1 / 11

How to Write Your Life Story

How to Write Your Life Story. Some ideas from Ralph Fletcher. Brainstorm a List. Include any possible events , people , and things that might appear in your memoir. My second home: Kim’s house Black Butte Ranch Horses Cereal

evita
Download Presentation

How to Write Your Life Story

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. How to Write Your Life Story Some ideas from Ralph Fletcher

  2. Brainstorm a List • Include any possible events, people, and things that might appear in your memoir. • My second home: Kim’s house • Black Butte Ranch • Horses • Cereal • Animals: Bandit’s 9 lives, Finding Hobbes, Misadventure with Magic, Pepper in the Fire

  3. Write About Your Name • This simple technique can help you unearth lots of great material for your life story. Ask yourself: • Who were you named after? Is there a story connected to that? • What nicknames have you had? • Were you ever teased about your name? • Do people often misspell or mispronounce it? • How do you feel about your name?

  4. Sketch a Map of your Neighborhood • Close your eyes and try hard to imagine all the details of your neighborhood. • The more your sketch, the more details you add, the more you’ll remember. • Pick a place you know super well—a neighborhood you lived for several years, a relative’s house or apartment you often visited, a vacation home, or a summer camp you return to every year. • Don’t try to make it look professional, just detailed.

  5. Ralph Fletcher’s Map

  6. Sketch a Map of your Neighborhood • As you make your map, label to mark: • Where something happened (you lost a tooth, found a pocket knife, , or buried a beloved pet) • A “power spot” (where all the neighborhood kids gathered) • A “danger spot” (a place you had to avoid) • A favorite place • A secret place

  7. Make a “Heart Map” • Similar to a map of your neighborhood, but with a twist—it’s an emotional map of what matters to you. • Things near and dear to your heart (family, friends, hobbies, interests) • Some things included on a “heart map” can be serious, while others can be more playful.

  8. Example “Heart Map”

  9. Still need some topic ideas?

  10. Gather Artifacts • At home tonight, get a box to gather things that have been important to you. • Examples: a beloved stuffed animal or doll, your first baseball glove, a scrap from your baby blanket, an old photograph of you, Girl or Boy Scout badges, old journals or trading cards • Hold the object, close your eyes, and see what rises into your memory. • Where did you get it? Who gave it to you? Did it ever get lost? How did (does) it make you feel?

  11. Collect Family Stories • In your family, are there certain stories that get told again and again at holidays, weddings, reunions? • Jot down a list of those stories, especially if one of them happens to involve you. If you can’t remember it in all it’s detail, ask a relative later tonight. Ask lots of questions!

More Related