How to Begin Your Memoir: Inspirations & Motivations
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About this ebook
Accomplished author, editor, and writing coach D. Patrick Miller helps writers take the very first step in creating a personal history: getting clear on why one is writing. "If you can focus your purpose from the start, you will hit fewer snags as you go along, and end up much more satisfied with the result," he explains. Miller reviews three "Poor Motivations" and three "Effective Motivations" for writing a memoir, and provides a set of questions to help authors explore their starting point more effectively.He also explains why the best inspiration for a personal memoir is the paradoxical outlook, "It's not about me."
D. Patrick Miller
Patrick D. Miller is Charles T. Haley Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. He is the author of numerous books, including The Religion of Ancient Israel. He is coeditor of the Interpretation commentary series and the Westminster Bible Companion series. In 1998, he served as President of the Society of Biblical Literature. He was also editor of Theology Today for twenty years.
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How to Begin Your Memoir - D. Patrick Miller
HOW TO BEGIN YOUR MEMOIR:
Inspirations & Motivations
by D. Patrick Miller
© 2021 by D. Patrick Miller
Smashwords Edition
All Rights Reserved
CONTENTS
Introduction
A New Point of View on Your Point of View
Poor Motivations for a Memoir
Effective Motivations for a Memoir
Reviewing Your Motivations
What is Your Gift to Readers?
Further Resources
Introduction
So the time has come to tell your story. You’ve reached a point in your life where you feel the need to sum up your personal history in the form of an autobiography. Or perhaps you want to review an especially compelling part or idea drawn from your life story, which is usually called a memoir.
Either way, this may seem like a simple, straightforward decision with a strictly personal motivation. In fact, it’s a