| Description |
xiv, 203 pages ; 22 cm |
| Summary |
Someday, your life story is likely to be boiled down to a few lines. If you leave things to chance, your obituary is almost sure to be solemn, formulaic, and full of errors--an obligatory final chapter written in haste by others. James R. Hagerty, longtime obit writer for The Wall Street Journal, knows how to get the job done right: Do it yourself, starting now, while you still can. In this heartfelt and reassuring guide, Hagerty explains how to preserve your personal history--from crafting a brief obituary for newspapers and websites, to a more thoughtful and detailed mini-memoir for those close to you. Through his personal stories, on-the-job anecdotes, and insights, you will learn what to include, what to leave out, and how to provide historical context, record oral histories and make the most of details, all with candor and wit. Best of all, you'll find that reviewing your life story helps you think about what you're doing with your time on Earth and whether you're on the right path. It isn't too late to improve the narrative with a stronger ending. Telling your story your way can be the best gift you ever give to friends and loved ones--and yourself.--Amazon |
| Contents |
How and why. My inspiration: from Worm Killers to the Wall Street Journal ; Getting started ; What to include: the basics ; What not to include ; The telling details ; Questions to ask ; Interviewing yourself and others ; How to create an oral history ; How and why to use humor ; Finding historical context ; Letters tell stories ; A few words about writing ; Euphemisms: will you die, pass away, or transition? -- Models and misfits. A gallery of heroes ; A gallery of characters ; The wandering Armenian ; Being frank about the family ; What? Nothing much happened? ; How we failed my father ; How I wrote my mother's amazing story ; How pros cover their own stories ; Tom Vartabedian, obituary hero ; Fishers of men ; How I'm writing my own story (and some of the dumb stuff I did) ; Inspiring memoirs ; What we can learn from pepys ; My first obituary ; A ridiculously short history of obituaries ; A little is way better than nothing ; Summing up. |
| Subject |
Autobiography -- Authorship.
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Obituaries.
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Obituaries (OCoLC)fst01042781
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Autobiography -- Authorship.
(OCoLC)fst00822600
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| Genre/Form |
Instructional and educational works (OCoLC)fst01919931
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Instructional and educational works.
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| ISBN |
9780806542072 (hardcover) |
|
0806542071 (hardcover) |
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