Naked, Drunk, and Writing: Writing Essays and Memoirs for Love and for Money

by Adair Lara, Anthony Scavone (Illustrator)

Naked, Drunk and Writing is a funny, anecdotal and highly useful guide to writing personal essays and memoirs by Adair Lara, a popular columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle for 12 years.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Memoir, Essays, Reference, Business, Crafts

236 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Hadis · Rating 3 out of 5]

جالب بود، یک‌جاهایی از نکاتش استفاده کردم و بهم ایده‌های جدید داد. منتها فکر می‌کنم میشد خلاصه‌ترش کرد و کیفیت رو بالا نگه داشت، خیلی جاها تکرار مکررات و بسط دادن بی‌دلیل باعث میشد از خوندنش خسته بشم.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bottom line: Writing a memoir is just like writing a novel, only you don’t have to make anything up.

I subtracted one star for her weird gender bullshit. (I would have subtracted two, but it all takes place on one page and afterwards it's never heard from again.)

She says that men don't like to share their work during the drafting process. She doesn't even say some men. Many people have asked me to read their works-in-progress, and most of them have been men. But she says, "This is how men operate: 'I am man. I will go into the jungle and write a book.'"

Then she says, "Girl writers write a paragraph and nervously email it to ten people before going on. We seek so much feedback that we end up confused by contradictory advice and unpracticed in relying on our own instincts."

I hate when women use "we" or "girl writers" in this way. Use "I" or "insecure writers." The more I read that quote the more it infuriates me.

She follows this up with: "Yes, I know I'm making huge generalizations. Lots of men have taken my class, and I know women who (literally) work in closets and show their work to no one."

If you know you're making huge generalizations, why bother doing it?

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding! Couldn't put down. Lots of great insights. Highly recommend!

[Zahra Dashti]

‍ این کتاب راهنمایی برای جستار نویسی و خاطره پردازی است. این کتاب از اولین گام‌های نوشتن (اینکه من استعداد دارم؟ نوشته‌هام ارزش خوندن دارن) شروع می‌کند و گام به گام فرایند نوشتن، اصلاح و بازبینی را آموزش می‌دهد و در نهایت به چگونگی فروش آثار و برخورد با اطرافیانی که در خاطره پردازی یا جستارهای ما از آنها گفته‌ایم ختم می‌شود. این جامعیت در روشن کردن مسیر حرکت به همراه تمرین‌های کاربردی که در میان مطالب و متناسب با مبحث آموزشی ارائه شده و جذابیت و لحن شوخ و طنزآمیز نویسنده این کتاب را تبدیل به یک راهنمای کامل و خوشایند کرده است.
لحن و زبان کتاب با وجود آموزشی بودن، حالتی از خاطره گویی دارد که خوانش کتاب را در حدی جذاب کرده که خواننده کسل نشود.
با این همه اختلافات فرهنگی نویسنده با فرهنگ ما، منجر به توصیه‌هایی در نوشتن شده که عملا با فرهنگ ما سازگاری ندارد و گاه زننده است. بخش شیوه‌های فروش و انتشار هم، احتمالا به خاطر تفاوت ایران با وطن نویسنده، به صورت کامل کاربردی نیست و بخش‌هایی از آن قابل استفاده است. با این همه اگر از نوشتن می‌ترسید اما دوست دارید بنویسید، این کتاب، راهنمایی راه گشاست که شجاعت نوشتن را به شما می‌دهد.
این کتاب به همت خانم الهام شوشتری‌زاده ترجمه شده و توسط نشر اطراف روانه بازار نشر شده است.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

خواندن این کتاب برای یاد گرفتن جستارنویسی، مثل این است که بخواهی با خواندن یک کتاب عکاس شوی، جراحی کنی یا یک هواپیما را برانی!
جستارنویسی هم مثل خیلی از مهارت‌ها نیازمند یادگیری از طریق تجربه کردن است که اگر در این مسیر یک راهنمای آگاه هم کنارت باشد، به بیراهه نمی‌روی و رشد می‌کنی.


به نظر من اگر کسی جستار نوشتن را در عمل یاد گرفت و ‌نوشتن چندتایی را تجربه کرد، وقتی این کتاب را بخواند آموخته‌های عملی‌اش تثبیت می‌شوند.

