Would The Story of Your Life Be a Best-Seller?
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It would definitely be in the humour section. "Partially Cloudy with a Chance of Oncoming Traffic" would be a likely title. I end up in odd situations and with a dose of exaggeration it is usually pretty funny. I take others seriously and myself not at all. I'm working on my third stand up comedy monologue. They all take fairly normal events that waddled off into the absurd. If the book could make people smile, and hopefully, laugh, then it would be worth it. No one cares what year you were born, or about the chronology of your life, so I'd want it to have moments where I actually learned something, contributed something and the lighter side of life. My motto is that life either gives you good memories or great stories. It is all in the perspective.
Great thread.
Great thread.
And my music nerd brain cues up...
Sometimes life is fragile
Seems like it's coming undone
Sometimes you're over a barrel
Sometimes you're under the gun
Sometimes life is easy
Just a walk in the park
Sometimes life's a gamble
Just a shot in the dark
Another day in other words
In the story of life
I've found the only way
I can ever survive
Is reading by the light of my faith
Hope is alive
And love turns another page
And Heaven is mine
When the Author signs His name on my heart
In the story of life
Sometimes life is fragile
Seems like it's coming undone
Sometimes you're over a barrel
Sometimes you're under the gun
Sometimes life is easy
Just a walk in the park
Sometimes life's a gamble
Just a shot in the dark
Another day in other words
In the story of life
I've found the only way
I can ever survive
Is reading by the light of my faith
Hope is alive
And love turns another page
And Heaven is mine
When the Author signs His name on my heart
In the story of life
Why should anyone want to read about my depressing life? If you want to be depressed yourself - read my book!
One thing you gotta keep in mind... you can't really judge the story halfway through.
None of our stories are done yet.
None of our stories are done yet.
Why does this song pop up in my head?:
God has a plan
He cares for you and me.
I can only pray for a happy ending.
God has a plan
He cares for you and me.
I can only pray for a happy ending.
Famous people usually have biographies and memoirs written about them because they live a life that is extraordinary.
As for autobiographies, sometimes they can be a bit of a vanity piece. Eg demi Moore. They get approached by publishers who usually hire a ghostwriter to help write their story.
Because they are already famous, its almost guaranteed their name will sell lots of books. If you are not already famous, then its the strength of your writing or story.
I read a lot of memoirs, autobiogrpahies and biography of famous and not so famous people. For those who are not so famous, they often have a hook that makes you want to keep reading about them. Did you survive certain death, did you suffer then overcome something? Or it could be your lifes journey is a quest of some sort and you did everything you can to achieve that quest.
I prefer memoir over autobiograhy or tell-all. A memoir isnt necessarily all about yourself, it could be about your family or the times you lived in and through. I think you need to be a certain age to write a really good memoir, and also a way of telling a story. Angelas ashes became a best seller because of the way frank mcourt told it. He wasnt famous before then he lived in dire poverty, had a drunken mother...(mommie dearest memoirs are actually quite popular) and overcame setbacks. Growing up and coming of age is also a good theme its universal among everyone. Lessons in life that your learned etc.
As for me im not sure what i would write about myself hadnt really thought about it. I think testimony would be a start what God taught me. Growing up, overcoming demons, racism, crazy spells, and reading way too many books. If someone wants to weite a story about me after im dead I wont be around to comment but if they thought I was memorable enough to write about I cant stop them! Sometimes people write for closure or as therapy.
And of course the most famous and bestselling memoirs of all time are in your Bible its the gospels.
As for autobiographies, sometimes they can be a bit of a vanity piece. Eg demi Moore. They get approached by publishers who usually hire a ghostwriter to help write their story.
Because they are already famous, its almost guaranteed their name will sell lots of books. If you are not already famous, then its the strength of your writing or story.
I read a lot of memoirs, autobiogrpahies and biography of famous and not so famous people. For those who are not so famous, they often have a hook that makes you want to keep reading about them. Did you survive certain death, did you suffer then overcome something? Or it could be your lifes journey is a quest of some sort and you did everything you can to achieve that quest.
