This week's topic: NAME THIS LIFE: What would your memoir be called?
I was glad to see that other RTWers had a hard time with this one--I've never really thought about if I would ever write a memoir, let alone what it would be called. And I only had about ten minutes for this post before I was due to run out the door, so I kept coming up with stupid ones like "Teched By an Angel" or ripoffs of songs and song titles like "I Get Knocked Down But I Get Up Again" or "The Banana Boat Song".
So I think this space could be better used instead to bring attention to two obscure books:
In case you can't read that full title, it's Horseback Honeymoon: The Vanishing Old West of 1907 Through the Eyes of Two Young Artists in Love Isn't that a great title? Newlyweds Ella and Quincy Scott set out from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington on horseback during the waning days of horses as a main form of transportation. I believe it's out of print, but I would highly recommend checking your library for it.
The other book is still available through the University of Nebraska's Bison Books line:
I read this book in my 20s and was so blown away by the voice and events that I wanted to do a novelization of it (I don't even remember why I thought it needed changing, except that I was a professional storyteller at the time and was very practiced at reinterpreting stories). But in one of my first writing lessons, once I studied the book I discovered there was very little to improve on--it was best left to its natural state and in the author's own voice. This book is a great portrait of a young girl's experience of the Dust Bowl and wider events, and another must-read.
What about you? Have a title in mind for your memoir, or a good biography, diary, autobiography or memoir to recommend? Don't forget to go to the comments on the YA Highway RTW post to see everyone else's answers!
8 comments:
I really like the title of the first book :)
I love the title of that second one. They both sound interesting.
I love super long titles for books (like the first one). Oh, and Teched By An Angel is pretty good too :)
Thanks for the recommendations. I've never heard of either of these books.
Also, I'd be very intrigued by a memoir titled The Banana Boat Song. :)
These sound pretty interesting.
the Bannana Boat song title must have a story behind it. interesting!
I love book recommendations! I've actually written a memoir (not yet published), and it is tentatively called, "Our Life on the Road." We traveled for a year, visiting all the national parks in the lower 48. I found out I was pg on day five, and our youngest son was born while traveling. He was born with Trisomy 18, which was never found at my hard-to-come by prenatal appointments.
BTW...hop back over to my blog and leave your email address (maybe I can find it on your site), so I can send you the Smashwords coupon. Thanks for spreading the word!
Great potential titles for your memoirs! I especially liked the tubthumping song reference =)
For Y2K my whole family filled out Memoir Journals. It was hard since I had no idea what the price of gas was as a "child" and I didn't have any great recipes to pass down, or any significant life events that occurred outside of high school.
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