اصلا شاید بشود گفت خواندن این کتاب، به سالگرد ازدواج می‌ماند؛
انگار که در آن عهدهایت را در رابطه با جستارنویسی تکرار می‌کنی و یادت می‌آید که چرا این مسیر را شروع کردی
و چطور باید باز هم ادامه بدهی
و حواست به مدام قسمت‌ها بیشتر باشد.

[A. T. Adlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm "finished" reading it, but I don't think I'll ever be finished reading it. That's what I love about instructional non-fiction, so many gems to keep you coming back! I have every page dog-eared practically, especially the ones with the "try this" exercises.

This book has me writing up a storm and I highly recommend it.

[Razieh mehdizadeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

جستار به قلمروهای تعیین شده تن نمی دهد. تلاشش نه برای رسیدن به دستاوردی علمی و خلق اثر هنری ست. آینه ی چیزهایی ست که دوست می داریم و دوست نمی داریم. نه عرصه ی نمایش هوش و خرد ماست. حرفش را با قصه ی آدم و حوا آغاز نمی کند. حرفی که می خواهد می زند و هرجا حس کند حرفش کامل شده لب فرو می بندد. آدورنو
نویسنده اش یکی از بیشمار چشم اندازها را جلوی روی شما می گذارد و می گوید من اینجا ایستاده ام. شیوه ی بده بستان با جهان که اکتشافی و سرگشته می کند جستار را.
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والدن: اگر کسی بود که به خوبی خودم می شناختمش آنقدر درمورد خودم حرف نمی زدم.
یونگ: فکر های ما هرچه شخصی تر و هرچه منحصربه فرد تر باشند برای دیگران معنادارتر خواهند بود. شخصی ترین چثرها عمومی ترین چیرها هستند.
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هاثورن: متن آسان خوان محصول سختی کشیدن جان فرسا هنگام نوشتن است.
(شهود جستار، صدای ژرف اندیش، جان مایه و خاطره پردازی و صحنه و دیالوگ و جزییات و تصویر)
جستار کارش برعکس است: جعبه ی کوچک را پیدا کنید و از آن شروع کنید. از روزی که شروع کردید نقاشی کنید و از پدرتان خواستید مدل تان شود.
پرسشی که جستار را پیش می برد می تواند کوچک باشد: چرا من تحمل ندارم ببینم شوهرم چرت عصرگاهی می زند؟
درباره ی لحظه ی تغییر بنویسد: ریشه ی یونانی anecdote یعنی خبر منتشرنشده. نقاط عطف و یادگیری تغییر را در زندگی تان پیدا کنید و ماده ی خام را بسازید.
جستار روایی همان عناصر قصه را دارد: شخصیت، مسیله و کشمکش و شهود و نتیجه. لبته لابهلای این عناصر به تصویر و لحن و خیال پردازی و خاطره و سیک و زبان و.. برمی خوریم.
طرح کلی جستار با سوال ها: پیشینه ی داستان. کنش. بنابراین. نقطه ی عطف. در طرح کلی بیشتر وقت ها بهتر است جستار را از جایی نزدیک به پایانش شروع کینم.
شهودتان را بنویسید. جیمز جویس": شهود یعنی لحظه ای که اوضاع در سیلا فهمی تازه به شکلی برگشت ناپذیر عوض مسی شود. شهود چیزی را که فقط ممکن بود روایتی شخصی باشد به جستار تبدیل می کند. نمونه ی شهود اسکیت یاد گرفتن در چهل و سه سالگی و آشتی کردن با بدنی تازه.
شهود خوب غافلگیرکننده است نه بصیرتی ساده و نه پیش پاافتاده و نه دل به هم زن.
شهود را دراماتیک کنید. صحنه را بسازید و از دل آشوب زندگی هنر بیرون بیاروید.
شهود را توضیح دهید. شهود می تواند تیره و تار باشد و لزوما نباید امیدبخش و روشن باشد
. قصه ای را انتخا بکنید که تجربه ای شخصی باشد: تجربه ای که تغییرتان داده. نشان مان دهید قبل از شهود چگونه بوده اید. لحظه ی دگرگونی را نشان دهید. درباره ی شهود صریح یا تلویجی بنویسید. نشان مان دیهید شهودتان باعث شده از آن به بعد چه کارهایی انجام دهید و به چه شیوه های متفاوتی.
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فلنری اوکانر: شاید هرگز حرف تازه ای برای گفتن نداشته باشیم اما هیمشه راه تازه ای برای گفتنش داریم. ( مثال راه تازه ی چهل ساله شدن و آخرین روز سی و نه سالگی را شرح دادن.)
پیدا کردن زاویه ی دید: تضاد و تله و کشمکش انداختن و غافلگیری در مقدمه و در ادامه.
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لحنک لحنی که برای هفصتد کلمه نوشته خوب است برای خاطره پردازی طولانی نچسب و سرد به نظر می رسد.
از لحن متضاد استفاده کنید تا تنش طنرآمیز بسازید. شوخی می تواند فاصله با موضوع غمناک و آزاردهنده بیندازد. سراغ تشبیه های درو از ذهن بروید. با معنای تخت الفظی کامه ها بازی کنید. بدیهیات را انکار کنید.
درباره ی دسته گل های به آب داده تان بنویسید.
