You Can Write a Memoir

by Susan Carol Hauser

Passionately encouraging readers to reclaim the precious moments of their personal histories, Hauser shows readers how to transform them into intimate, compelling narratives. Using inspired samples from her own work, as well as essays by her students, she illuminates the process of finding and conveying meaning in both their own life and the lives of their friends and families. Readers will create their own memoir as they work through the exercises in each chapter, learning along the way how * use details to tell stories vividly
* use sensory images to express feelings and beliefs
* uncover the values and meanings expressed in their stories
* find perspective by framing thoughts and feelings at different life stages
* trust the images and moments that come to them in memory.

Genres: Writing

184 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

Reviews

[Rachelle Graham-Bernal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very helpful read, as I start my fourth novel and first memoir. I am getting older so I felt it was time and as I feel my illness is draining me and I may not have much longer to live, I need a book to teach me how to write memoir. I took a class at Portland State over a decade ago that was helpful and informative in an astounding way, but this novel is a great brush up to get me started and on track to make me feel I have some semblance of where to start my memoir and how to put together all the gibberish I have collected over about 100 diaries and to pick out what is most important and how to say it in a way others would relate to and want to read. Hauser did a good job.

[Kimberly Patton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably wasn’t her ideal reader because it seems this book was written for older people writing their life memoir. But I still learned a few nuggets here and there about writing.

[Beth K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic writing suggestions on writing your memoir. I will finish mine one of these days, even if it's trite and something authors turn to when they've outlived their creativity. Nice reference to have on hand.

[Rona · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reference Book

[Jade Lovgren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, gave me lots of good ideas.

[Nolen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good basic suggestions on finding sources and writing style.