Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Joseph
Australia
Writing your memoirs
Moderator: MOD_nyhetsgrupper
-
Hugh Watkins
Re: Writing your memoirs
Joseph wrote:
or word pad is free
join a RL writers group for help
try and find a retired jounalist to help you
Hugh W
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Joseph
Australia
any word processor
or word pad is free
join a RL writers group for help
try and find a retired jounalist to help you
Hugh W
-
David
Re: Writing your memoirs
Use OpenOffice - http://www.openoffice.org
Gives you a free word processor, spreadsheet application, etc. All you'd
need.
Joseph wrote:
Gives you a free word processor, spreadsheet application, etc. All you'd
need.
Joseph wrote:
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Joseph
Australia
-
Claude
Re: Writing your memoirs
"Joseph" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
I use MS Word for writing large reports. It has everything you would need
for writing memoirs, including the ability to insert pictures. Many people
don't appreciate the extensive functionality in Word for writing long
documents. Word files can also be shared readily with others. Frankly, I
don't think the word processing software is the key issue with writing a
memoir - apart from memory enhancement drugs/exercises, some form of
outlining process to get the structure right is probably much more
important. Pen and paper would be ideal, but there's also software like
Mind Manager or Personal Brain
news:[email protected]...
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing
your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Joseph
Australia
I use MS Word for writing large reports. It has everything you would need
for writing memoirs, including the ability to insert pictures. Many people
don't appreciate the extensive functionality in Word for writing long
documents. Word files can also be shared readily with others. Frankly, I
don't think the word processing software is the key issue with writing a
memoir - apart from memory enhancement drugs/exercises, some form of
outlining process to get the structure right is probably much more
important. Pen and paper would be ideal, but there's also software like
Mind Manager or Personal Brain
-
Steve Hayes
Re: Writing your memoirs
On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:02:28 +0000, Hugh Watkins <[email protected]>
wrote:
"any" word processor is NOT a dedicated progam for writing memoirs.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
wrote:
Joseph wrote:
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Joseph
Australia
any word processor
"any" word processor is NOT a dedicated progam for writing memoirs.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
-
Hugh Watkins
Re: Writing your memoirs
Steve Hayes wrote:
these outliners are generally a waste of money
what you need is a dedicated author or wanna be writer
a pencil and a school exercise book
anything else is a frill
tears and toil
Hugh W
On Sun, 29 Jan 2006 23:02:28 +0000, Hugh Watkins <[email protected]
wrote:
Joseph wrote:
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Joseph
Australia
any word processor
"any" word processor is NOT a dedicated progam for writing memoirs.
these outliners are generally a waste of money
what you need is a dedicated author or wanna be writer
a pencil and a school exercise book
anything else is a frill
tears and toil
Hugh W
-
Herman Viaene
Re: Writing your memoirs
Joseph wrote:
What would you expect from such piece of software ?
I could see you could reap some benefits by using one or another template in
any wordprocessor you like (OpenOffice, MS-Word, WordPerfect ......) but
that's often limited to give you a consistent look to your document.
Herman Viaene
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing
your memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Joseph
Australia
What would you expect from such piece of software ?
I could see you could reap some benefits by using one or another template in
any wordprocessor you like (OpenOffice, MS-Word, WordPerfect ......) but
that's often limited to give you a consistent look to your document.
Herman Viaene
-
LoneyBones
Re: Writing your memoirs
Hi,
I dont know of any 'dedicated' program but I find microsoft WORD is all
I need, well not quite. I also use a card file, the oldfashioned paper
type in a plastic box. I doodle notes and jot bits of info on them as I
have thoughts or when memories come into my head, then when I get my
thoughts organised I go back to WORD. As someone mentioned earlier you
can insert pictures, whatever you want, go back a dozen pages and
rewrite a paragraph or two, whatever.
My greatest advice when doing this kind of work tho' is SAVE TO DISC
after every writing session.
Good luck,
Leonie.
--
Sent via Genealogy Newsgroups
http://www.genealogynewsgroups.com
I dont know of any 'dedicated' program but I find microsoft WORD is all
I need, well not quite. I also use a card file, the oldfashioned paper
type in a plastic box. I doodle notes and jot bits of info on them as I
have thoughts or when memories come into my head, then when I get my
thoughts organised I go back to WORD. As someone mentioned earlier you
can insert pictures, whatever you want, go back a dozen pages and
rewrite a paragraph or two, whatever.
My greatest advice when doing this kind of work tho' is SAVE TO DISC
after every writing session.
Good luck,
Leonie.