سراغ باوری عمومی بروید و وارونه جلوه اش دهید.
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آنتوان چخوف: به من نگو ماه می درخشد. درخشش نور را در شیشه ای شکسته نشانم بده.
یک عاذدت خوب این است هر جمله یا که می نویسید با خودتان بگوید چطور می توانم نشانش دهم. چیزی که ما می خواهیم تجربه است نه اطلاعات. مثلا او حالش خوش نیست: اطلاعات است و او نگاهش را دزید: تصویر است.
از حواس پنج گانه تان استفاده کنید. برای ساختن تصویری: بویایی. چشایی. شنواتیی. لامسه. بینایی. اوکانر می گوید برای واقعی کردن صحنه حداقل باید سه حس از حواس پنج گانه تان را درگیر کنید. (مثال فلوبر در مادام بواری و پیانو زدنش و جابه جایی دوربین از دست های لرزان تا صدایش در روستا از پنجره)
تصویرهایی با جزییات ری. تصویر کاری می کند که خواننده آنچه را تجربه کرده تجربه کند و جزییات گوه تصاویر هستنید. ( مثال راهپیمایی سقط جنین و پوشیدن دمپایی های نرم و رحت که وقتی پلیس می خواهد کشان کشان ببردتان انگشت هایتان درد نگیرد.)
وقتی در بغدا پا روی شن ها می گذاری گویی در گرماگرم جنگ داخلی هستی- به جای تصویر ساحتمان های ویران و بدبختی مردم و ...
فصل تصویر و جزییات و حواس پنجگانه و جزییات و مثال ها و ساختن صحنه با تصویر که به بیان احساس درونی کمک می کنند. این فصل ها رو دوباره بخونم از صفحه چهل و سه تا پنجاه و سه
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من فقط وقت هایی می نویسم که الهام بگیرم و ترتیبی می دهم که هر روز صبح سر ساعت نه الهام بگیرم. پیتر دوریس . درباره ی عادت های نوشتن و نشستن سر کار. سه هفته هر روز فقط و فقط نشستن. هر روز نوشتن و مقید بودن به ساعت و مکان خاص و مناسک نویسندگی و عادت های خاص نوشتن. از نوشتن شانه خالی نکنید اینطور روزهای کمتری نویسنده محسوب می شوید. اگر نویسندگی را شغل ندانید و شک و تردید به جان تان افتد فلج تان می کند. کاغذ سفید کارفرمای شماست.
وقت ندارید؟ این هم می تواند کمک کننده باشد و سعادتی. برای نویسنده ها وقت زیادی داشتن می تواند فلج کننده باشد.
سطح استانداردهایتان را پایین بیاورید. از تلاش برای نوشتن خوب دست بردارید. فکر می کنید نوشته هایتان بد است. عامدانه بدترش کنید.
همکاری با نویسندگان. هم نویس ها و ستون نویسی. کلاس رفتن و جمع های نوشتن. کارگاه های اموزشی که پول می گیرند شرکت کنید. عضو گروه نویسندگی شوید. ( راه و رسم بازخورد دادن و بازخورد گرفتن.)
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مرحله ی بازنویسی: شروع و پایان و از میانه آغاز کردن و حدف کردن و اضافه ها و زمینه های مشخص و ذخیره کردن همه چیز. دورریخته ها و بریده شده ها. پای تصویرهایی که در پاراگراف های اول اوریده اید را در پاراگراف های انتهایی هم به میان بکشید تا دایره کامل شود.
بازنویسی جمله ها. قید و صفت را حدف کنید. دیدم که و متوجه شدم و شروع کرد به حذف شود. ماضی و مضارع را حواسمان باشد که یکسدت باشد در طول نوشته.
فعل ها: به جای وجود داشت و بودن از فعل های جان دارتری می توان استفاده کرد.
درحالیکه. به معنای واقعی کلمه و همانطور که ها حذف شوند. جمله های کوتاه تر همراه با نقطه و حذف.
از کلیشه های همیشه آشنا در جمله ها بپرهیزید.
اندام های بدن. مثلا به جای دست هایم با قفل ها بازی می کنند. با قفل ها بازی می کنم.
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چرا اسمش را ناداستان خلاقانه گذاشته اند؟
ثورو در کتاب والدن آنچه را ظرف دو سال کنار آبگیر والدن برایش اتفاق افتاده در یک سال خلاصه می کند. حقیقت عاطفی احساسی برای قصه ای که می گویید اهمیت دارد. واقعه یعنی انچه اتفاق افتاده و حقیقت یعنی واکنش شما به ان واقعه. وقتی خاطره پردازی می کنید گذشته را فقط به یاد نمی آورید بلکه ان را به روز می کنید. غربالش می کنید و چند زاویه دید برای تماشایش می گذارید. به یاد آوردن تا حدی همان تصور کردن است و برای همین اسمش ناداستان خلاقانه است.
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روایتگری و صحنه پردازی:
با استفاده از جمله هایی مقل اما و یک روز و بعد و.. می توانیم از روایت گری به صحنه پردازی برویم یا اینتر بزنیم و پاراگراف را عوض کنیم و ... تلفیق این دو
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فصل آخر درباره ی پول و پیدا کردن ناشران- برای آمریکا نوشته شده و دویاره و با دقت بیشتری بخوانم.

