Being aware of writing techniques

The following techniques are often employed by writers. Please feel free to use or discard them as appropriate to the sort of project you have in mind.

Using flashbacks

When writing a chronological life story it can be difficult to deal with everything in order. For example, you may want to include something about your spouse’s early life before you met. This is where flashbacks are particularly useful, but it is important to let the reader know what you are doing.

You might want to write something like:

‘Before I continue with our married life together, I am going to take a step back to introduce Susan’s family and relate something of her early life before we met.’

It will be obvious when the story gets back to the point where you left off. It is then simply a matter of continuing from there.

Using flashbacks for dramatic effect

Flashbacks can also be used to ensure that you don’t give the story away too early, thereby losing any potential dramatic effect: ‘Everything now all fell into place. I suddenly realised why Bill had been so keen to ensure I brought the camera along . . .’

Be careful, though. If flashbacks are used too often they lose their effect and the book can become confusing, not least in knowing what tense to use. If in doubt, keep it simple.

Introducing turning points

In writing a conventional chronological life story, there is little difference between a turning point and a decision. The fact that you were bored with studying and decided to get a job is both a decision and a turning point.

However, if you decide not to write exhaustively about a certain period of your life, your early years for example, the use of turning points can be very effective: ‘There were three major turning points in my early life . . .’

Turning points are also useful if you include a reflective chapter at the end of your book: ‘Looking back I can see that there were five major turning points in my life . . .’

Employing cliffhangers

Cliffhangers were regularly used by writers like Dickens whose work appeared in serial form and who needed to keep the reader gripped enough to buy the next issue. Of course, the device is employed by all writers of soaps, and from Saturday morning cinema-going days, many readers will be familiar with ‘to be continued . . .’

Cliffhangers do not tend to feature significantly in autobiographies. If one does appear at the end of a chapter, the reader simply turns the page to find out more. Greater scope is provided when the cliffhanger is allied with the flashback:

‘. . . so Dick and I married and moved into our idyllic new house, or so we thought. Little did we know what lay around the corner. But before I relate these nightmarish months, I would just like to record something of Dick’s early life.’

Creating suspense

Again, with most life stories, there is little scope for high tension, but where there is it is best not to give the game away too early and spoil any potential impact: ‘. . . the lady who was to become my wife, give me four wonderful children and with whom I would share 34 blissful years until her untimely death in 1983.’ Why bother writing anything more!

The fact that you found a half-brother in later life may be known to most people who will be reading your book, but perhaps not everyone. Learning about the existence of Alf after all those years when you had believed you were an only child came as a tremendous shock to you – why shouldn’t it be so for others too? With hindsight, you can appreciate the clues that your mother dropped occasionally, but at the time you thought nothing of them. You might similarly want to drop the occasional ambiguity as readers also like to spot connections.

Talking to the reader

A device some people like to employ is talking to their readers. Care has to be taken if the book is being written for one specific person, like your grandson Peter. Whatever your intentions, the book is likely to be read by others as well, and making the occasional address to ‘Peter’ might seem exclusive and possibly offensive to others. However, used occasionally in an inclusive manner, it can be effective.

Adding depth to the story

Developing characters

The development of themes can also apply to people. Close friends and family, particularly parents and siblings, are likely to reappear in different chapters throughout the book. Rather than writing everything you know about them when they are first introduced to the story, you might like to develop their characters gradually as the story proceeds. A small anecdote here and an oberservation there will help the reader to get to know the person better as the writing unfolds, just as you did throughout your life.

Using speech

Speech is perfectly permissible in an autobiography, although overuse can reduce its impact. By reporting speech you have the opportunity of giving depth to the person concerned. To do this, though, the words must be realistic. For example, in speech, most people shorten words: ‘do not’ becomes ‘don’t’.

Similarly, speech has to be in character. Someone brimming with anger at having his car boxed in is unlikely to say, ‘Excuse me, sir. I would be most grateful if you would be kind enough to move your motor vehicle.’

Embroidering themes within the book

Certain topics, like holidays and hobbies, may well crop up often in your story. For example, if you have been involved in amateur dramatics since childhood you have the choice of writing about it in a single chapter or weaving it throughout your story. The latter is usually preferable as it will include people relevant to different parts of your life. Of course, there’s nothing to stop you writing a chapter entitled ‘On the Boards’ as well as including further references throughout the book.

