past and what was important to the writers, so of course I take the time to read such documents.
A year or so ago, I was pleasantly surprised whenRead More
Although the name itself appears self-explanatory (the story of one’s life), the term “life story” nevertheless evokes many questions from individuals who attend my life story presentations.
For example, what exactly does a life story include? Should you incorporate every last detail of your life, from your birth to the present day? How does life story differ from memoir…or is it the same thing? Where does autobiography fit in?
If you’re reading this article, then you probably have similar questions. Let’s break it down to discover the differences.Read More
I recently rediscovered an oval wooden object in the recesses of one of my drawers. My mother-in-law had given it to me years ago, explaining that it was a tool that her mother had used to mend holes in socks.
To be honest, I didn’t understand why she wanted me to have it. I can’t even thread my sewing machine (another gift from her) and I knew I would never bother to mend my socks. Nevertheless, I accepted her gift and promptly forgot about it.
Now, holding the object in my hands once again, I decided it was time to learn more about it.
I discovered that my wooden tool is called a darning egg or a darning mushroom. Having assumed it to be a relic of the past – indeed, some are considered to be collectible (see RubyLane) – I was shocked to learn that many people steadfastly continue to use them to repair the holes in their socks.
The egg doesn’t do a lot, really – its primary function is to serve as a prop. You insert the egg into the sock so that the hole is exposed, thereby creating a workable area to interlace new material with the old (you can see it done on this YouTube video). Thus, even though the darning egg doesn’t do the mending or stitching itself, the task would be much more difficult without it.
Similarly, there are times when we encounter holes in our story – when we can’t remember the circumstances around or our actions toward a person, place or event…or even the event itself. Read More
Genealogy research is distinctly different from life story writing, but genealogists often unearth interesting facts that can shed new light on their own life experiences. I recently interviewed Michelle Ule, a New York Times bestselling author and speaker, who writes inspirational and historical fiction and is currently finalizing the biography Mrs. Oswald Chambers: The Woman behind the World’s Bestselling Devotional, which can be preordered now. She is also a longtime genealogist who self-published a family biography titled Pioneer Stock and is currently editing the life story of her grandfather. I think you’ll find her genealogy tips and surprise findings quite interesting. Prefer to listen to the interview? Click here to access the recording.
Dalene [D]: Welcome, Michelle, and thank you for taking the time to speak with me today.
Michelle[M]: I’m happy to chat with you, Dalene.
D: So with my audience being primarily life story and even family history authors, I thought I’d start out by asking why you think family history and life story writing is important.
M: That’s actually where I began. In my case, the grandfather biography I’m updating was written twenty-seven years ago to celebrate my grandfather’s 100th birthday.
D: Oh, wow!
M: And my end of the celebration was to write his history so I interviewed my aunts, my uncles, my cousins. I had a whole lot of material. I did auxiliary reading to put his life in context. He was an immigrant from Sicily prior to WWI and our family got our citizenship as a result of his service in the Army during WWI. Read More
Yes, I really did. I just sent a message to my email list containing a video I made about my new service and I posted the same video on Twitter.
Now I’m cringing, realizing that my video is cheesy. That I stumbled over my words. That it’s obviously recorded by an amateur. And while I’m very nervous of what comments may be made (“Wow – she has a huge forehead”) and how I’ll be perceived (“She had the gall to make a sales offer!”), I’m also excited to have pushed past my fears and complete something new and challenging. And even more than that, share it with others. Read More
Who is your audience? It’s a simple enough question. And your answer may appear simple as well: “my readers.” But that’s not specific enough. You’re not writing for “everyone;” you’re writing for the people who are seeking the information you have to share. Thus, regardless of genre, you need to concentrate on your target audience.
Yes, even memoir or autobiography writers need to visualize their ideal reader throughout the process. You might be thinking, “It’s the story of my life! Why should I consider the reader?” Because although your story is about you and your experiences, it must relate in some manner to your audience. If they don’t connect with your content – emotionally or intellectually – then they will quickly lose interest and never finish the book, let alone recommend it to others.
To keep your audience engaged, consider the following three points:Read More
Dalene Bickel is a ghostwriter, biographer, book coach, and speaker who helps aspiring authors successfully write, develop, and self-publish their faith-based books.