[Sepehr Omidvaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

شاید این جمله خیلی کلیشه‌ای به نظر بیاید اما مطمئنم که بعد از خواندن این کتاب، می‌توانم بهتر بنویسم.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover image shown here is from Adair Lara’s self-published version. The one I bought, published by Ten Speed Press, shows clothing and red spike heels discarded on a carpet and has the subtitle ‘Shed Your Inhibitions and Craft a Compelling Memoir or Personal Essay’.

I almost didn’t buy the book because of its title and its cover. I devour writing craft books and imagined this one would be fluff, not the quality material of the serious heavy hitters I’m used to reading, people like King, Lamott and Gornick. Fortunately I was able to read the first few pages and some reviews on Amazon. If I hadn’t I would have missed out on a book that is one of my new favourites. Hilarious, smart, incredibly useful and inspiring.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book that I've ever read on how to write - period, whether it is a memoir or a personal essay - it doesn't matter. Adair Lara gets it, and knows how to communicate her wisdom to would-be writers. Well-formatted, easy to read, and inspiring - a must-read for anyone who writes or wants to write!

[Mahsa Zarei · Rating 3 out of 5]

مطالب کتاب حجم کمتری می‌طلبید. در واقع می‌توانست کتابی جمع و جور باشد.

[Arezou Darzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب دوباره من رو به جهانِ نوشتن برگردوند.

[Nilchance · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gender issues: "All women are like BLAH BLAH. All men are like BLAH BLAH."

Psychology issues: "don't be a victim; don't ever say you're in therapy; if you have a theraputic insight, write it as coming from a talk with a friend or a sister." Because why? Author bias, apparently, since there's no reason given for this find and replace your therapist advice. Books like Hornbacher's Mania and Wasted, the Prozac Diaries, and Girl, Interrupted are classic memoirs that prove there is an audience for memoirs about therapy and mental health. It's a little insulting to the reader that, if you need mental health assistance, Lara thinks you have to hide it like a dirty secret to write a "good" memoir.

