Writing the Story of Your Life

by Carmel Bird

In Writing the Story of Your Life, Carmel Bird, author of the classic writing guide Dear Writer, brings you down-to-earth advice, inspirational quotations and suggestions and practical exercises. Clear and easy-to-use, it is an essential reference tool for anyone thinking about writing, or anyone who loves writing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Writing

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

Reviews

[Rosemary Nissen-Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this. It was written in 2010 but I only recently discovered it. I’d been flirting with the idea of a memoir for years, always deciding against. But Carmel writes beautifully, and we have a long history….

We knew each other as children, and again in our forties.

We grew up in Launceston, Tasmania, in the same neighbourhood, attending each other’s birthday parties when we were in primary school. We were at the same school awhile too, though in different years.

In our teens, circumstances took us on separate journeys, geographical and otherwise. We met up again in Melbourne in the eighties, became friends and colleagues – but, circumstances.... We became geographically distant once more and now have only rare and brief, though friendly, contact.

But the shared childhood creates a deep understanding. We are both – as she calls herself in this book – expatriates, yearning for the home we remember. (We've both occasionally revisited.)

Though each chooses not to live there now, the yearning is real. Whenever there’s anything on TV about Tasmania, I’m glued to the set. This book, full of Carmel’s childhood recollections, excerpted from her journals and essays, both awakens and satisfies that yearning.

The book is full of fascinating insights about memoir, in relation to both fact and fiction. She makes memoir writing sound like the most seductive of pleasures! There are many enticing exercises, which I read but haven't yet done. I was reading it for the lovely writing and lovely reminiscences, I told myself.

But before I finished, I began a new memoir which I know I’ll complete – not about childhood, but a later experience I’d long been blocked from writing. This book freed me.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to read if you want to write a memoir and even just want to write. The exercises where good and helpful for the most part but I found some just didn't relate to me or what I want to write.
Overall though it was interesting and had some useful tidbits and anything helps when you want to better your writing skills.

[Ari (Head in a Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written, simple guide that is rather motivational.