Non Fiction Book Review: How To Write Your Life Story

How To Write Your Life Story by Karen Ulrich

How To Write Your Life Story
by Karen Ulrich

4 out of 5 stars

This book gives a step-by-step guide to writing your memoir, including different styles of writing and organizing your memories. You could write a journal style, epistolary, narrative, or even a scrapbook. There is a whole section dedicated to just researching and remembering your past. There are different things you can do to jog your memory and bring the details into your memoir.

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Book Review: Smart Brevity

Smart Brevity by Jim Vandehei

Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less
by Jim Vandehei, Mike Allen, Roy Schwartz

3.5 out of 5 stars

People are lost in an ocean of words, and if you want your message to be heard and understood, brevity is the key. This book gives advice on how to streamline your words, so that you can communicate most effectively.

I really like that this book helps you to explore why your message matters. If you know your ‘why’, then you can boil down your message to the most important points that you want people to remember. If you can get the “one big thing” to stick in people’s memories, then you have won the battle. A few short words can be truly powerful.

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Book Review: If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit

If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit
If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Some of the things this author said about writing really resonated with me, but other things were a bit too “out there”, flaky, and/or liberal weird. Most of what she said was really good though, and inspired me to write more freely!

In this book, the author encourages people to write from their true selves, to write with freedom from fear of criticism, to write about things they care about. Her words are at once deep and grand, but also simple and accessible. Her writing feels like a call to arms to a battalion of writers, and then she gives them training in how to be wild and watchful before throwing them into the war of words. Her manner of writing itself is actually very sympathetic and kind, but also includes the sort of tough love and bare truthfulness that makes you want to take action. Continue reading

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Book Review: Called to Write, Chosen to Publish

Called to Write, Chosen to Publish
Called to Write, Chosen to Publish by Rachael K. Hartman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is inspirational and helpful to any writer! The author gives encouragement from their own personal experiences with writing and from Scripture. Each chapter starts with a Scripture verse that has to do with writing in some way, and at the back of the book there is an index of Bible verses that are paraphrased to apply to writing and publishing.

Several chapters focus on writing as a healing exercise and a way to work through your own grief and move past painful experiences. Other chapters talk about worshiping and glorifying God through writing. There’s even a chapter about writing music, which I was happy to see since I’m a pianist!

The author made me think about aspects of writing that I had not truly considered before; like writing with truthfulness even if I’m writing fiction, and writing with grace. I need to learn to trust myself and my writing instincts, and not be such a perfectionist.

This little book really inspired me to write more, to write for God, and to write with abandon and freedom!

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