Honesty issues: this is a book about memoirs and personal essays, but Lara advocates changing dates, characters and events to make the book read better. Reading this book during the public debate about Sedaris books being nonfiction or fiction, it seemed odd that Lara's answer to ambiguity or lapsed memory is to make something up.

[Sundry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lara gives practical writing advice with a sure and witty voice. The book helped me get out of my own way. A fun read from an author who treats her readers as peers.

It only took me so long to read because I like to have a good writing book to dip into now and again, and I didn't want this one to end.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best writing coaching books that I've read. Thorough, concise and often humorous, Adair Lara gives helpful and very usable advice on producing your own memoirs, journals and essays. Full of tips that may seem common-place, but that we somehow miss when it comes to writing: "Having trouble figuring out where to begin? You don't have to start writing at the beginning, that part may come later." Very helpful advice for me as I can let the 'beginning' keep me from ever writing anything.

Frankly, just a good read. Even if you don't find a specific tip to help you personally -- and I'm betting that you will -- Lara will leave you in a frame of mind that is conducive to writing -- always a good thing!

[Fatemesadat shahravesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

بهترین کتابی که در سال گذشته خوندم. باید جرعه خوند و ازش‌لذت برد. محتوای کاربردی، مثال‌های خوب، تمرین‌های عالی و در نهایت ترجمه روون از ویژگی‌های مثبت کتابه. خوندن چندباره‌ش به کسایی پیشنهاد می‌شه که علاقه دارن روایت و جستار بنویسن.

[Brigitte · Rating 3 out of 5]

The memoir structure breakdown chapters were super useful, but the first half of the book, focused on publishing in newspapers, is a bit dated.

[Roozbeh Daneshvar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an informative and fun reading on writing. The advice were pragmatic and easy to follow. The author had a sense of humor at some places and she did not fill the book with redundancy. There were some exercises at the end which I found very helpful.

If you want to write, this could be a good book. It leans more toward personal essays than fiction. Yet, it can be useful in any case.

Below I am bringing some pieces from this book.

I realized that I'd been missing the necessary other half of the writing process: the pleased reader. It was as if I'd been trying to tell myself I was a good cook, but without ever asking anyone to dinner.

Jung's idea that, ironically, the more intensely individual a person's thoughts are, the more uniquely applicable to him or her, the more they will have meaning for other people. “That which is most personal is most common,” he said.

Short as it may be, an essay can be large in the implications of the truth it tells.

a question often lurks at the heart of a personal essay.

Narrative essays show us experiences that have in some way changed you.

Many upsetting events fall under the heading of, excuse me, Shit Happens. You can lose a lot of time trying to write about them.

anecdote—a short recounting of an interesting or humorous incident. Anecdotes have a strong role to play, but they don't always add up to an essay, no matter how much time you spend on them.

If there's no catharsis, no growth, no change involved, then you're left with an anecdote—a part of some larger whole—rather than a self-contained essay or story.

The narrative essay has these major story elements: character, problem, struggle, epiphany, resolution. In between these elements, of course, we get image and detail, tone, fantasy, memory, style and language, and the other elements that draw us into any pleasurable reading experience.

A story is a series of events recorded in the order they happened, but a plot is that same story rearranged for maximum effectiveness.

John L'Heureux said, “A story is about a single moment in a character's life when a definitive choice is made, after which nothing is the same.”

(It's a good idea, in fact, to avoid the “we” sort of epiphany altogether, as it tends to make the reader growl, “Speak for yourself, buddy.”)

a remark Robert Kaplan, a psychologist practicing in Oakland, made: the amount of our furniture we bring with us represents how much of our past we're willing to give up on, share, or ignore.

As a writer, as much as 75 percent of your energy in revision will be devoted to getting the tone right.

Personal writing works best when it has a rueful aspect—illusions shed, mistakes made.

When you write about how you've messed up, we like you, since we've messed up, too.

To guard against portraying yourself as the victim of the story or unconsciously seeking sympathy or using your pen as an instrument of revenge, flip the script. Make yourself the one who is getting something wrong.

