Writing Memoir: The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life

Done properly, memoir is more than just a recitation of facts about a person's life. It's a journey, connecting writer and reader in that shared space where we all experience what it means to be human. In Writing Memoir: The Practical Guide to Writing and Publishing the Story of Your Life, Jerry Payne details, in an easy-to-follow way, how to take the particulars of one's life and weave them into a moving, compelling, page-turning story. Using examples from his own works as well as other works from the masters of the genre, Payne discusses narrative arc, theme, character development, description, dialogue, flow, and voice.

Concise, yet comprehensive, Writing Memoir also covers essential concerns like how to construct an effective outline, how to avoid common errors of grammar and punctuation, how to go about editing and rewriting, how to view one's book critically and objectively, and the ins and outs of both traditional publishing and self-publishing.