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You have a story to tell. Just write your story. If you don’t know where to start, click here for help<\/a>. After you’ve done the first exercise, do the second exercise<\/a> and then do your first revision<\/a> (because revising is an integral process of writing). You have a story to tell. Just write your story. I appreciate the dedication of hardworking career writers, those who have spent decades studying and practicing the art and craft of writing. I love literature. I wish everyone could write it; but it takes talent and dedication to write literature. You don’t need to write …<\/p>\n
\nI appreciate the dedication of hardworking career writers, those who have spent decades studying and practicing the art and craft of writing. I love literature. I wish everyone could write it; but it takes talent and dedication to write literature.
\nYou don’t need to write a literary masterpiece. You just need to get your story into print.
\nAnd you should. So forget about writing The Great Gatsby<\/em> or Angela’s Ashes<\/em> or\u00a0The Liar’s Club<\/em>, and just write and print your little book.<\/p>\n\n
\nAfter you’ve done those tasks, try this revision strategy:
\nChange your point of view.<\/strong>
\nYou most likely wrote your story (about yourself or your family) in the first person. (I saw, I went, I felt…) Now, rewrite it in the third person. Trust me on this—you can always change it back to first person later.
\nThis is a good exercise. Third person offers you a more objective perspective from which to do the work of making your memory into a readable story. You want your writing to make sense to a reader who doesn’t know you. So pretend that you don’t know yourself. For example, I wrote about myself as a twelve-year-old.
\nAlone in my bedroom I caressed every ruby bead of the first communion rosary belonging to my neighbor…<\/em>
\nRevised to 3rd person it now reads:
\nAlone in her bedroom, Tracy caressed every ruby bead of the first communion rosary belonging to her neighbor. She\u00a0<\/em>recited ten Hail Marys for each mystery, times fifteen mysteries full of grace, one-hundred-fifty petitions for Lexie. It was wrong–it was really, really bad–when Lexie got so drunk she drove her 1972 Mustang off the road and into a steep ditch. And although twelve-year-old Tracy wasn’t supposed to believe in purgatory, she was making sure her dead friend would get out of that painful place. And while she prayed the rosary, she knew she was bad, too, because she was Lutheran and Lutherans don\u2019t pray to the Mother of God. But there she was, fingering those delicious, forbidden ruby beads. Because\u00a0what if the Catholics were right? And chanting like a nun made her feel sort of bad, but it also made her feel a little bit holy.<\/em><\/em>
\nAfter you’ve revised your piece to 3rd person, let your left-brain editor tinker around with your story for a while, keeping in mind the editing strategies I’ve told you about (in this post)<\/a>.
\nBecause even though you’re writing about yourself, you are, in fact, writing your story<\/em>. And therefore you owe it to the reader, to make your story into a good read.
\nAfter all, your reader is going to invest her valuable time. Instead of making a pot of chili, instead of walking on the beach, instead of laughing with friends, instead of earning money, she’ll be reading your words. Take the time to give her good words, coherent sentences and orderly paragraphs.
\nSo try this little trick of turning “I” into “he” or “she.” \u00a0From a new perspective, you might find it easier to see how the words are–or are not–shaping up into a story. Because you’ll notice less of your self<\/em>.
\nBecause writing is all about sharing; and sharing is all about the other<\/em> person.
\nAnd because blogging is about sharing, I’d appreciate it if you talked back to me. Feel free to answer either \u00a0(or both) of the following questions.
\nSo who are you spending all this time writing for<\/em>?\u00a0<\/strong>(I’m writing mostly for my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, because I wish my grandparents and great-grandparents had left more of a record for me).
\nAnd now that you know that I secretly wanted to become a nun (or better yet, a saint!) when I was a kid; who or what did you secretly hope to become?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"