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The Quick And Easy Way To Write An Autobiography by Brian VogtMaybe you've had an interesting life, or done some amazing things, or perhaps you just want to write about your life for your own sake and for your family. Whatever your reason, writing an autobiography can be both fun and challenging. If you haven't already, you should read my book, "How To Write Almost Anything", before reading this article. As of this writing it is available for free on the Internet at http://howtowritealmostanything.com/book. (There is normally a charge for the book, and the "free" status could change any time!) The purpose of this article is to explain the process of writing an autobiography using the methods described in the book. If you haven't already done so, you might want to read the book first. Collecting For Your Autobiography The first thing you need to do to be ready to write your autobiography is to start collecting the stories, memories and events that you want to include. The best way to do this will probably be to type small notes into a program like Text Block Author for each event or topic you want included. If you have military or war experience, your collecting might include photos and newspaper clippings from the war. You might also collect favorite songs at various points in your life, letters to and from old friends, and even things like favorite toys, books, or anything else you can think of that will enhance a person's picture of "you". You are basically studying yourself at this stage, so be thorough and complete, and don't be afraid to include things that you are shy or embarrassed about. Some of the best autobiographies are those that reveal things that others didn't previously know about the person. The most difficult thing about writing your autobiography will be getting to where you are able to write about who you are rather than about who you want to be. Some people might feel pressure to "enhance" their autobiography with things that didn't really happen ... thinking (mistakenly) that they've had a boring life and "people wouldn't want to read this". What I'd say to those people is this: write the truth, and write it well. A well-written story about a boring life will mean more to people in the end than a poorly written story about an exciting life that never really happened. An ordinary person can have an extraordinary autobiography with the right information written in the right manner. Organizing And Categorizing How you "categorize" your autobiography will depend in part on what information it contains. For example, if you are writing primarily about your childhood you're going to take a different approach than if you were going to cover your whole life to the present. Let's look at a couple of approaches and how the method of writing in How To Write Almost Anything can be applied to them. There are probably more ways to do it, but I'm only going to talk about two of them here. The Modular Approach – What I call the modular approach means to treat each part of your life as it's own independent module. These can be broken up by time spans, topics, or defining events. For example I might have a section of my autobiography called "Child's play" detailing my childhood up til about 12 years old. Then, for my life, the next module might be about the difficulties I went through and overcame in Junior High And High School. After that I might talk about some religious and social experiences that overlap with the previous section, but still deserve their own "Module". Then I might have one for "Entrepreneurship" and another for "Family Life". In the example I've given here, I'd be breaking up my life more according to topic than time. Some things (in a time-line sense) would be skipped altogether... especially if they didn't involve a topic that I wanted to cover. To accomplish the "categorize" stage when using the modular method, you simply need to go through the events and notes that you have collected from your life and start assigning them categories. When everything has a category of some kind associated with it, you can go through those and see which ones fit best together. For me, I might have a category of "Programming" and another one of "Writing", and I might fit both of these in the "Entrepreneurship" module. Whatever you do, be creative and be flexible. Remember you can change and adjust a you go if you need to. Just sort things out into categories, then into "modules", and then order those into an order that makes sense (usually this will be roughly chronological). Using the modular approach, in the end you should have a number of stand alone modules that don't have to be placed within the context of the rest of the story in order to make sense. This means that one module is not necessarily a continuation of another. It's just a new story about a different topic. There will be some overlapping ... but don't worry about that. Just go with it and see how it turns out in the end. You will probably like the results. The Chronological Approach – I'm not going to make any effort to hide my bias here. I don't like this way of doing things! The reason I don't care for the "chronological" approach for an autobiography is that, unless you have a really interesting life, it can be painfully boring. If you aren't careful your autobiography will end up reading more like