Synopses & Reviews
Whenever a memoirist gives a reading, someone in the audience is sure to ask: How did your family react? Revisiting our pasts and exploring our experiences, we often reveal more of our nearest and dearest than they might prefer. This volume navigates the emotional and literary minefields that any writer of family stories or secrets must travel when depicting private lives for public consumption.
Essays by twenty-five memoirists, including Faith Adiele, Alison Bechdel, Jill Christman, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Rigoberto González, Robin Hemley, Dinty W. Moore, Bich Minh Nguyen, and Mimi Schwartz, explore the fraught territory of family history told from one perspective, which, from another angle in the family drama, might appear quite different indeed. In her introduction to this book, Joy Castro, herself a memoirist, explores the ethical dilemmas of writing about family and offers practical strategies for this tricky but necessary subject.
A sustained and eminently readable lesson in the craft of memoir, Family Trouble serves as a practical guide for writers to find their own version of the truth while still respecting family boundaries.
Review
"For any writer of memoirs . . . a must-read."—Publishers Weekly
Review
"[Family Trouble is] a well-balanced panoply of family-centric musings from authors conflicted between responsibility and retribution."—Kirkus
Review
"Writers of memoir will find this book helpful in thinking through their own decisions; readers of memoir will be interested in understanding the anguish that goes on behind the scenes."—Laurie Hertzel, Star Tribune
Review
“The writers in Joy Castros
Family Trouble tell moving stories that probe the ethics of our choices and their consequences when we write about our family members. I know Ill be recommending this book to my students for years to come.”—Lee Martin, author of
Such a Life and
From Our House
Review
“What a valuable anthology! And how many times over the years I have taught creative nonfiction would I have reached for this anthology, with its testimonies to the fine lines these writers have drawn, and crossed, and recrossed, and regretted, and celebrated.”—Mary Clearman Blew, author of This Is Not the Ivy League
Review
“If youve ever written or considered writing about family, or if you are the family that has been written about, this book is your bible.”—Kim Barnes, author of In the Wilderness: Coming of Age in Unknown Country
Review
"Those who are writing in the genre would benefit greatly from these authors' self-questions, doubts, and concerns for others whose silences they have broken."—Lavona Reeves, Great Plains Quarterly
Synopsis
A thoroughly revised and updated edition of this comprehensive guide to writing personal and professional documents with clarity, confidence, and style.
Award-winning journalist Sandra Lamb transforms reluctant writers into skilled wordsmiths by providing compelling examples of nearly every type of document and form of written communication. Packed with handy word and phrase lists, plus three brand-new chapters on drafting legal documents, posting on social media sites, and getting published, How to Write It is an essential resource for students, teachers, and anyone who needs a comprehensive resource for articulate self-expression.
About the Author
SANDRA E. LAMB has taught writing nationwide to such diverse groups as the American National Cattlewomen’s Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the PEO Sisterhood. Lamb is the author of Personal Notes and Write the Right Words and has appeared on the PBS series Life Wise and been a guest on Martha Stewart’s radio show. For more information, visit www.sandralamb.com.
Table of Contents
I. Principles
Getting Started 2
Graphic Design & Layout 14
II.
Social
Announcement 18
Congratulations 28
Celebration of Life Events 33
Holiday Greetings 37
Sympathy & Condolence 44
Get Well 52
Welcome 57
Invitation 63
Appreciation 71
Thank-You 75
Wedding & Engagement Correspondence 82
Personal Letter 93
Love Letter 100
III.
Job Search
Networking Communications 107
Resume Cover Letter 116
Resume 126
Online & Email Applications 143
Letter of Recommendation 146
Refusing an Applicant 154
Declining a Position 157
IV.
Employment & Employee Communications
Employee Correspondence 161
Introduction 165
Memo 170
Meeting Notices, Agendas & Minutes 179
Reprimand 184
Letter of Resignation 188
Employee Termination 192
V.
Proposals & Reports
Proposal 197
Contract (Letter of Agreement) 203
Business Plan 209
Formal Report 212
Informal Report 220
Feasibility Report 223
Technical Report & Technical Writing 225
Book Proposal 229
Research 237
Questionnaire & Survey 242
VI.
Inquiries, Requests & Response Communications
Request & Inquiry 246
Cover Letter 253
Response 257
Acknowledgment & Confirmation 264
Acceptance 269
Refusal 274
VII.
Problems, Sensitive Matters & Resolutions
Complaint & Protest 282
Disagreement & Dispute 291
Negotiation 298
Settlement 303
Apology 306
Forgiveness 317
VIII.
Orders, Credit & Collections
Order 326
Credit Inquiry & Providing Credit Information 331
Credit Approval 337
Credit Denial 340
Request for Payment Adjustment 345
Offering an Adjustment 350
Collection Letter 354
IX.
Marketing, Public Relations & Sales Communication
Direct Mail 361
Sales Follow-Up 368
X.
Media Relations, Publicity & Publication
Pitch Letter 373
Fundraising 376
Media Kit 384
Press Release 385
Questions & Answers (Q&A) & Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 391
Biography (Bio) 394
Bibliography 396
Speech 397
Public Service Announcement (PSA) 400
Opinion Editorial (Op-Ed) & Letter to the Editor 402
Newsletter 404
Brochure 406
XI.
Electronic Communication
Email 408
Appendix 416
Index 420