Louisiana is full of characters.
We tell the wildest fishing stories. Tales of fais-do-do’s. We are small-town legends and contributors to our communities. We recount memories of times long ago—homes without running water or going to town in the carriage.
We tell these stories. But how many of those life story narrativesare written in books? How many will survive to amuse and inspire the next generation and the one after that?
There’s a lot of reasons why life stories matter. But in a place as culturally diverse and charming as Louisiana, our stories are all the richer.
Below are some things to consider when Writing Book in Louisiana your life story in a book.
1. Write EVERYTHING you can.
Don’t worry about how pretty the language is. Don’t grapple with word choice. Simply churn out your memories. Dump them onto the page. You can always sort out and clean up later. The key is to get as much information recorded as possible without sweating the small stuff.
2. Be emotional.
Don’t stray from the tough subjects. Even if it hurts to remember certain times, be bold. Write about those times anyway. On the flip side, don’t delve so deep into the hard memories that you neglect to share all the good times. Even if you write about a balance of joy and pain you experienced in your life, know both the good and bad times will warrant emotions. Feel those feelings. Get them out on paper.
3. Don’t feel pressured to start at the beginning.
Perhaps you want your memoir to focus on your career or time in the military. Perhaps you want to elaborate on your travels, business, marriage, children, or community involvement. Perhaps one overarching theme has recurred in your life. Whatever your focus, know it’s okay to write with a focus. Don’t feel pressured to write about every period of your life, unless you want to. Wherever you start in your story and wherever you finish is up to you.
4. Don’t just write a summary, write a story.
Include details. If you remember what you could see out of your bedroom window as a child, then write it down. Describe the serene pasture, the tree you used to climb, and the color of your curtains. Details color a story and bring it to life for the reader. Don’t worry that you may be putting in too many details. As mentioned in number 1, you can always clean up the manuscript later. When writing the first draft, be as descriptive as possible. Details are the difference between summaries and stories.
5. Start today
Don’t wait for tomorrow or next year or when you retire to write your autobiography. Start writing your life story book today.
For more life story inspiration, visit www.RaconteurWriting.com.
Article by Olivia Savoie of Raconteur Story Writing Services
We tell the wildest fishing stories. Tales of fais-do-do’s. We are small-town legends and contributors to our communities. We recount memories of times long ago—homes without running water or going to town in the carriage.
We tell these stories. But how many of those life story narrativesare written in books? How many will survive to amuse and inspire the next generation and the one after that?
There’s a lot of reasons why life stories matter. But in a place as culturally diverse and charming as Louisiana, our stories are all the richer.
Below are some things to consider when Writing Book in Louisiana your life story in a book.
1. Write EVERYTHING you can.
Don’t worry about how pretty the language is. Don’t grapple with word choice. Simply churn out your memories. Dump them onto the page. You can always sort out and clean up later. The key is to get as much information recorded as possible without sweating the small stuff.
2. Be emotional.
Don’t stray from the tough subjects. Even if it hurts to remember certain times, be bold. Write about those times anyway. On the flip side, don’t delve so deep into the hard memories that you neglect to share all the good times. Even if you write about a balance of joy and pain you experienced in your life, know both the good and bad times will warrant emotions. Feel those feelings. Get them out on paper.
3. Don’t feel pressured to start at the beginning.
Perhaps you want your memoir to focus on your career or time in the military. Perhaps you want to elaborate on your travels, business, marriage, children, or community involvement. Perhaps one overarching theme has recurred in your life. Whatever your focus, know it’s okay to write with a focus. Don’t feel pressured to write about every period of your life, unless you want to. Wherever you start in your story and wherever you finish is up to you.
4. Don’t just write a summary, write a story.
Include details. If you remember what you could see out of your bedroom window as a child, then write it down. Describe the serene pasture, the tree you used to climb, and the color of your curtains. Details color a story and bring it to life for the reader. Don’t worry that you may be putting in too many details. As mentioned in number 1, you can always clean up the manuscript later. When writing the first draft, be as descriptive as possible. Details are the difference between summaries and stories.
5. Start today
Don’t wait for tomorrow or next year or when you retire to write your autobiography. Start writing your life story book today.
For more life story inspiration, visit www.RaconteurWriting.com.
Article by Olivia Savoie of Raconteur Story Writing Services
