Be sure to narrow or bracket the story; you can’t possible tell me your whole life story in detail. Focus on one major event, action or process in which you learned, or were changed, gained or lost something or someone. Have a straight time line, moving from past to present. Avoid complex flashbacks. Limit the use of “I” and vary sentence structure. Stories have cadence and movement. Build to a peak and then taper off. Do not attempt to write about a subject that is too painful to relate. Have a satisfying conclusion in which there is an implied or specific UNIVERSAL LESSON. Readers want closure; tie up loose ends.
Remember to:
1. Narrow the Topic,
2. Sketch a rough idea sequence, or EPISODES,
3. Make a detailed outline or episode sequence,
4. Draft, Revise and Edit x 3 for Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling,
5. Evaluate for Adequate Treatment of Logical/Rhetorical sequence and Subject.
