Customer Reviews

How to Write Your Memoirs -- Fun Prompts to Make Writing -- and Reading -- Your Life Stories a Pleasure!

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"I find Ina Hillebrandt's 'How to Write Your Memoirs' to be a comprehensive and concise manual. It starts with basic information which systematically leads into a variety of ideas and examples of style and substance....a helpful tool for future writers...I believe it will even inspire some that think of themselves as not possessing writing skills. I enjoyed the book and strongly recommend it." David Brook, member Pawprints Writing Club, and contributing author to the group's Amazon.com bestseller Stories From the Heart, V. 2

I've been buying a lot of stuff for me, and my wife was getting a bit miffed. So I needed to find something for her so she can have some packages in the mail! She has always wanted to be able to write her memoirs, but didn't have a clue. So I searched, and found, amazingly... this book, which is exactly that. A how to for those who want to write their own life stories. My wife "ate it up". It's written in very easy to understand steps. Not that the writer is condensending, just that she is clear and easy to understand! My wife really learned a great deal (I have to admit, I never was one for "how too books" of any kind, but this one really does tell you how to, and you do!), and is writing away. I have to admit that I took a "peek" at some of her work, and to my delight, she's really very good! I know my wife has talent, but really, I think this book jump-started it. Not only to help her, but to give a bit of a fire under her to do the writing in the first place. If you are interested in memoir writing, or know someone who is, especially if they seem stuck and can't get to it, buy this book. It's as simple as that.

In How To Write Your Memoirs, Ina Hillebrandt poses questions an aspiring memoirist - whether new to writing or a published author new to the form - needs to ask before sitting down to share one's life story. She also provides valuable tools for structuring one's book.
A Fortune 500 Strategic Planning Consultant, Hillebrandt offers more than twenty years of experience working with clients to strengthen communications in many media; she then changed focus to write her own books and articles, and ultimately provided private coaching and writing workshops for seniors and young people. Bringing in tools she used in her former career to help people open up and express themselves clearly, her manual covers a wide variety of topics with which writers from diverse backgrounds can identify. The prompts are highly evocative, designed to help readers recall their own lives vividly3M and write about them in an entertaining, compelling manner. Questions and occasionally graphics top the pages, with blank "fill-in" spaces below; the combination of written and visual styles encourage the reader to stop putting off the task of tackling his or her memoirs and "Just do it!"
Prompts range from easy questions to those requiring greater thought and candor. One writer is simply asked to recall what pet did you have and who took care of it? Thinking over personal events asks: "If you could have avoided one thing that happened in your life, what would that be... and why?"
Lending texture to the lesson plan are sample passages by seniors from Hillebrandt's Grief Lifters Un-Workshops and from people of all ages in her Footprints Writing Clubs. One contributor, one of the writing club's most prolific wordsmiths, seems to have no end of stories to tell and first said that he could not write.
Starting off with "What is the very first thing you remember?" and ending with "Thinking about younger people today, what do you think is important for them
to know?" this instructional book is a good foundation for those who want to share their life stories. Writing, like any creative act, takes courage, and Hillebrandt is to be commended for helping people vanquish their own fears about how to start, tap into their inner memoirist and come out with a book of their own.
Although How to Write Your Memoirs is written in a clear, easy-to follow-fashion, the book is far from elementary. Accomplishing its goals in a sophisticated way, it is also a highly worthwhile guide for experienced writers who haven't yet tackled the genre. The structure and content ideas Ina has compiled help them push past their fear of jumping into a new form.

Do you secretly yearn to write your memoirs, but get stuck because you're afraid that you aren't writing them "right?" Ina Hillebrandt has crafted a fun and inspirational guide to unlock your memories and unblock your creativity. Your family and friends don't want a story by Hemingway. They'll love what you write because IT'S YOU!

This book includes samples of real stories from real people in Ina's workshops. Their unique voices serve as models for your own personal reminiscence. Ina invites you to reflect on your life and recall the happy times, the painful times, and a few embarrassing times along the way. She helps jog your memory about your early years, historic events, loves and losses that make you who you are today.

Writing your memoirs should not feel like punishment. Lighten up! Easy on older eyes, this book is light on text and filled with fun photos, helpful prompts, touching recollections, and lots of white space to capture your own bursts of inspiration. There are no rules. Flip to any page that strikes your fancy and start writing. Just don't try Ina's Magic Egg Recipe!

Write to share your history. Write to share your guidance. Write to share your love. Above all, write because it's fun! This book helps you clear out the cobwebs so you can leave your loved ones a precious gift--the story of your life.

What Ms. Hillebrandt has done with this carefully crafted approach for an average educated individual is to stay centered upon core thoughts and techniques for undertaking the the daunting decision to write a memoir. Her approach is genuinely instructional and exactly what is needed to help one assemble, organize and ultimately write an interesting and readable finished product. If writing was an easy thing to do, there would be no need for the countless books out there offering endless ideas on the mechanics of wordsmithing. I highly recommend this as a friendly, easy to use guide that provides answers to questions that most budding writers have.

Larry Ray
Gulfport, MS

This book is like having a writing coach sitting on your desk. Using Ina's book will definitely help anyone that wants to dig their memories out of the past and commit them to paper.

"How to Write Your Memoirs" really sets the old brain in motion. I always remember that first prompt about what's your earliest memory, and I flashed on that story, and the whole scene with that old truck they put me in came into my mind. It's amazing what will pop up with just a simple prompt, and the stories just kept coming up.

i was looking forward to use this book. there wasn't much "meat" in it. it was repetitive. this could be a how to book for elementary school or junior high. the previous reviews showed five stars (!). my word! i noticed all the previous reviews are from los angeles, california -- maybe from the same writing group of seniors? i was going to return it,but that's another waste of postage.

Thanks, Ina. After years of scattered, aimless writing, magical sense! And now the printed word...makes me feel complete.
Jane Madeline, contributing author, "Stories From The Heart, Vol. 2"