by Sally Cline
First published 2010
Sally Cline and Carole Angier transform personal stories into compelling narratives. These experienced instructors at the Arvon Foundation have created a comprehensive resource for life writing that covers memoir, autobiography, and biography. The book presents three distinct approaches to the craft. The authors examine the unique challenges writers face when dealing with truth, memory, ethics, evidence, and interpretation. Thirty-two accomplished life writers share their personal techniques and experiences, including autobiographers, memoirists, biographers of literary figures and celebrities, sports personalities, plus insights from a critic, agent, literary editor, novelists, and ghostwriter. The third section provides practical guidance with hands-on exercises suitable for creative writing courses or individual study. This resource addresses the growing popularity of life writing by combining theoretical understanding with practical application, offering writers the tools to transform their own experiences or research into engaging narratives.
Genres: biography, autobiography, non-fiction, how-to, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: craft-of-writing, instructional, personal-experience
Setting: Arvon
288 pages · Kindle Edition · A&C Black