Tone is also created by the images and details you choose. What you notice and bring to the reader's attention is part of the attitude you create.

Writing is turning your thoughts, abstractions, generalizations, and opinions back into the experiences you got them from.

Smell might be the most important sense of all in autobiographical writing. It unlocks the past. In fact it's great at taking you from present to past:

I can use that flashback in writing as the first of a series of connected memories, intensely reexperienced more than remembered.

If images let your reader experience what you experienced, then details prove it happened. If you say you are late because you hit traffic, the boss may compress his lips, but if you say some bozo in a MINI Cooper tried to drive along the margin of the road and hit a gravel truck, you have a shot at being believed.

Don't give us a box of cereal, but a box of Wheaties. Not a tree, but an aspen. A car didn't pull into your space: a green MINI Cooper did. A certain ex-president's affectionate intern wore not just lipstick but Club Monaco Glaze lipstick and Club Monaco Bare lip liner. “Adopted a tabby from outside a darkened Walmart storefront,” is better than “brought home a stray cat.”

Here's the rule: If there is no emotion in the narrator, there will be none in the reader.

Writing every day will give you a stack of material. But that's not all it will do. It will also give you license to dream. If

Having all the time in the world to write can be paralyzing.

Forget trying to produce good writing. Think it stinks? Make it worse on purpose. Another way in: Pretend no one will read it.

Being stuck does not always mean that you are out of ideas. It can mean that you're getting to the heart of things, which is scary, so you stop.

It seems like a crazy time to worry about doing my daily writing, but in my experience this is when it matters most to keep it up: when life gets crazy.

A critique is good when after you read it your fragile little seed of excitement blooms rather than withers.

Professional writers revise more, not less, than less experienced ones. As Thomas Mann said, “A writer is person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”

We need a lot less backstory than you might think.

If you start too far back, you risk boring your readers with background information they don't yet care about and thus won't remember anyway.

Look back at your first paragraph and grab an image or idea from it to repeat at the end. This will give the reader the comforting feeling of having come full circle.

Any sentence, paragraph, scene, or chapter, no matter how powerful, that serves no story purpose is just so many wasted words.

It's surprising how many writers will neglect to tell us where we are, when it is, and who is talking to us, thus plunging us into a tale that takes place nowhere in particular, at no time in particular, and happens to no one in particular.

If your story is about a loss, let us see what things were like before it happened.

Present tense adds immediacy, past tense a sense of depth.

In any first-person narrative, it's obvious that what's being noticed is being noticed by the narrator, so cut phrases like “I noticed,” “I observed,” and so on.

the phrases “There is” and “There was” can usually be replaced with a more active verb. For instance, “There was a fire” can be “A fire broke out.”

You know you're finished when you catch yourself changing stuff and then putting it back to the way you had it before. Or when the piece gets worse, not better, the more you fiddle with it. Or when you can't find anything in the piece to fix.

A good memoir is not about the painful blow that life unfairly dealt you. It's about what happened next. It's about how human beings change under pressure, not about the bad things that can happen to people. That we can get from the evening news.

Like an essay, a memoir should show how the tale changed the teller.

Ask yourself, “Why would someone want to read this book? Why would I want to read it?” Don't confuse an obsession (with a boyfriend, say, or a disappointing mother) with a compelling subject.

As memoirist Patricia Hampl said, “Consciousness, not experience, is the galvanizing core of a personal story.”

The reflective voice employs phrases such as these: If this hadn't happened, I would never have … It's the first time I really … Before then I had felt … Later I imagined … Then I thought … Now I realize …

The point of your book should not be to show how the events you're describing affected you psychologically. Psychological explanations rob your characters of free will.

The writer Nora Johnson believes that we are profoundly affected by the places we have lived in, that every place changes us. The memories we carry of each place are not so much of the place itself as of ourselves when we were there.

(Keep in mind that we learn about ourselves from what we don't get as well as from what we do get.)

The arc maps the inner changes you undergo as you progress toward your goal. These are not just the events that happen in the book. They are descriptions of the events combined with what emotions you were feeling at that point.

