Part 5: Close-Up Talk Radio spotlights Carol Purroy

Reno, NV – It's been said, “Every time an elderly person dies a library is lost.” If we don't leave a record of our having lived, it's lost, forever. But what kind of story makes for a good memoir? Carol Purroy would ask, “What kind of memoir makes for a good story?” Purroy is the author of Your Life Oughta Be a Book, a beginner's guide to memoir writing, inspired by her more than 20 years' experience teaching memoir writing classes. According to Purroy, Your Life Oughta Be a Book isn't just a “How-to” book, it's also a “Why-to” book. “Some people know their life should be a book, and that's great. But others resist when I tell them they should write their own stories,” says Purroy. “They say, ‘My life isn't interesting. I've never done anything.” Or, “I'm not a writer. I wouldn't know how.” This book knocks down all the obstacles and explains how to get started, and how to keep going to the end.” A memoir focuses on a specific aspect or time in a person's life and explores it to reveal its significance. Anything can trigger a memory: a photo, a car, a fragrance. In the first class of the series, Purroy has students study a photo from his or her past and write a story about it. Purroy has found writing one's life story beneficial in many ways. She says, “The story of you is the most important thing you'll ever write. It's therapeutic; it enhances self-esteem; it's your most valuable legacy.” “It's important to leave behind something that tells who you are,” says Purroy, “so your descendants will know more about who they are.”

memoir