history book. This format is great for information purposes, but really sucks when you just want to enjoy what you're reading. This is my opinion, of course. You may love stories told in order. I guess I just don't think that way. My thinking is scattered. That must be why I like the "index card" method of writing so much, and must be why I created the software to use it. So how would you use this method of writing if you intend to organize your autobiography in chronological order? I would start by going through all the notes and items I've collected and assign them an age or a period of time. Once you know roughly when everything happened, group everything into spans of time. Break it up around every 10 years or so. Then, within each of these time spans, just arrange and organize your thoughts, notes, experiences and memories into an order that works. Try to find the balance between chronological and good story telling. For example, if you had a horrible event happen when you were 10 years old, but other things that were good happened right afterwards, you might say something like "By around the age of 10, I was a happy-go-lucky kid. I had found a love for music and writing, and was enjoying every minute of developing my exciting new talents. But on September 15th, 1987, my life was changed forever when..." Do you see what I did there? I didn't tell the events "in order", because I felt I could achieve a more meaningful effect by telling "the good" first, and then introducing a major "bad" turning point. You can do the same within any given timespan, where it makes sense to do so. Don't get so stuck in chronological order that your life reads like a history book. Oops. There's that bias again. (By the way, the above example is fictional. Nothing traumatic happened in my own life at the age of 10, with perhaps the exception of my first "real" kiss.) Communicating Your Story The best advice that I have to give when it comes to the "communicating" stage of writing your autobiography is to keep your writing conversational and informal. Again, a biography runs a big risk of sounding like a history book, and in most cases, that's not what you want to go for (unless you are writing a history book). So keep it simple, concise, and casual. One way to think of it would be like if you were confiding in a close friend. Just talk, share, and be grateful that someone is listening. Other than that, all there is to do at this point is to follow your outline that you organized in the previous step and just write! If you have done the first two steps well, this stage will be easy. You just follow the outline, and write the story of your life! Many people dream of writing an autobiography someday. I hope that this will help make that dream a reality for you. To learn more about this method of writing, visit the How To Write Almost Anything website. Brian Vogt is a Programmer, Author and creator of Text Block Author, the writing software designed specifically for use with this method of writing. To learn more about Text Block Author, visit this link: Great Software For WritersArticle Source: The Quick And Easy Way To Write An Autobiography
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Choose Life: A Eulogy For My Mother by After a long illness, my mother passed away in June 2006. Even though we all knew she had little time left, her death still came as a shock. My brothers helped me write the eulogy, and I delivered it. I almost made it through, maintaining my composure and humor right to the end. But, final goodbyes are never easy. With the last sentence, a poignant and personal message to our mother from my brothers and myself, I lost it. To cry at your mother’s funeral is natural and expected. But being an author, and being comfortable with public speaking, I thought I could manage it. I humbly acknowledge grief trumped self-control. And then there are the relatives and friends, many of which I hadn’t seen in decades. Of course, one must always be polite and gracious when someone offers condolences and a sympathetic hug. But, what do you do when you haven’t a clue who the devil the person is? Years pass, people change. More than once, I had to discreetly ask a trusted relative, “Who is that?” Then, I had to hide my shocked expression when I realized time has been kinder to me than to others of my bloodline, or to my old friends. We got through it. At the luncheon after the funeral, I said goodbye not just to my mother, but to many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends – some of which I would see again and some I know I will not. It is an odd experience, looking in the face of your own mortality. My father died ten years ago. And now my mother is gone. It becomes a reality check, to do what there is to do while there is still time. That being the case, I am writing again. I am happily anticipating the release of my second book, Sins and Secrets. And I am thrilled to be an Aphrodisia author. It is a wonderful rush to jump back into the deep end of my life! My Mother’s Eulogy Welcome everyone and thank you for coming. We are here to remember and say goodbye to our Mother. She fought the good fight, being as tenacious as a pit bull and never giving up. But finally, after more than thirty years of dealing with various conditions and illnesses, she has found peace. Mother was the sort of mother who never stopped worrying