Knowing how to use conflict

Using conflict points

Classically, conflict is defined in three ways:

• conflict with others
• conflict with nature
• conflict with self.

We tend to think of confrontation when we think of conflict, and often major confrontation at that. This doesn’t have to be the case. The Chambers Oxford Dictionary describes conflict as ‘to be incompatible’. In effect, it is any area when a decision has to be made. Chocolate or strawberry cheesecake for pudding could fall into this category!

Conflict with others

Best-selling blockbusters thrive on conflict points, and most books on writing encourage the use of this technique for dramatic effect . . . and here they do mean serious confrontation. However, with books intended for a private audience it is advisable to play down potentially contentious areas rather than cause friction between friends or within families.

If you are feeling annoyed with someone, be careful what you write. While you are likely to be back on good terms again soon, grievances committed to print are there for posterity.

That is not to say that controversial subjects should not be covered, as can be seen in the next chapter. Further suggestions for writing about difficult areas can also be found in Chapter 11.

Conflict with nature

This category covers all of nature, including the animal kingdom, so your childhood terrorisation by your neighbour’s cat is included here.

Stories against nature, like the harsh winter of 1947, London smogs, and falling asleep in the sun and getting terrible sunburn, also feature if they are part of your experience.

Some such stories might have a humorous bent, others may be tragic. They are all part and parcel of life and are to be included.

Conflict with self

Here the opportunities are almost endless – you will be writing about conflict points without even thinking about them.

What might be interesting for you to consider in your book are the times when you struggled over a decision. You can explain how you arrived at your decision and, perhaps with hindsight, whether you feel you made the right choice.

Considering grammar

Writing for a sympathetic audience

Don’t get too worked up about your grammar or spelling. This book is intended for a private, sympathetic audience. If you use ‘who’ instead of ‘whom’ are your readers really going to throw all your hard work down in disgust? If your grandfather had been guilty of such a heinous crime as a split infinitive would you discard his book in utter derision?

Those writing in longhand can expect assistance in both grammar and spelling if they have the manuscript typed. For those using a word processor, spell check and grammar check facilities will probably be available. However, be wary of computerised assistance with grammar as the script can become sanitised. Consider using the spell check, but ignore the grammar check and let your character shine through . . . even if there is the occasional split infinitive.

More help with grammar will be considered in Chapter 12 at the proofreading stage of the project.

Establishing your house style

All publishers have their own house style to ensure consistency within a book. This covers such areas as when to use upper case letters, numbering systems and punctuation. A few moments thinking about your own guidelines will similarly promote consistency and make for a better book.

The majority of decisions come down to your personal preference.

Using full stops

You were probably taught to use full stops in the following manner:

Dr. Blenkinsop O.B.E., D.F.C. was in the R.A.F.

The current trend is for minimal punctuation, therefore we see:

Dr Blenkinsop OBE, DFC was in the RAF.

Ultimately it does not matter which style you adopt, but sticking to one system will sit more comfortably with your readers.

Dealing with numbers

For consistency and to avoid writing, ‘I collected seven thousand, six hundred and twenty-two pennies,’ it is worth establishing a numbering system. For example, numbers between one and twelve can be written in words, thereafter digits are used. Exceptions to this are usually:

• dates (14th April)
• years (1962)
• money (£37.23)
• ages (‘When I was 7 . . .’).

Choosing quotation marks

Whether you use double or single inverted commas for speech is up to you. Again, make a decision and stick to it.

Providing emphasis

Some people are very liberal in their use of exclamation marks. Too many can grate and the usual advice is to use only one. If you are particularly flamboyant you may disagree, but please don’t bombard your readers with too many!

Similarly, more than one question mark at a time is unnecessary, and any underlining should be used very sparingly, if at all.

Changing font

If your book is to be printed from a word processor, you will probably have the option of changing the style and size of font (lettering, print or typeface). To avoid too many inverted commas, you might consider a different or italicised font for:

• names of pubs – The Ark
• book titles – Writing Your Life Story
• songs – The House of the Rising Sun
• films – Kind Hearts and Coronets

Checklist

• Does your story contain any natural moments of suspense?
• Are there any opportunities for employing flashbacks?
• How might conflict be used positively within your writing?

Assignments

• List the turning points in your life and think about how these might be included in your book.
• Write punctuation guidelines for your book.