Appealing? Or Appalling?
What did you think when someone showed you his life story or personal biography?
Did your mouth say, “Wow—looks like you've put a lot of time into this,” while your mind said, “I'll put this tome next to War and Peace and Moby Dick. Maybe one day I'll get to it.”
In this hands-on workshop you will address these topics (and more!):
Audience—the big WHY
Voices—I'm hearing them
Organization—the plan of attack
Authenticity—It's ok to polish the wood, but don't cover it with veneer
Brevity—More is not always better
Presentation—Icing on the cake
Why do people write their personal histories? Perhaps because they wish someone in preceding generations had left something for them to understand the world he lived in. What would it be like to be in his skin as a child? What was tough/easy about school? What was his childhood home like? Was he athletic and popular? What kind of chores did he do? What about the first car, first kiss, first day at college, his wedding proposal? Whatever the motivation, a well-written personal history indelibly records a slice of Americana (or wherever) for others to enjoy. A life story may never hit the bestseller list, but rarely is that the motivation for writing one.
Anybody can keep a journal, but the writer armed with skills and a “pocket full of questions” can learn to move a story beyond the ho-hum and elevate it to an heirloom. Whether you're writing your own memoir, or interviewing someone to capture his life story, you will come away from this workshop with some skills and tools to help you tackle the rewarding process of producing a personal history.
“Personal Histories Worth Reading” will be presented from 11:30 – 12:30 on Saturday, September 12 at the Utah Christian Writers Conference in Salt Lake City. For more information, visit www.utahchristianwriters.com
Julie Scott captures the life stories of individuals and families so their personal histories can be published. She believes that everybody has a story to tell and enjoys learning about different people, times, and cultures. When she's not writing, Julie can be found in the classroom of adult international students and scholars, and their spouses, helping them to improve their English skills in the areas of writing, reading. pronunciation, and communication. She has been married for 26 years, has two adult children who are married, and has the self-proclaimed "World's Cutest Grandson" -- and the pictures to prove it.
What did you think when someone showed you his life story or personal biography?
Did your mouth say, “Wow—looks like you've put a lot of time into this,” while your mind said, “I'll put this tome next to War and Peace and Moby Dick. Maybe one day I'll get to it.”
In this hands-on workshop you will address these topics (and more!):
Audience—the big WHY
Voices—I'm hearing them
Organization—the plan of attack
Authenticity—It's ok to polish the wood, but don't cover it with veneer
Brevity—More is not always better
Presentation—Icing on the cake
Why do people write their personal histories? Perhaps because they wish someone in preceding generations had left something for them to understand the world he lived in. What would it be like to be in his skin as a child? What was tough/easy about school? What was his childhood home like? Was he athletic and popular? What kind of chores did he do? What about the first car, first kiss, first day at college, his wedding proposal? Whatever the motivation, a well-written personal history indelibly records a slice of Americana (or wherever) for others to enjoy. A life story may never hit the bestseller list, but rarely is that the motivation for writing one.
Anybody can keep a journal, but the writer armed with skills and a “pocket full of questions” can learn to move a story beyond the ho-hum and elevate it to an heirloom. Whether you're writing your own memoir, or interviewing someone to capture his life story, you will come away from this workshop with some skills and tools to help you tackle the rewarding process of producing a personal history.
“Personal Histories Worth Reading” will be presented from 11:30 – 12:30 on Saturday, September 12 at the Utah Christian Writers Conference in Salt Lake City. For more information, visit www.utahchristianwriters.com
Julie Scott captures the life stories of individuals and families so their personal histories can be published. She believes that everybody has a story to tell and enjoys learning about different people, times, and cultures. When she's not writing, Julie can be found in the classroom of adult international students and scholars, and their spouses, helping them to improve their English skills in the areas of writing, reading. pronunciation, and communication. She has been married for 26 years, has two adult children who are married, and has the self-proclaimed "World's Cutest Grandson" -- and the pictures to prove it.
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