Life writing : a writers' and artists' companion : writing biography, autobiography and memoir / Sally Cline and Carole Angier.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cline, Sally, author.

Angier, Carole, author.

Series:

Writers' and artists' companions.

Writers' and artists' companions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Biography as a literary form.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (288 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London, [England] : Bloomsbury, 2013.

Summary:

'Life Writing' is an essential guide to writing biography, autobiography and memoir. It explores the history and forms of life writing, as well as featuring tips from bestselling writers such as Diana Athill, Alan Bennett and Alain de Botton. Life Writing: A Writers' & Artists' Companion is an essential guide to writing biography, autobiography and memoir.PART 1 explores the history and forms of life writing and the challenges and potential pitfalls of the genre. PART 2 includes tips by bestselling writers: Diana Athill, Alan Bennett, Alain de Botton, Jill Dawson, Millicent Dillon, Margaret Drabble, Geoff Dyer, Victoria Glendinning, Lyndall Gordon, Peter Hayter, Richard Holmes, Michael Holroyd, Kathryn Hughes, Diane Johnson, Hermione Lee, Andrew Lownie, Janet Malcolm, Alexander Masters, Nancy Milford, Blake Morrison, Andrew Morton, Clare Mulley, Jenni Murray, Nicholas Murray, Kristina Olsson, Marion Elizabeth Rodgers, Meryle Secrest, Miranda Seymour, Frances Spalding, Hilary Spurling, Boyd Tonkin, Edmund White. PART 3 includes practical advice - from planning, researching and interviewing to writing, pacing and navigating ethical issues.

Contents:

Cover

Life Writing: A Writers' & Artists' Companion

Imprint Page

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Part One: Life Writing

Part Two: Tips & Tales

Part Three: Write On

Introduction

Why do People Read Life Writing?

Part 1: Life Writing

Reflections 1

1. A Note

2. Alarums and Invasions

3. Ethics and legality

4. Truth and Objectivity

5. Art and Evidence

Reflections 2

1. Reflections on the Role of a Life Writer

2. Reflections on Myth and Memory

3. Reflections on Truth

4. Reflections on Telling Stories, Telling Facts

Tradition

Biography

Beginnings

Middle Ages

The Renaissance

The Seventeenth Century

The Early Eighteenth Century

The Eighteenth Century: The Arrival of Modern Biography

Victorian Blight

The Early Twentieth Century

Between the Wars

The Post-War Period

Biography in Fiction

Autobiography

What is Autobiography?

Why do People Write Autobiographies?

Where to Start

History and Development of Contemporary Autobiographies

Are All Autobiographies Written by their Subjects?

Autobiographical Writing in other Genres

Changes

Autobiographical Novels

Autobiography in Creative Non-Fiction

Autobiographical Poetry

Exploitation

Memoir 1

Travel and Adventure

War and Holocaust

Frauds, Fakes and Fiction

Memoir 2

What Distinguishes Memoir from Autobiography?

Types of Memoirs

Family and Childhood Memoirs

Misery Memoirs

Illness

Diaries, Blogs, Twitters

Part 2: Tips and Tales - Guest Contributions

Diana Athill

Alan Bennett

Alain de Botton

Jill Dawson

Millicent Dillon

Margaret Drabble

Geoff Dyer

Victoria Glendinning

Lyndall Gordon

Peter Hayter

Richard Holmes

Michael Holroyd

Kathryn Hughes

Diane Johnson.

Hermione Lee

Andrew Lownie

Janet Malcolm

Alexander Masters

Nancy Milford

Blake Morrison

Andrew Morton

Clare Mulley

Jenni Murray

Nicholas Murray

Kristina Olsson

Marion Elizabeth Rodgers

Meryle Secrest

Miranda Seymour

Frances Spalding

Hilary Spurling

Boyd Tonkin

Edmund White

Part 3: Write On

Planning

Important General Points for All Life Writers

1. Planning a Biography

How to Choose a Subject

Checking Out

Level of Work

Extra Skills You May Need to Acquire

Types of Biography

Practical Issues, Especially Cost

2. Planning a Memoir

Cost of Writing Memoirs

3. Planning an Autobiography

Cost of Writing an Autobiography

4. When you Have Decided on your Biography, Memoir or Autobiography

Planning Proposals for Biography, Autobiography and Memoir

Choosing Titles for Biography, Autobiography and Memoir

Grants and Other Sources of Funding for Biography, Autobiography and Memoir

Other Helpful Information at the General Planning Stage

Mentoring

Literary Consultancies

Courses

Journals

Organisations

Planning your Writing - all Genres

1. Referential Matter

2. Use of Preface and Prologue for Biographies, Memoirs and Autobiographies

Prologue or Introduction for Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs

3. Structure

Biography and Memoir

Chapter Breakdown in all Genres

Research

A. Where to Go

Basic Printed Resources

National Archives

Local Archives

Libraries & Museums

Libraries

University Libraries

Public Libraries

Other Libraries

Museums

Online Sources

B. What to do

For Biography

C. Other Things to do in the Research Period

Copyright Research

For Autobiography and Memoir

D. Interviewing for all the Genres.

What to Think about when Interviewing

E. The Last Thing to Thing to Think about before Writing

Writing

Managing Time in all the Genres

1. Narration in Autobiography and Memoir

2. Narration in Biography

Viewpoint in Biography

Truth in Biography

Truth in Autobiography and Memoir

Ethics in all Genres

How to Manage Balance

1. Balancing Empathy and Detachment

2. Balancing Accuracy and Elegance

How to Manage Fictional Techniques

Description

Dialogue

For Memoir and Autobiography

Suspense

Pace and Narrative Drive

Rhythm and Variation

Conflict

Characterisation

Imagery and Symbolism

Irony and Humour

Playing with Order

Playing with Tense

Good Openings

Satisfying Endings

What to Avoid in all Writing

Acknowledgements

Permissions

Address List

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (EBC, viewed March 15, 2018).

ISBN:

1-4725-3105-1

1-4725-2425-X

OCLC:

1024268615