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Write Your Life Story And Get It Published: Successful life stories

by Ann Gawthorpe

To write a successful life story you don’t need to be famous or to have done something amazing – but you do need to be able to communicate with your readers and include the information they want to know about.

A good starting point is to think what you would have liked to have read about in your grandparent’s life stories. You would want to know the nitty-gritty details of their life as well as the broad brushstrokes.

Write as you speak, in other words have a conversation with your readers so that your voice comes through the words. Include your emotions such as how it felt when your first child was born. Describe events using all the senses: sound, smell and touch as well as sight.

Include anecdotes, particularly humorous ones. Be honest with your readers, although it is up to you how much personal detail you include.

Finally, you must have perseverance because writing a book is time-consuming. But if you break the writing down into manageable chunks and give yourself sensible targets such as 500 words or one hour’s writing a day you will complete it. Most importantly, give yourself regular rewards.

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