I prefer memoir over autobiograhy or tell-all. A memoir isnt necessarily all about yourself, it could be about your family or the times you lived in and through. I think you need to be a certain age to write a really good memoir, and also a way of telling a story. Angelas ashes became a best seller because of the way frank mcourt told it. He wasnt famous before then he lived in dire poverty, had a drunken mother...(mommie dearest memoirs are actually quite popular) and overcame setbacks. Growing up and coming of age is also a good theme its universal among everyone. Lessons in life that your learned etc.
As for me im not sure what i would write about myself hadnt really thought about it. I think testimony would be a start what God taught me. Growing up, overcoming demons, racism, crazy spells, and reading way too many books. If someone wants to weite a story about me after im dead I wont be around to comment but if they thought I was memorable enough to write about I cant stop them! Sometimes people write for closure or as therapy.
And of course the most famous and bestselling memoirs of all time are in your Bible its the gospels.
I dont mind not being memorable to lots of people, I do hope to cross a few peoples mind from time to time in a positive way.
Great topic Seoul! Inquiring minds would like to know your honest thoughts on some of these inquiries...Hi everyone,
I seem to have come across a lot of articles lately heralding forthcoming books that will supposedly detail the lives of well-known people. In every telling or re-telling of the story, there is always the promise of some big reveal -- the real scoop" and all the "insider secrets" -- that supposedly everyone is dying to know.
This got me thinking about what would happen if I, or someone else, wrote a book about my life.
I'm guessing it would be about 3 pages, including the introduction and commentary at the end.
But seriously, I started thinking about the things I've written about from my own personal perspective on CC, and how differently the stories would sound if the other people involved were the ones to write the story instead.
If you or someone else wrote a book about your life, do you think it would it be a best-seller?
Other questions to ponder:
* Would you prefer that you write the story of your life, or would you trust another person to do so? If someone wrote a book about you after your passing, do you think you would approve?
* What aspects of your life would you be willing to share, and what do you wish people would respect enough to keep private? (No need to actually spill the tea here on any details -- you can just say, "I'd prefer that my private life be kept private", etc.)
* Would you want your book to be illustrated? If so, what kinds of pictures would you want included -- pictures of yourself, family, friends, pets, interests?
* What would be the purpose of having a book written about your life? Venting? Inspiring others? To let people know that they're not alone in their struggles?
I'm interested in hearing how you'd feel about revealing yourself -- or having someone else reveal you -- to the world.
Given what we have come to know about you thru your years of posts here in CC - it would hardly be 3 pages - it would have to include the inner workings of what was going on in that inquisitive mind of yours thru all the phases of your life and journey...
In my case - I have kinda pondered this type of question - only my question really sums up to who is most likely and best suited to provide a decent cliff-notes summary of my life during my eulogy?
I've been to three funerals since my kids mother left in her quest to end the marriage and the Eulogy version of my life story conundrum was slowly becoming closer to an unsolved mystery... I realized my dilemma when I needed to find a retiring officer to formally retire me from the USMC... I ended up having my older brother, also a retired Marine retire me...
My dilemma is that I am a border line introvert (while aptly functional in large groups as necessary) and a private person. As a result, I didn't talk much about personal family things at work and strived not to bring my work home with me...
My dilemma is only exacerbated as there is no single person that has a complete grasp of each of the significant phases of my story:
- Childhood prior to father passing (siblings)
- Post childhood after father passed (siblings)
- Young adult prior to brother passing (roommates)
- Single adult after brother passed and before meeting wife v1.0 (roommates)
- Christian Family-man of 28 years - setting conditions for kids successes (~wife v1.0)
- 20 year Marine - experiences, reputation and accomplishments (brother?, changed jobs every 3 years)
- Current career field - experiences, reputation and accomplishments (not that close with anyone)
I had a brief scare - after wife v1.0 left - with stress and cognitive faculties; which I worried I was showing signs of early memory loss. Luckily, with lots of prayer, positive energy, better diet and exercise - I have seemingly overcome those worries.