about her children, no matter what age we were. Were we eating well? Were we getting enough sleep? Were we staying well and not catching colds or the flu? She kept after our father in the same way, but they were also a couple who enjoyed each other’s company very much. Mom and Dad were best friends as well as husband and wife. They had fun together. They loved to dance together, particularly the polka. They also often took us on joy rides to the local woods, sharing their enjoyment of the forest with us and showing us how to spot deer at sunset. One of those rides wasn’t as much fun. Mom and Dad took us on an unmarked dirt road, trying to see some deer. Dad found himself down in a gully. He tried to turn around, and couldn’t. We were stranded overnight until lumbermen came to work the next morning and found us. Evidently the road was a logger road, not meant for passenger traffic. As I will explain in a moment, thanks to Mother’s planning, we were OK. It was scary, but it was kind of fun. Both my brothers and I were all toilet-trained the same way. Mother’s technique was to be with us in the bathroom, run the faucet, and softly say, “Rain, rain, rain.” It worked. In fact, the suggestion has lasted the three of us into adulthood. With all the rain we’ve had the last few days, my brothers and I have needed to stay within easy range of a bathroom. Mother loved music and sang in the choir. She particularly loved country music, which the three of us hated at the time. The Saturday night ritual was always Country Music Jubilee, then Hee Haw, then the Grand Ole Opry on the radio. She loved gardening, both for glorious beautiful flowers and for food. Speaking of food, Mother made the best fried chicken. She put the Kentucky Fried Chicken secret recipe to shame. For holidays and family gatherings, she cooked tremendous amounts of food, and still worried whether there was enough for everyone to eat. And while she was cooking, she would sample the food, and at mealtime, while everyone else stuffed themselves, she couldn’t eat much more. Mother had real artistic ability. One of the times she best displayed it was at Christmas. We always had huge trees and many decorations around the house, but Mother’s crowning achievement was found under the tree. She sculpted an elaborate village there, with mirrors for frozen lakes, pine seedlings, or “crow’s feet” for miniature trees, and boxes and props to create multilevel hills and mountains. She would cover the hills with white sheets and cotton to simulate snow. Her village was like Christmas Wonderland to us. My brother continues this tradition in his home. Mother was the only girl in her family, and she got into hunting just as much as her brothers did. I’m sure a lot of you recall a character Johnny Carson played occasionally on The Tonight Show. His name was Floyd R. Turbo, American, and he would make silly editorial comments on the issues of the day, but dressed differently from other TV commentators. When Mother was going to go hunting, she would put on a red Woolrich jacket and a hat with ear flaps, the resemblance was pretty amazing. I couldn’t resist calling her Floyd R. Turbo, American. I think she was somewhat amused. Or else I would call her the Great White Huntress. And she was a successful hunter. Remember what I told you about Mother being prepared when we were stuck on the logging road? Our Mother made emergency preparedness an art form. No matter where she went, she packed for any potential disaster. On picnics, we packed boxes full of food, enough for a small army, the grill, all the lawn furniture and extra clothes in case one of us fell into the water. When she went to my brother’s college graduation, she took the toaster and the coffee pot to the motel. And when she traveled anywhere away from home, we had to lock down the kitchen sink so she wouldn’t take it. Through it all, Mother was motivated by her desire to do the best she could for us. Every night she would send us to sleep by saying, “Good night, sweet dreams, I love you.” For the rest of her life, she would continue to send us off with those words. So it is only fitting that now we are able to say the same to send her off. So, Mother, good night, sweet dreams, we love you. P. F. Kozak has had a unique perspective on sexuality since she discovered playing doctor, long before puberty. With the publication of her books it is real, and it is only just beginning. Visit PF KozakArticle Source: Choose Life: A Eulogy For My Mother
 writing, eulogy, loss, of, parent, grieving, inspiration, books, author, public, speaking'
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The Self Publishing DeceptionBy Stephon Rudd The biggest deception on demand publishers present is that your book will be ?made available at over 25,000 bookstores worldwide.? They give writers, who are unfamiliar with the industry, a false sense of success. Everyone wants their books inside Borders or Barnes and Noble?but it?s just not possible. Let me explain why.
Print-On-Demand (or Publish-On-Demand) books are printed as little as 1 book at a time. This means their unit price to print and buy is higher per book. Example. My novel, In The Blood, spans over 330 pages. Because of its length the unit price per book is around $7. Incidentally, the longer the book, the more you pay for each unit; the shorter the book, the less you pay. Following me so far?