It's not the job of writing to mirror life in all its complexity: that leaves the reader confused and overwhelmed, and he already has his own life to do that. The job of writing is to render the world and other human creatures understandable, and to show how the experiences of others can give us insights into our own behavior.

A good general rule: Don't pull the reader out of the narrative to tell what happened in the past unless it's for a good reason. Flashbacks must add to the emotional complexity of what's going on in the present.

If a flashback can come out without hurting the story, then it has to come out.

Most autobiographical writers know that the emotional truth (how it felt to you) is more important to the story you're telling than the literal truth (what day it was, exactly what your brother said, whether or not it really was raining that day). What happens is fact. Truth is how we react to what happens. You are, after all, not just remembering: you are updating the past, sifting through it, even giving us several ways to view one event.

Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it. —HANNAH ARENDT

If the narration is the string, the scenes are the pearls. Something significant happens in every scene, something that has not happened before in the story and will not happen again.

Whenever you start to enjoy the writing, stop and ask yourself, Am I blathering on?

We respond to characters when we know what they feel intensely about.

Avoid great blocks of dialogue. We're not allowed to say much before we're interrupted by others or by something else going on.

If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. —TONI MORRISON

there are no truly fresh ideas, only fresh spins on old ones.

Any story of what happened is always a version of what happened.

Whether you can really draw or not, whether you can really act or not, or write or not, just trying to do it always gives you a different relationship to meaning. —ANNA DEAVERE SMITH IN LETTERS TO A YOUNG ARTIST

You begin to get distance from an event the moment you write it down. At some point, even the most intimate and horrendous details of your life become transformed into material. When you pin your misfortune to the page, you rob it of its power.

[Claudine Wolk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naked, Drunk and Writing by Adair Lara is a gem and a breath of fresh air.  Any author willing to admit that she put the word "naked" in her book title because she heard that books with the word "naked" in the title sell better, is A-OK in my book.  What's even better, the book is a pleasure to read and chock full of great wisdom for any writer or aspiring writer. How often do you hear someone say (or have you said yourself) "I Should Write a Book About That!"  If that sounds like you and you are serious,  this book is for you. Extremely readable (my favorite quality), well-written (so we know we can trust her), and entertainingly witty (which I know is not her purpose, but still), Naked, Drunk, and Writing is going to get you excited to get YOUR story out there.  It also educates you on the tools of the trade so that when you do have a piece to hand to someone it is going to be what a professional would expect!

Here are some of the things you will find in this book: how to get started, where to put your focus, countless examples, clever exercises, and how to sell your manuscript to a publisher.  This book can be read from cover to cover for sheer enjoyment value as well.  The author put all of her experience, anecdotes, and heart into this one.  Don't miss it.

[Antoinette Perez]

Probably a great partner to Moore's "Crafting the Personal Essay." Moore's book was more about form and technicality. This book helped more with emotion, tone, and heart. I flew pretty quickly through the sections on memoir, since that isn't on my to-do list, but cover to cover, I still found a lot of good direction for my work.

[Joyce Lefler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book about "how to write a memoir" in my collection. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know the differences between non-fiction, autobiography, creative non-fiction, and memoir. I continue to refer to it even after my memoir is now published.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical advice well written in a humorous fashion.

[Sara Kasraee · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب “رها و ناهشیار می‌نویسم” اولین کتابی بود که من از روی مقدمه مترجم انتخابش کردم. توی کتابفروشی اتفاقی چشمم به این کتاب خورد و مقدمه خانم الهام شوشتری‌زاده باعث شد همون جا گوشه کتابفروشی بشینم و مقدمه رو کامل بخونم و در نهایت کتاب رو بخرم. این کتاب اولین مواجه‌ام با چیزی به اسم “جستار” بود. قبلا در عنوان کتاب‌ها دیده بودم اما به طور دقیق نمی‌دونستم چی هست. مدتی بود که به نوشتن علاقه پیدا کرده بودم و این کتاب اولین کتابی بود که در این مسیر مطالعه کردم. این کتاب انگیزه‌ای شد برای شروع یادگیری مهارت نویسندگی برای من.
ترجمه کتاب، ترجمه خوبی بود به نظر من.
بعضی از توصیه‌های کتاب هم ممکنه برای ایران خیلی کارساز نباشه، مثل بخش انتشار اثر.
این کتاب باعث شد متوجه بشم، در نوشتن مهم‌تر از استعداد، استمرار لازمه و مهارتی است که میشه یاد گرفت و لازم نیست ذاتا نویسنده باشید.

