Forever Young Autobiographies

Case study: Helping to write the story of grandmother Bonnie, 99

Part 2: How to write a grandma book in simple steps

An amazing thing happened last week.

My grandmother turned 99.

Happy birthday Bonnie!

Anyone reaching this grand old age is remarkable.

That is a whole lot of living and a whole lot of life stories!

A year on from her last birthday, however, and my grandma can be satisfied she has these stories down on paper.

Over the past couple of years we have been working away on her book.

It has been a long but infinitely rewarding process.

Now we are getting ready to print final copies for family and friends.

This week I am going to recap the final stages of how the book came together, what challenges we faced and where we are at now.

Book review: Educated by historian Tara Westover

Educated by Tara Westover, Penguin Random House.

What every autobiography writer should know about the bestselling memoir by Penguin Random House

I recently finished Tara Westover’s Educated.

The story is gripping, horrifying and intriguing all at once.

I had this international bestselling memoir on my must-read autobiographies list for 2018.

And I listened to the audiobook version over a few days – seriously I could not turn it off!

The book was published in 2018 by Windmill Books (Penguin Random House Company) and selected as a book of the year by Amazon plus numerous publications including The Times, Guardian and New York Times.

And its reputation continues to grow.

It has also been supported by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and former American president Barack Obama.

The number of accolades is staggering, especially given Educated is Westover’s first book and that she is only in her early 30s.

Keep reading to find out what the book is about, my favourite parts and what it can teach fellow autobiography writers.

Surefire tips to end feeling overwhelmed about writing your life story

Easy ways to stop procrastinating and re-ignite your writing

First published August 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

Amy had great intentions about writing her life story.

The first few months were full of ideas, excitement and writing!

She prepared her chapter structure and went to the state library to get more details for her family tree.

One thing led to another and she disappeared down a family-history rabbit hole.

After three months, she had discovered a lot of information dating back to convicts in Tasmania.

But unfortunately she had been sidetracked and now felt overwhelmed to do more autobiography writing.

While the historical records were interesting to her children and grandchildren, they were definitely not as interesting as her memories and life story would have been!

Does this sound like a familiar story?

In this article I offer tips to help you stop being overwhelmed and get that memoir finished.

How to beat memoir writer’s block in 8 simple steps

House tour tips for writing an autobiography

First published July 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

Ever since I was in primary school, my grandmother, ‘nanny’, taught me to bake.

She liked to cook ‘quickly’ and get it out of the way early, first thing in the morning.

Even though we worked swiftly, she would tell me stories about her family and life growing up on a dairy farm.

Looking back now, I realise that many of these anecdotes were inspired by the food we were cooking, the way we were preparing it and even the utensils we were using.

Case study: Scientist’s memoir inspired by next generations

Historian’s research helps supercharge husband’s life story

A desire not to repeat regrets spurred retired agricultural scientist Dr Alan Bell to write his memoir.

The 71-year-old recently published his book for family and friends.

“As I’ve grown older, I’ve regretted that I didn’t take the trouble to learn more about the lives of my parents and grandparents before they died,” Alan said.

“My writings are intended for my immediate family in case they feel the same way some day.”

Alan’s book is interesting for many reasons, especially because he joined forces with his wife Gay, a keen historian.

She researched and compiled a brief family history for Alan that prefaces the book.

Keep reading to find out more about how the project unfolded and tips Alan has for fellow autobiography writers.

Death and dying: How to have hard conversations for your writing

What a doctor knows about discussing life and death

It was a hot and humid afternoon when I got the call from my dad Paul.

I was sitting in the school car park with one child, about to pick up another.

As a general practitioner doctor of 40 plus years he cut straight to the point: one of his major arteries was 95 per cent blocked.

He would have surgery in two weeks.

The risks were high; death before the operation, death during the operation or “worse” waking up from the operation with permanent damage from a stroke.

My brain went fuzzy, emotions pricked my eyes but my journalistic brain kicked in and I asked for the facts.

It was a 10-minute conversation and one of many we would have as my dad underwent multiple high-risk operations that year.

During this time we talked about death and dying, life and survival.

These are hard conversations – sometimes painful, confronting, urgent.

They are also topics we have to face as we write about our own lives or help a loved one write their life story.

In this article I sit down with my dad to discuss what tips he has gleaned over a lifetime of medicine on talking to people about death and dying.

Book review: Working Class Boy by Cold Chisel’s Jimmy Barnes

Photos: Harper Collins and Stephanie Barnes

What a life-story writer has to say about Barnesy’s childhood memoir by Harper Collins

Cold Chisel is part of Aussie-rock folklore.

The band is renowned for furious and high-intensity shows that have become anthems for the working class.

When frontman Jimmy Barnes released his award-winning memoir Working Class Boy I first heard it talked about in revered tones by other artists.

They said it was a book that steamrolled over and above their own formative memories and autobiography-writing efforts.

It was a juggernaut of a memoir that blew everyone else’s out of the water.

Barnes had recently toured through our region in Queensland when Working Class Boy by Harper Collins came out in 2016.

Just like that show, I knew his story would be full of power and ferocity.

Valentine’s Day special: Best of 2018 articles you love

The easy way to find 2018 best autobiography writing tips

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today I’m going to share and foster your love of writing with a few ‘sweet surprises’.

Looking back at the website’s best of 2018 articles and videos it is clear there were a handful you fell in LOVE with and found particularly helpful.

I’ve picked the most popular from a range of categories; planning to write, tips for new writers, polishing your writing and publishing your autobiography.

This also includes a number of ‘case study’ feature stories.

These best of 2018 articles are full of writing shortcuts and practical ideas to motivate you to get writing from the start to the end of the year.

So pull up a chair and enjoy these curated ‘best of the best’ articles from 2018.

Story detail: Identifying key details in a story to make your autobiography shine

What every memoir writer should know about finding details in a story

First published July 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

If I told you a story about a father helping to deliver his daughter in a hospital car park at night, you might think it an uncommon event.

It I then told you that it was Father’s Day and this dad had to hold the torch for the midwives while the baby was delivered in a matter of minutes, you might think it was pretty interesting.

Now what if I told you that this father was actually himself born on Father’s Day and that his last child was born on Mother’s Day, you might think I was making the whole story up!

Writing motivation: How to finish writing a book about your life

The surefire way to motivate yourself to write your autobiography or memoir

First published June 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

I read a viral email several years ago about a ‘love ladder’.

It was a heart-warming story about an elderly husband and wife in central China.

They had lived together simply in a mountainous area for over 50 years.

During this time, the husband carved more than 6000 steps into the hillside so his wife could more easily climb up and down from their home.

It is a remarkable story and made me think about how this man began the epic task.

Starting and finishing a memoir can similarly seem like a huge task!

Here are three writing motivation suggestions to help keep your autobiography on track to completion.