That?s just the publishing. Now, there is a shipping fee for each unit?actually, there is a double charge on every shipping for each unit (printed book). When all the necessary fees are applied, the total cost to print and ship one book to anyone is about $13. A pretty shocking revelation considering that the retail price of the book is set at $14.97, which is the thriller markets cap for a softbound book. Anything over that would price the book out of the market.
Bookstores want a 55% discount off the retail price, sometimes 65%. Let?s say they want 55. The book costs about $15. That?s an $8.25 discount which means that the bookstore wants to purchase it for $6.75 per book. Well, it costs the publisher $13 so they would be losing $7.25 plus profits every time bookstore owners placed an order. On top of that, for some strange reason, Borders and Barnes and Noble thinks they?re in the business to make money. So they want profits on top of the $6.75.
Typically, bookstores want to make about a 5 to 1 ratio on all book sales. That means, if your book costs $1 to purchase from the publisher, they want $5 for each book. If it costs $2 to purchase, they want $10. Whatever leftover is divided between the publisher, the agent (if you have one) and the author?the author getting significantly less. Makes you nauseous, doesn?t it?
A book that is printed at $13 doesn?t stand a chance, seeing that there is NO way for the anyone to profit. If the bookstore purchased the book, even in bulk, they would be losing more money than they?ve earned. So where?s all this talk about being ?made available at over 25,000 bookstores worldwide? coming from? Dishonest publishers who know the market, know it?s not possible, but also know that YOU don?t know either of these! So sad.
What that statement simply means is that your book will be placed in the catalogue that all bookstores purchase from (The Ingram Book Group, for example), making them ?available? for order. But no bookstore in their right mind will make the gamble, even if the book has bestselling potential. Now, you have a few success stories but they are a vast minority.
The purpose of me exposing this myth isn?t to discourage self publishing, but to encourage you to approach it with realistic expectations. Use the self published book to gain attention from targeted audiences (the scope of that topic is another article). If you are already self published, you?ll do much better doing direct sales to customers than to try and get shelf space. If your book is any good, it will sell. You just have to be imaginative and sell outside of the box.
About the Author: Phon has made it a habit of writing engaging novels, with lots of energy, and unforgetable characters that keeps the pages turning. Preorder his latest book 'Seer' today for 50% off at http://www.thebookspecialist.com
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=127119&ca=Writing Sorry, but the blog post could not be located. Really, Easy, Grammar, ?, No., 35:, Whom, Do, You, Think, Who, Is?
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How To Find A Literary Agent -- Or How They Find YouBy Dee Power How to find a literary agent is the first lesson new authors must learn. Is is hopeless? Do you have to be published to find a literary agent? Fortunately the answer is no.
We asked over 60 successful literary agents:
Where Do Agents Find Clients?
Referral from one of their other clients 39%
Direct contact by the writer 33%
Referral from editors and publishers 9%
Referral from other authors not their clients 8%
Referrals from other agents 5%
Attendance at writers? conferences 3%
Other 3%
It comes as no surprise that referrals from their current clients were the top method cited. Publishing is a relationship based industry. Contacts are extremely important. A recommendation from someone whose opinion an agent trusts always is valued and receives prompt attention. Several careers of top selling authors were launched when another bestselling author took them under their wing and introduced them to agents or publishers.
What might be surprising is that as many as one-third of the agents said direct contact from the writer was the most common way they found new clients. There is most definitely hope for the budding authors out there, sweating over the last draft of that perfect query letter to send out to agents.
Attending writer's conference is often recommended as a way to get some face time with a literary agent and make some contacts in the publishing world. The survey shows that only 3% of agents overall find a new client as a result of a writer's conference. But, and it's a big but, the agents that attend are there for that very purpose. Don't wait for the pitch sessions, talk to the agents during the break sessions and informal networking.
You can find literary agents interested in your book. Polish your query letter and pitch to those agents who represent the type of books you write.
About the Author: Want to find out how you can avoid scams and still get your book published? You can receive a free report Perils and Pitfalls of Publishing for Writers just visit Free Report
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=155314&ca=Writing How, To, Find, A, Literary, Agent, --, Or, How, They, Find, You |