--
Sent via Genealogy Newsgroups
http://www.genealogynewsgroups.com
-
A. Gwilliam
Re: Writing your memoirs
LoneyBones wrote:
Learned from bitter experience!
--
A. Gwilliam
My greatest advice when doing this kind of work tho' is SAVE TO DISC
after every writing session.
I'd say that you should save to disc DURING every writing session.
Learned from bitter experience!
--
A. Gwilliam
-
singhals
Re: Writing your memoirs
A. Gwilliam wrote:
And copy it off to a floppy, to a CD, and to a thumb. EACH TIME.
Otherwise "Friday" tends to become a tad amorphous, not to say
incorporeal and you end up with copies that are two months old.
FWIW, YMMV.
Cheryl
LoneyBones wrote:
My greatest advice when doing this kind of work tho' is SAVE TO DISC
after every writing session.
I'd say that you should save to disc DURING every writing session.
Learned from bitter experience!
And copy it off to a floppy, to a CD, and to a thumb. EACH TIME.
Otherwise "Friday" tends to become a tad amorphous, not to say
incorporeal and you end up with copies that are two months old.
FWIW, YMMV.
Cheryl
-
Jeff
Re: Writing your memoirs
"Joseph" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
I don't think software is the answer.
Yes, writing memoirs is a difficult task.
All any software can possibly do is give an outline.
It is a much less dauting task if you break it up into a
series of initially unconnected essays.
"Memories before I started school"
"What I remember of the war"
"My grandparents"
"Games we played"
"My time in the Army"
"My first, second third etc etc job"
"Where we lived as children"
"Our neighbours"
"Our courtship & marriage"
etc etc
The beauty of this is that these are discrete tasks,
relatively easily accomplished, can be completed in whatever
sequence takes your fancy and can be undetaken as the mood
takes one.
Later this series of essays can be sorted and combined.
Often though, you'll find this is not needed. The essays
themselves provide a memoir.
It worked for me anyway!!!
news:[email protected]...
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated
software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate
cost.
Joseph
Australia
I don't think software is the answer.
Yes, writing memoirs is a difficult task.
All any software can possibly do is give an outline.
It is a much less dauting task if you break it up into a
series of initially unconnected essays.
"Memories before I started school"
"What I remember of the war"
"My grandparents"
"Games we played"
"My time in the Army"
"My first, second third etc etc job"
"Where we lived as children"
"Our neighbours"
"Our courtship & marriage"
etc etc
The beauty of this is that these are discrete tasks,
relatively easily accomplished, can be completed in whatever
sequence takes your fancy and can be undetaken as the mood
takes one.
Later this series of essays can be sorted and combined.
Often though, you'll find this is not needed. The essays
themselves provide a memoir.
It worked for me anyway!!!
-
A. Gwilliam
Re: Writing your memoirs
Don't forget to provide a decent index, though, if it's of any length.
--
A. Gwilliam
--
A. Gwilliam
-
Steve Hayes
Re: Writing your memoirs
On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 19:45:49 GMT, "Jeff" <[email protected]> wrote:
That is what the dedicated softweare dioes, in effect.
It provides an outline where you enter information, and it strings it all
together.
The usefulness is that you can start at any point, and add stuff when you feel
like it, and, if it is well designed, doesn't let you forget anything, and
gives you ideas.
The problem is that some of those programs have a proprietory format, and it
is diffcult to export to a word processor for the final polish, and they
usually have a limited set of printing formats.
So it's probably better to get lists of the kind of questions you should be
asking, and use those as a guide while you put the stuff in a word processor.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
"Joseph" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated
software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate
cost.
Joseph
Australia
I don't think software is the answer.
Yes, writing memoirs is a difficult task.
All any software can possibly do is give an outline.
It is a much less dauting task if you break it up into a
series of initially unconnected essays.
"Memories before I started school"
"What I remember of the war"
"My grandparents"
"Games we played"
"My time in the Army"
"My first, second third etc etc job"
"Where we lived as children"
"Our neighbours"
"Our courtship & marriage"
etc etc
The beauty of this is that these are discrete tasks,
relatively easily accomplished, can be completed in whatever
sequence takes your fancy and can be undetaken as the mood
takes one.
Later this series of essays can be sorted and combined.
Often though, you'll find this is not needed. The essays
themselves provide a memoir.
That is what the dedicated softweare dioes, in effect.
It provides an outline where you enter information, and it strings it all
together.
The usefulness is that you can start at any point, and add stuff when you feel
like it, and, if it is well designed, doesn't let you forget anything, and
gives you ideas.
The problem is that some of those programs have a proprietory format, and it
is diffcult to export to a word processor for the final polish, and they
usually have a limited set of printing formats.