*با توجه به ریویویی که نوشتم این کتاب مجموعه‌ای از چند اولین بود برام.

[sAmAnE · Rating 5 out of 5]

📌جان لورو می‌گوید: قصه درباره‌ی تک لحظه‌ای از زندگی شخصیت است که در آن، انتخابی سرنوشت ساز اتفاق افتاده و بعدش دیگر هیچ چیز مثل قبل نیست.
.
این کتاب در مورد جستارنویسی و هنر جستارنویسی هست که نویسنده در ابتدا به صورت کامل جستار نویسی و شرایطش رو توضیح میده....و میگه که جستار نوشتن یه سبکیه که نویسنده باید جملات رو پیدا کنه از یه نقطه‌ای شروع کنه و مسیری رو طی کنه تا به مقصد برسه در مسیرش می‌تونه بسیاری از ژانرهای ادبی و غیره رو استفاده کنه...
اون معتقده که جستار مثل خاطره‌پردازی سراسر پر از احساسه و اگر ردی از احساس توی جملات راوی نباشه، خواننده نمی‌تونه باهاش ارتباط برقرار کنه و هیچ احساسی درون خواننده برانگیخته نمی‌شه...
توی این کتاب به خوبی با سبک جستار نویسی آشنا می‌شیم و بعد نویسنده راه‌هایی رو پیش روی ما می‌گذاره که بتونیم یک جستار نویس و یا یک نویسنده خوب باشیم،اینکه چه مواردی رو باید رعایت کنیم و از چه فرصت‌هایی به نحو احسنت استفاده کنیم...

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I read a lot of these writing tips before, I enjoyed reviewing it again.

I liked the tips about the elements of a successful essay. One tip I had not seen before was outlining the essay which I want to try--I like how the format is fill in the blank.

I also enjoyed the section about what's your angle because that is often the aspect of writing I struggle with the most.

The editing tips are helpful especially the ones about the ending and questions to ask yourself.

The getting published section could use some updating since some of the magazines listed are no longer in print or no longer a publication.

Overall a good writing book for both new and experienced writers.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I barely finished this book before I contacted the author for a manuscript consultation. That's how truly helpful and insightful it is! No trite cliches and talking down to you. Sparse and intelligent. Empathetic with a tough-love reality kick. Humorous and approachable without it feeling forced. Highly recommend for ALL writers (fiction or non) because they all deal a little with the exposure/naked/vulnerability fears in some part. One of my favorite writing guides in years. Definitely recommend!!

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until Phillip Lopate's To Show and to Tell knocked this book down to second place, this was my favorite book on memoir writing. It's still a great book. It gets straight to the point and deep into the bones of writing memoir - but is also witty and funny (without being annoying.) I gave it to a writer friend and he also found it very useful for tightening up one's writing and making it more detailed, vivid and coherent. Also useful for writing short nonfiction pieces.

I own a lot of memoir books of varying usefulness, but this is a book I would keep with me always.

[Julie Bouchonville · Rating 5 out of 5]

So. Books about writing are my jam. If someone wrote something cool or definitive about writing, i probably read it.
Or at least, about writing fiction. I did read a couple of books about writing memoirs and found all of them quite dull, vague, and sortof useless.

Until this one came around. I had barely read 30 pages when i realized this baby was gonna teach me how to memoir deep and hard.

It is the best. It is da bomb. It is absolutely excellent, clear, precise, to the point, and quite funny too.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books about memoir writing that my teacher recommended at the end of my recent course and I think it is by far the best, the most helpful and the most realistic. Rather than just focusing on tense and setting etc. she relates all these technical issues to the need to shape a compelling narrative. The book provides tools to determine what that narrative should be and how to hook the reader in.

[Chris Finlayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun overview of the process of crafting personal experiences into essays and memoirs. The author pulls examples from her experience as both an author and a teacher to help the reader experience different aspects of the form. The book is also filled with practical tips for planning and publishing personal stories.