Bottomline: I guess I wouldn't mind having my story written about me - for my kids and my family - for purposes of family legacy. As I realize that there are lots of stories about the other parts of my life that my kids are not aware of - they never asked and I wasn't much about talking about myself... Their lives have been too busy, fast paced and fulfilling for them to have the time to fully grasp the breadth and depth of my life's story...
I'm not sure they are aware of my struggles, perseverance and accomplishments - and how I became the person that I am today...
As a result, recognizing my own writing limitations - I suspect that ideally I would be inclined to have someone else do all the heavy lifting, research and assembling of my story to include pictures, references et al...
thanks for asking...
Maybe not exactly a Christian song, but very accurate. I have seen many people live exciting lives they have regretted.
The problem is nobody believes it until they live it for themselves. You can't warn people away from it and convinced them to choose a less exciting life... Because it is less exciting.
God often uses those with humble heart and maybe the "boring" part of our life is there to humble us so we come to a conclusion that we are not going to be "great," just being one of many. And then, one day, you come across a burning bush....
Life can be a love story of how God lovingly saved us! The most important thing about us has to be our savior!
As someone who loves to read and enjoys learning about people and why they make particular choices, I'd probably love reading about everyone here. Sounds kinda creepy re-reading that, but I think I'd enjoy it.
Our lives really are like books with each season a new chapter unfolds. I personally would have a very hard time writing about myself. It feels odd to talk about oneself, but part of me would love the opportunity to explain why things in my life have gone a certain way. Would my book be a best-seller? Most likely not. I think my book would be most interesting to those that know me, as it may not be what they'd expect.
Our lives really are like books with each season a new chapter unfolds. I personally would have a very hard time writing about myself. It feels odd to talk about oneself, but part of me would love the opportunity to explain why things in my life have gone a certain way. Would my book be a best-seller? Most likely not. I think my book would be most interesting to those that know me, as it may not be what they'd expect.
So my book...I've given this some serious thought yesterday and today.
What would I want to leave out what pictures. Should I include accomplishments and failures?
I guess I've come to the conclusion that I don't want anyone to know about any of the muders I have committed. It is very important to keep that under wraps at all costs.
I wouldn't include few sex scandals I was involved in, that would taint my image. Plus that would require too many chapters to cover the hundreds of them.
Would definitely not include any of the money laundering and embezzlement schemes that I participated in.
As far as the pictures....lots and lots and lots of pictures of me. If there are group pictures...I'd have to edit out the faces of the other people in those pictures so the only one you could see is me. Afterall the book is about ME! So I would want to keep it on topic...ME ME ME!
I definitely think it would be a best seller because I would get my senator and congress friends to pass a bill requiring that everyone has to buy a copy at inflated prices.
So get ready for the book you won't be able to resist!!!
What would I want to leave out what pictures. Should I include accomplishments and failures?
I guess I've come to the conclusion that I don't want anyone to know about any of the muders I have committed. It is very important to keep that under wraps at all costs.
I wouldn't include few sex scandals I was involved in, that would taint my image. Plus that would require too many chapters to cover the hundreds of them.
Would definitely not include any of the money laundering and embezzlement schemes that I participated in.
As far as the pictures....lots and lots and lots of pictures of me. If there are group pictures...I'd have to edit out the faces of the other people in those pictures so the only one you could see is me. Afterall the book is about ME! So I would want to keep it on topic...ME ME ME!
I definitely think it would be a best seller because I would get my senator and congress friends to pass a bill requiring that everyone has to buy a copy at inflated prices.
So get ready for the book you won't be able to resist!!!
I think it is all in the telling. You already have the understanding that you have a story to tell. The biggest mistake people make is thinking they have to give a chronological catalog of the events of their life. Why? In writing we know that if a detail doesn't advance the story it is best left out. Share the events that tell a story. No one, ever, picked up a book that started, "I was born in the summer of 1937. I had 5 siblings,..." and thought "Oh boy. This is going to be a page turner." I think, given that you have something to say, then people will have something to read. Enjoy!
My story would either be like a comic book or a lame romance novel.
That's almost profound (I think). Epidemiology? That's the study of spiders, right? It's already in poetic form. "The itsy bitsy spider ran up the water spout. Down came the rain and poured the spider out...."