So it's probably better to get lists of the kind of questions you should be
asking, and use those as a guide while you put the stuff in a word processor.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk
-
Jeff
Re: Writing your memoirs
"Steve Hayes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
I agree with all that but, for me, the key was it was never
'one project' which I think I'd have found overwhelming.
It was, in my case 34 separate projects and if, for
instance, a thought occurred to me in addition to those I'd
already established I'd just write another essay.
As thoughts and memories cross my mind I continually add to
or edit all of them.
They are also written in very different moods and styles.
Funny, sad, contemplative and even polemical.
Now I know I'll never attempt to combine them. They are all
in my "Genealogy Folder"" (suitably backed up!) They are
stored in oth WORD and Plain Text formats and, at intervals
I print out latest versions.
I have a couple of password protected files which deal with
very personal feelings and events, which I'm not sure I want
anybody to ever read. Sometime, before I die, I have to make
up my mind what to do with those!!!
Not, I suspect, gripping reading for future generations. But
it will give anybody interested an insight to how I lived
and into me as a person (warts and all!!)
news:[email protected]...
On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 19:45:49 GMT, "Jeff"
[email protected]> wrote:
"Joseph" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated
software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and
approximate
cost.
Joseph
Australia
I don't think software is the answer.
Yes, writing memoirs is a difficult task.
All any software can possibly do is give an outline.
It is a much less dauting task if you break it up into a
series of initially unconnected essays.
"Memories before I started school"
"What I remember of the war"
"My grandparents"
"Games we played"
"My time in the Army"
"My first, second third etc etc job"
"Where we lived as children"
"Our neighbours"
"Our courtship & marriage"
etc etc
The beauty of this is that these are discrete tasks,
relatively easily accomplished, can be completed in
whatever
sequence takes your fancy and can be undetaken as the mood
takes one.
Later this series of essays can be sorted and combined.
Often though, you'll find this is not needed. The essays
themselves provide a memoir.
That is what the dedicated softweare dioes, in effect.
It provides an outline where you enter information, and it
strings it all
together.
The usefulness is that you can start at any point, and add
stuff when you feel
like it, and, if it is well designed, doesn't let you
forget anything, and
gives you ideas.
The problem is that some of those programs have a
proprietory format, and it
is diffcult to export to a word processor for the final
polish, and they
usually have a limited set of printing formats.
So it's probably better to get lists of the kind of
questions you should be
asking, and use those as a guide while you put the stuff
in a word processor.
I agree with all that but, for me, the key was it was never
'one project' which I think I'd have found overwhelming.
It was, in my case 34 separate projects and if, for
instance, a thought occurred to me in addition to those I'd
already established I'd just write another essay.
As thoughts and memories cross my mind I continually add to
or edit all of them.
They are also written in very different moods and styles.
Funny, sad, contemplative and even polemical.
Now I know I'll never attempt to combine them. They are all
in my "Genealogy Folder"" (suitably backed up!) They are
stored in oth WORD and Plain Text formats and, at intervals
I print out latest versions.
I have a couple of password protected files which deal with
very personal feelings and events, which I'm not sure I want
anybody to ever read. Sometime, before I die, I have to make
up my mind what to do with those!!!
Not, I suspect, gripping reading for future generations. But
it will give anybody interested an insight to how I lived
and into me as a person (warts and all!!)
-
Herman Viaene
Re: Writing your memoirs
Jeff wrote:
Well, again, this is nothing that cannot be done by any decent wordprocessor
around on the market and using a proper template - although you might have
to put this template together yourself, memoirs not being a well-known
business or engineering document.
snip again ....
Then ....well here you lose me. What was then the sense of your original
question ???? You have already a lot of material, but you do not want to
use it, but start again from scratch ?
One way I could suggest is this:
1. copy your various files, so you can do with those whatever you like
2. import these copies into a common wordprocessor format (see also below)
3. get yourself acquainted to the use of master - and subdocuments.
You mentioned that price is a factor. Then I recommend you to use
OpenOffice. Its free, can be downloaded from its site, and I have used it
in the past for very big docs, were previous experience with MS-Word on
such beasts was very uneasy, to say the least.
Herman Viaene
"Steve Hayes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
On Mon, 30 Jan 2006 19:45:49 GMT, "Jeff"
[email protected]> wrote:
"Joseph" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated
software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and
approximate
cost.
Joseph
Australia
snip a lot.....
That is what the dedicated softweare dioes, in effect.
It provides an outline where you enter information, and it
strings it all
together.
Well, again, this is nothing that cannot be done by any decent wordprocessor
around on the market and using a proper template - although you might have
to put this template together yourself, memoirs not being a well-known
business or engineering document.
