I have written a lot of fiction in my lifetime (so far) and intend to write even more. Of course most of the fiction I have written was never published, and for good reason; it was not good fiction. Oh, some of it was published, but not much. To tell the truth, the biggest share of it was never submitted to markets at all, but was instead thrown out almost as soon as it was created. And, as I said, rightly so.
But I have written very little truly factual stuff. Offhand, I can't think of any at all.
Lately I have been thinking of trying it. An autobiography, or a memoir of sorts.
Why not? Because, perhaps, my life has not been filled with Indiana Jones type of adventures? That might be a pretty good reason.
Or not.
Guillermo Cabrera Infante the respected Cuban novelist, essayist, translator, screenwriter, and critic wrote: "It means that no matter what you write, be it a biography, an autobiography, a detective novel, or a conversation on the street, it all becomes fiction as soon as you write it down."
Guillermo Cabrera Infante
I suppose it would be appropriate for me, now, at this time, to attempt to do it.
Heck yes! Why not? I could post some of my personally significant scraps of memory here, to this blog.
Right?
We'll see.
Meanwhile . . .
I have a first draft of a small mostly factual story I wrote yesterday afternoon and had intended to post it here. But after receiving some comments from fellow writers I'd asked for their feedback regarding the story, I have now decided to wait until I do some revision. To bring it more in line with accepted writing standards.
Darn!
It seems like I do that way too often, write it the way I feel it, then decide I should wait until I can improve it. Then I usually just get all frustrated, decide it's no good, it's garbage, and finally throw up my hands and abandon it. And now, here I am doing it again.
Darn!
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A family member sent me the following frolic of frivolity:
IMPOSSIBILITIES IN THE WORLD
1) You can't count your hair.
2) You can't wash your eyes with soap.
3) You can't breathe when your tongue is out.
Put your tongue back in your mouth, you dummy.
Ten (10) Things I know about you.
1) You are reading this.
2) You are human.
3) You can't say the letter ''P'' without separating your lips.
4) You just attempted to do it.
6) You are laughing at yourself.
7) You have a smile on your face and you skipped No. 5.
8) You just checked to see if there is a No. 5.
9) You laugh at this because you are a fun loving person & everyone does it too.
10) You are probably going to send this to see who else falls for it.
You have received this e-mail because I didn't want to be alone in the idiot category.
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HISTORICAL CLIP
On this day, February 17, in 2000, "A Heartbreaking World of Staggering Genius," 29-year-old Dave Eggers’ best-selling memoir about his experiences raising his younger brother following the cancer-related deaths of their parents, makes its debut. The critically acclaimed book became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and turned Eggers into a literary star. The book was labeled a hip, original and funny tearjerker...
Following the success of "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius," Eggers wrote the 2002 novel "You Shall Know Our Velocity," about two friends who travel around the world trying to give away a large sum of money, and the 2004 story collection "How We Are Hungry." Eggers’ 2006 book "What Is the What" blended fact and fiction to tell the story of Sudanese "Lost Boy" refugee Valentino Achak Deng. In 2009, Eggers published the well-received "Zeitoun," about real-life Syrian immigrant Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a New Orleans resident who remained there during Hurricane Katrina then paddled around the flooded city in a canoe rescuing people.
Eggers is also the founder of McSweeney’s, a publishing company that produces books, a literary journal and a magazine called The Believer. Additionally, he has penned "Where the Wild Things Are," a 2009 big-screen adaptation of the classic children’s story of the same name.
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WORD FOR TODAY
autobiography
noun
a history of a person's life written or told by that person.
A memoir is slightly different in character from an autobiography. While an autobiography typically focuses on the "life and times" of the writer, a memoir has a narrower, more intimate focus on his or her own memories, feelings and emotions.
From the 17th century onwards, "scandalous memoirs" by supposed libertines, serving a public taste for titillation, have been frequently published. Typically pseudonymous, they were (and are) largely works of fiction written by ghostwriters. So-called "autobiographies" of modern professional athletes and media celebrities—and to a lesser extent about politicians, generally written by a ghostwriter, are routinely published. Some celebrities, such as Naomi Campbell, admit to not having read their "autobiographies". Some sensationalist autobiographies such as James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" have been publicly exposed as having embellished or fictionalized significant details of the authors' lives.
See Wikipedia...
How to Write Your Autobiography is a webpage that presents the basics of how you can write your own autobiography.
Born Feb 17, 1963
Age: 49 years old
Age: 49 years old
Daniel Lawrence Whitney, best known by his stage name and character Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, country music artist, voice actor, and former radio personality. He is one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which also includes Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy (with whom he has starred on Blue Collar TV).
Whitney has released seven comedy albums, of which three have been certified gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies. In addition, he has starred in three Blue Collar Comedy Tour-related movies, as well as in the films Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, Delta Farce, and Witless Protection. He is widely known for voicing Mater in the Cars franchise. Whitney's catchphrase "Git-R-Done!" is also the title of his book.
On January 26, 2010, the TV channel History announced that it was ordering a series starring Whitney called Only in America with Larry the Cable Guy, in which he would explore the country and immerse himself in different lifestyles, jobs, and hobbies. The first episode of the series aired on February 8, 2011.
Born Feb 17, 1972
Age: 40 years old
Age: 40 years old
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers (1997), Wild Things (1998), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) and in The World Is Not Enough (1999) as a Bond girl. She later appeared in Scary Movie 3 (2003), Love Actually (2003), Edmond (2005) and Madea's Witness Protection (2012). She has also appeared in guest-arcs on television series' such as Melrose Place (1996), Spin City (2001) and Two and a Half Men (2003). She also played Monica and Ross Geller's cousin on Friends (2001). In 2008-2009, she appeared on the E! reality TV show, Denise Richards: It's Complicated. In 2010-2011, she was a series regular on the comedy Blue Mountain State. In 2012, she made guest appearances on 30 Rock, Anger Management and 90210. She is currently filming the ABC Family pilot, Socio where she plays a fallen socialite and mother of a murderer.
Born Feb 17, 1925
Age: 87 years old
Age: 87 years old
Harold Rowe "Hal" Holbrook, Jr. is an Ohioan actor. His television roles include Abraham Lincoln in the 1976 TV series Lincoln, Hays Stowe on The Bold Ones: The Senator and Capt. Lloyd Bucher on Pueblo. He is also known for his role in the 2007 film Into the Wild, for which he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award. He has also performed a one-man show as Mark Twain since 1954.
Born Feb 17, 1956
Age: 56 years old
Age: 56 years old
Richard Karn is an American actor and game show host. He is most well known for his co-starring role as Al Borland in the 1990s sitcom Home Improvement and his tenure as the host of Family Feud during the 2000s.
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I don't want to write an autobiography because I would become public property with no privacy left.
--Stephen Hawking
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