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Your Life Is a Book: How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)

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Published:
Sasquatch Books 2014
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Checked Out
Description
Learn how to write your memoir—and get published—with the help of two well-known publishing professionals
 
Everyone has a story to tell. Your Life is a Book guides budding writers though the transformative process of memoir writing to publication. In addition to exploring the unique elements of crafting a memoir—story arc, point of view, dialogue, where to start (not the beginning!)—Your Life is a Book also focuses on the self-exploration, awareness, and understanding that this emotional literary project triggers. With proven writing exercises and prompts, this book is a practical and enlightening guide to perfecting the art of memoir writing.
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Format:
Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
10/14/2014
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781570619311
ASIN:
B00JTA9YFY
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Brenda Peterson. (2014). Your Life Is a Book: How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir. Sasquatch Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Brenda Peterson. 2014. Your Life Is a Book: How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir. Sasquatch Books.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Brenda Peterson, Your Life Is a Book: How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir. Sasquatch Books, 2014.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Brenda Peterson. Your Life Is a Book: How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir. Sasquatch Books, 2014.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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Date Added:
Jun 12, 2018 18:03:27
Date Updated:
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      • role: Author
      • fileAs: Peterson, Brenda
      • bioText: BRENDA PETERSON is a writing teacher and award-winning author. Her novel Duck and Cover was named a Notable Book of the Year by The New York Times. She lives in Seattle.
        SARAH JANE FREYMANN is the founder and president of the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency and has worked closely with several New York Times bestselling memoir authors. She lives in New York City.
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publishDate
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title
Your Life Is a Book
fullDescription
Learn how to write your memoir—and get published—with the help of two well-known publishing professionals
 
Everyone has a story to tell. Your Life is a Book guides budding writers though the transformative process of memoir writing to publication. In addition to exploring the unique elements of crafting a memoir—story arc, point of view, dialogue, where to start (not the beginning!)—Your Life is a Book also focuses on the self-exploration, awareness, and understanding that this emotional literary project triggers. With proven writing exercises and prompts, this book is a practical and enlightening guide to perfecting the art of memoir writing.
reviews
      • premium: False
      • source: Library Journal
      • content: Peterson (I Want To Be Left Behind) and Freymann (founder, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency) bring decades of experience to bear on the subject of writing and publishing a memoir. Affable, confident, and candid, the authors teach that the process, when done right, can be a journey of personal growth, illustrating their points with poignant examples and metaphors. Part 1, "Crafting Your Memoir," introduces the genre and covers an array of topics: death, abuse, family secrets, food, travel, spirituality, animals, and more. The advice on what does and doesn't work with each topic is razor sharp and is the overall strength of the book. Battle-tested tips, exercises, and prompts close most chapters, providing writers an opportunity to practice and apply their craft. The second half, "Getting Serious About Publishing,"
      • premium: False
      • source: Publishers Weekly
      • content: [Peterson and Freymann] offer plenty of insights gleaned from their own experiences, such as "character evolution is the narrative arc and plot of any memoir" and "for many writers, their work is also a spiritual practice."
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        August 18, 2014
        Writing instructor Peterson (Secret Histories) and literary agent Freymann combine their talents in this helpful but sometimes awkward guide to memoir-writing. They offer plenty of insights gleaned from their own experiences, such as “character evolution is the narrative arc and plot of any memoir” and “for many writers, their work is also a spiritual practice.” To these ideas, they add the requisite writing prompts, exercises, and publishing tips. Of particular note are the lessons which Peterson and Freymann draw from the careers of successful memoirists like Cheryl Strayed and Dawn Raffel. The section on publishing is strong, with concrete tips from editors and reviewers. The chapters on writing, however, have some weaknesses: Peterson and Freymann seem oddly fixated on the theme of food and its importance as a subject in memoirs, going so far as to twice state, cryptically, “The more unusual or ordinary your story, the more vital the subject of food is.” The pair also undercut their credibility somewhat with prose stumbles that include clunky phrasing, mixed metaphors, and incomplete sentences. Despite these lapses, there is still much here that will be eye-opening for the aspiring memoirist. Agent: Sarah Jane Freymann, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency.

      • premium: True
      • source: Booklist
      • content:

        October 1, 2014
        It's one thing to write one's innermost thoughts for the sheer private pleasure of it. It's quite another to adapt those personal musings for public consumption. Crafting a memoir from the bits and pieces of one's life is a brave and daunting challenge and, like every worthy endeavor, one best accomplished with a trusted guide. Or two. Accomplished writer Peterson (I Want to Be Left Behind, 2010) and literary agent Freymann share their personal experiences with the genre and offer valuable and practical tips about writing, revising, agents, editors, and publishers that can only come from those with years of insider access. From framing a narrative arc to finding one's own voice, their advice is spot-on: affirmative, reassuring, inclusive, and accessible. Whether describing a harrowing journey of self-revelation or airing the dirty laundry that has piled up in the corners of dysfunctional family life, the memoirist's goal is to tell that story so as to enlighten both writer and reader. With Peterson and Freymann as coaches, it is a mission that most definitely can be accomplished.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        February 1, 2016

        Peterson (I Want To Be Left Behind) and Freymann (Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency) bring decades of experience to bear on the subject of writing and publishing a memoir. Affable, confident, and candid, the authors suggest that the process, when done right, can be a journey of personal growth and illustrate their points with poignant examples and metaphors. (LJ 9/1/14)

        Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: Library Journal
      • content:

        September 1, 2014

        Peterson (I Want To Be Left Behind) and Freymann (founder, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency) bring decades of experience to bear on the subject of writing and publishing a memoir. Affable, confident, and candid, the authors teach that the process, when done right, can be a journey of personal growth, illustrating their points with poignant examples and metaphors. Part 1, "Crafting Your Memoir," introduces the genre and covers an array of topics: death, abuse, family secrets, food, travel, spirituality, animals, and more. The advice on what does and doesn't work with each topic is razor sharp and is the overall strength of the book. Battle-tested tips, exercises, and prompts close most chapters, providing writers an opportunity to practice and apply their craft. The second half, "Getting Serious About Publishing," offers insightful perspectives on blogging, agents, editors, handling rejection, indie publishing, and more. Discussions of factuality, point of view, drafting, and scenes are excellent but could be expanded. VERDICT This is a reassuring introduction to how writers should approach their first memoir and an honest discussion of what it will take to publish one.--Paul Stenis, Pepperdine Univ. Lib., Malibu, CA

        Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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Learn how to write your memoir—and get published—with the help of two well-known publishing professionals
 
Everyone has a story to tell. Your Life is a Book guides budding writers though the transformative process of memoir writing to publication. In addition to exploring the unique elements of crafting a memoir—story arc, point of view, dialogue, where to start (not the beginning!)—Your Life is a Book also focuses on the self-exploration, awareness, and understanding that this emotional literary project triggers. With proven writing exercises and prompts, this book is a practical and enlightening guide to perfecting the art of memoir writing.
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