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Write Your Life Story

Share Your Biography With Future Generations

Created bySteve Alcorn

Last updated 1/2023

English

What you'll learn

Turn your life into story
Tell the story of your ancestors
Share your experiences with the next generation
Add excitement and energy to your writing
Dozens of writing prompts will jog your memory
Write thematically, chronologically or anecdotally
Bring your work to life with great dialogue
Polish your writing and get into print
Share your life with family and friends

Course content

6 sections • 41 lectures • 3h 40m total length

Introduction9:25
Meet Steve Alcorn and explore the complete syllabus of Write Your Life Story.
Why Write Your Life Story?3:50
It may seem like a silly question, but there are lots of good reasons to write your life story, and understanding all of them will help you to decide what to include in yours.
Biography or Autobiography?3:31
Are you writing biography or autobiography, and should you write your autobiography as a biography? This lecture helps you answer those questions
How to Write Your Story4:13
The lecture helps you decide what to write about, and explains how to use your "Idea Notebook."
Journals, Blogs, Articles, Recordings, Stories and Novels4:34
What form will your life story take? Block, article, short story or book? This lesson helps you decide.
Tailoring Your Story for Your Audience - Themes8:44
Explore your readership and the themes your want to convey to them.
Do’s and Don’ts6:03
What to do - and not do - when writing your life story.

Fact or Fiction3:51
How much can you bend the truth in your life story?
Chronological Organization3:29
One way to tell your life story is by placing events in chronological order.
Thematic Organization3:49
A second way to organize your life story is by theme.
Anecdotal Organization3:02
The third way to organize your life story is as a series of anecdotes.
Types of Life Stories4:47
There are a number of different types of life stories. This lecture helps you decide which one works best for you.

Plot vs. Story3:38
Great writing requires understanding the difference between plot and story. This lesson reveals all.
Story Structure11:58
Three Act Structure and my Nine Checkpoints are the key to writing a life story with impact and emotional flow.
Viewpoint and Tense6:04
Choosing the best viewpoint and tense makes it easier to tell your story.
Dialogue12:47
Great dialogue is the key to bringing your life story to life.
Settings5:12
Vivid settings are essential to transporting your readers to another place and time. This lecture shows you how to build vivid settings, step by step.

Photos5:03
Photos are great inspirational tools for telling your life story. Here's how to collect them and use them to inspire you.
Conversations3:01
Conversations and dialogue are different. Here's how to use your memories of the former to create the latter.
Q&A2:57
An interview process, whether by correspondence or in person, is a great way to gather material for telling your life story.
Ancestors2:24
How to use your ancestors as a part of your life story is explored in this lecture.
Where Were You When...?3:31
Using a timeline of modern history is a great way to capture your memories of specific dates.
Childhood4:49
Childhood memories are some of our most vivid. Here are some ways to capture yours.
Toys and Possessions4:59
The toys we remember from childhood - and adulthood - tell a lot about who we are.
Pets2:12
Pets can be very special parts of our lives. Be sure to tell readers about your in your life story.
Growing Up3:27
The trials and joys of growing up - at all ages - are a big part of your life story.
Accomplishments2:44
What are the major accomplishments of your life that you'd like people to know about?
Spirituality2:10
If you are a spiritual person, be sure to include that in your life story, to inspire others.
Holidays3:58
Holidays and their traditions are a fun topic to share with the readers of your life story.
Romance2:45
Readers love to hear about romance. Here are some tips on sharing your romantic moments.
The Black Moment2:44
Into every life a little rain must fall, and you should be honest about how you dealt with hard times during your life.
Changes4:29
All of life is about change. This lesson will show you how to identify the pivotal moments of yours and share them with others.
Children and Grandchildren4:04
If you are a parent, it's likely your children are a most important facet of your life. Here's how to share that with your readers.

Writing Big7:53
Writing Big means using simple techniques to make your story as vivid, lively and memorable as possible. Here's how.
Writing Well - Polishing Your Work10:13
Editing can be fun! Here are some simple techniques that will make a world of difference to your manuscript.
Illustrations and Covers16:38
Adding cover art and interior illustrations to your book is easier than you might guess, but there are some things you need to check.
Copyrights and Permissions6:02
Check to make sure you have the rights to material you plan to include in you life story.

Getting Into Print8:12
Getting published is easier than you think! Here's how.
E-books4:29
E-books now outsell printed books. You'll probably want to publish in both forms. These steps make it easy.
Marketing11:05
These fun and easy marketing techniques will help you introduce your life story to readers.
Next Steps1:35
Thanks for taking this journey with me. Here are some next steps you can pursue with your writing.

Requirements

Open to everyone with a story to tell

Description

Everyone has a story to tell. Don't let yours be lost!

Share your life story, or the story of family members with future generations. Children and grandchildren cherish the words we pass on to them and will return to them time and again.

This course shows you how to create an exciting and engaging biography or autobiography to share with friends, family and the world. It begins by introducing you to what makes a great biography, including:

Why Write Your Life Story?
Biography or Autobiography?
How to Write Your Story
Journals, Blogs, Articles, Recordings, Stories and Novels
Tailoring Your Story for Your Audience
Do’s and Don’ts

Then you'll choose the approach to organize your story:

Fact or Fiction
Chronological Organization
Thematic Organization
Anecdotal Organization

You'll learn techniques for creating professional writing including:

Plot vs. Story
Story Structure
Viewpoint and Tense
Dialogue
Settings

The heart of the course is a series of writing prompts that will get you brainstorming and turn your ideas into reality. Following these suggestions, your life will take shape on the page, almost magically:

Writing Prompts - Photos
Writing Prompts - Conversations
Writing Prompts - Q&A
Writing Prompts - Ancestors
Writing Prompts - Where Were You When...?
Writing Prompts - Childhood
Writing Prompts - Toys and Possessions
Writing Prompts - Pets
Writing Prompts - Growing Up
Writing Prompts - Accomplishments
Writing Prompts - Spirituality
Writing Prompts - Holidays
Writing Prompts - Romance
Writing Prompts - The Black Moment
Writing Prompts - Changes
Writing Prompts - Children and Grandchildren

Once your story is written, we'll look at the fun process of polishing and publishing your story:

Writing Big
Polishing Your Work
Illustrations and Covers
Copyrights and Permissions

Finally, with your manuscript finished, we'll show you how to share it with the world:

Getting Into Print
E-books
Marketing
Next Steps

In this lively and fun course, Steve Alcorn shows you how to achieve your dream. Step by step, you'll bring your story to life. Imagine the fun you and your family will have sharing these experiences!

Whether you're a first time or experienced writer, Write Your Life Story will show you how to share your history with others. Enroll now!

Who this course is for:

For First time or Experienced Writers
Everyone has a story to tell - It's your turn!

Write Your Life Story

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Your Life Story7 lectures • 40min

Structure5 lectures • 19min

Writing Tools5 lectures • 40min

Writing Prompts16 lectures • 55min

Your Manuscript4 lectures • 41min

Publishing Your Work4 lectures • 25min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: