Customer Reviews

You Can Write a Memoir

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I've wanted to write a memoir for some time, but really never considered myself much of a writer--regardless of how much I thought I might have to say. Sitting down and getting started was difficult--way too many negative thoughts and really no idea of how to start. This book helped me through that. I don't know if what I'm writing is great stuff (does anybody when they're just starting out?) but I'm getting it DONE, which for me is the hardest part. (Love the cover, too!)

I found the information to be of limited value. If you are interested in figuring out how to decide if you have anything to write about, then the exercises may be of help. Ms Hauer provides brief guidelines on formatting dialogue, punctation and a chapter of the process of publishing your memoir. My money was better spent on Stephen King's "On Writing" and Tristine Rainer's "Your Life as Story".

This book is extremely well-compsed and offers a thorough and helpful guide to someone interested in reclaiming memories and making them last forever in written form.

Hauser offers helpful techniques and uses examples from student essays and one of her own to illustrate writing techniques and styles, and also to "encourage you to look at writing --yours and that of others--in a certain way."

This book is not designed as a writing template to which you can conveniently attach your own memories. Instead, it urges you to search within yourself for your own style and voice.

Near the end Hauser offers this to potential writers everywhere: "reading a book about writing is, I imagine, a lot like reading a book about swimming: In the end, reading is not enough. To learn to swim, you have to dive into the water, get wet, sink frequently, and gasp for air now and then."

If you're interested in learning to develop your technique and style as a writer, I recommend this book.