so writing ones life advice cheers

Pups · May 27, 2008

how does a person write about it and is there like a r18, section when wanting to get ones life published as in (viloiance) sorry cant spell that word and things of that nature? I guess what im thinking is for me when writing about my life perhaps it would be to graphic for readers etc.
and also i find it way easier to use the real names of people could i be chargered for doing that?
And also how does one hide etc when writing a book as in, not making it a real life story more fiction, so then no one could really call it the truth aye?
I find some things hard to write because of the memories and details of it all, sorry using a friends computer havent got spell check.
But my life as many others have had was one of torture, abuse, neglect. etc so i find as any one would it sensitive yet a relife to speak or type about it...
and when writing say ones like as a fiction would it have to carry on in one book or could it be done in like many books as in a series

And can sexual abuse be writen about, Rape and all of that if it happened alot?
How far can i go into my world that is ok to have published?
how detailed can i be? about everything, death also?

Ritergal · May 28, 2008

Pups, I wish I could remember who posted this where. Within the last couple of weeks a well-known memoir writer advised people to not to even think of writing about traumatic events for publication until they have written their story half a dozen times and ways. She said something to the effect that you need to write, and write, and write until the sting subsides. During this time you write only for yourself. Don't show early versions to anyone but perhaps a therapist or a deeply trusted friend. When the sting subsides, then and only then you can begin crafting a story for the public.

By the time you get your sting worked out, many of your questions about liability and other things may have resolved themselves. Don't concern youself with these matters until you master your material.

brutus · May 30, 2008

Pups · May 30, 2008

i guess things like tring to kill my mother, ect. some of the things i done was not to good. I know i wont come accross as the nice girl all of the time..my life was so full on, as many others were...
maybe writting my life would not be the best option, thats why i wanted to do fiction, i wish i had of stayed at school, and learnt a g
ood comand of grammer etc..but then if i did that i wouldnt of had my seven sons, or gone through all that i did.
I am having fun writting now fiction and using my ideas to create a stranger.....i also like the idea that i can put parts of me into her..my she is such a b***h...at times. I dont want people to really know the things i have done.
i have done 15 years of counsiling so have delt with my past...and i have always been told by them i should write that book about my life.
thats why i wanted to make it fiction, because then no one will know which parts are real or not...

mpinsky · May 30, 2008

First of all, as one working on a memoir myself, as well as having psychiatric counseling for about 17 years now (though for minor things, really), your psychiatrists probably do not know a thing about what is currently in vogue with the publishing world. This might just be their idea for having you let your thoughts out. Don't let that stop you, however!

Secondly, you will need a good grasp of grammar and spelling, otherwise an agent/editor is not going to look at it very seriously. There are many good resources for grammar and then there are always online spell checkers.

Finally, that is the point of fiction. It can be based off life events, but for the most part, it is made up into a story usually quite different than your own. If you want people to know what is real and what is not, then I suggest you stick with writing a memoir.

Hope this helped!

lisake · Jun 25, 2008

Reading this thread, I am reminded of the Augusten Burroughs memoir "Running With Scissors." It's certainly not for everyone and includes some very disturbing material treated in an often-humorous way. He handles homosexuality, alcoholism, mental illness, abandonment and various forms of abuse, including sexual.

But what I got from the book is that Burroughs managed to survive an awful childhood via his use of humor, and his experiences made him the person and writer he is today. Humor helped him cope with his reality.

I've never been a victim of abuse, so those who have may find it more difficult to read. But I just wanted to throw this title out there as a successful, acclaimed and widely read memoir that dealt with abuse.

Ritergal · Jun 26, 2008

As "undiscovered" writers, our chances of hitting the best-seller list with memoir or fiction are slightly better than our odds winning the lottery. Maybe. So, why not just write your heart out for the fun and health of it, and see where the road leads? After all, we won't win the lottery if we don't buy a ticket.

so writing ones life advice cheers

Pups

Ritergal

brutus

Pups

mpinsky

lisake

Sometimes I feel like a Dwarf

Ritergal