The usefulness is that you can start at any point, and add
stuff when you feel
like it, and, if it is well designed, doesn't let you
forget anything, and
gives you ideas.
snip again ....
I agree with all that but, for me, the key was it was never
'one project' which I think I'd have found overwhelming.
It was, in my case 34 separate projects and if, for
instance, a thought occurred to me in addition to those I'd
already established I'd just write another essay.
As thoughts and memories cross my mind I continually add to
or edit all of them.
They are also written in very different moods and styles.
Funny, sad, contemplative and even polemical.
Now I know I'll never attempt to combine them. They are all
in my "Genealogy Folder"" (suitably backed up!)
Then ....well here you lose me. What was then the sense of your original
question ???? You have already a lot of material, but you do not want to
use it, but start again from scratch ?
One way I could suggest is this:
1. copy your various files, so you can do with those whatever you like
2. import these copies into a common wordprocessor format (see also below)
3. get yourself acquainted to the use of master - and subdocuments.
You mentioned that price is a factor. Then I recommend you to use
OpenOffice. Its free, can be downloaded from its site, and I have used it
in the past for very big docs, were previous experience with MS-Word on
such beasts was very uneasy, to say the least.
Herman Viaene
-
cecilia
Re: Writing your memoirs
Herman Viaene wrote:
Or purchased from various people for CD plus postage (it cost me
£2.49).
It can open MS Office documents, and save them in that format - I've
only tested it for Excel.
[..]
You mentioned that price is a factor. Then I recommend you to use
OpenOffice. Its free, can be downloaded from its site,[...]
Or purchased from various people for CD plus postage (it cost me
£2.49).
It can open MS Office documents, and save them in that format - I've
only tested it for Excel.
-
Jeff
Re: Writing your memoirs
"Herman Viaene" <[email protected]> wrote in
Not as much as you lost me!
I never asked a question!
Then ....well here you lose me. What was then the sense of
your original
question ????
Not as much as you lost me!
I never asked a question!
-
Herman Viaene
Re: Writing your memoirs
Jeff wrote:
Sorry, I mixed up Joseph end Jeff (which are "synonyms" in Dutch)
Herman
"Herman Viaene" <[email protected]> wrote in
Then ....well here you lose me. What was then the sense of
your original
question ????
Not as much as you lost me!
I never asked a question!
Sorry, I mixed up Joseph end Jeff (which are "synonyms" in Dutch)
Herman
-
Lars Erik Bryld
Re: Writing your memoirs
Scripsit Joseph:
Sorry, no personal experience, but Personal Historian
http://www.personalhistorian.com
previously got some acknowledgement from Dick Eastman
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_ge ... _acqu.html
It is rather inexpensive ($29) and has a free trial.
--
Regards
Lars Erik Bryld
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Sorry, no personal experience, but Personal Historian
http://www.personalhistorian.com
previously got some acknowledgement from Dick Eastman
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_ge ... _acqu.html
It is rather inexpensive ($29) and has a free trial.
--
Regards
Lars Erik Bryld
-
Joseph
Re: Writing your memoirs
Thanks Lars. I have ordered Personal Historian and it is 49.50 Australian
dollars.
One day I might be able to tell everyone about it.
Thanks to all the others who have answered by message.
Joseph.
"Lars Erik Bryld" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
dollars.
One day I might be able to tell everyone about it.
Thanks to all the others who have answered by message.
Joseph.
"Lars Erik Bryld" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Scripsit Joseph:
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing
your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Sorry, no personal experience, but Personal Historian
http://www.personalhistorian.com
previously got some acknowledgement from Dick Eastman
http://blog.eogn.com/eastmans_online_ge ... _acqu.html
It is rather inexpensive ($29) and has a free trial.
--
Regards
Lars Erik Bryld
-
Autumn
Re: Writing your memoirs
I would suggest you look into this wonderful little book called "To Our
Children's Children" by Bob Greene. It is full of questions and though
provoking ideas, divided into chapters by subjects. I am helping my husband
write his life story with this book. He is not the type of person to
actually write something like this himself, but he is really enjoying it
when we work on it. This is all you need. We take my laptop on vacation and
I ask the questions and type his answers while we are traveling. It really
makes the time pass quickly when we have a long drive ahead of us.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038546 ... e&n=283155
The subjects of the chapters are shown here
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0385467 ... eader-link
As you can see there are about 10 pages of questions for each subject. There
is also a workbook that you can write in that is a companion to this book.
For myself I have a spiral notebook that I have written notes in by subject
and I try to write about one or two at a time. I tear things out of
magazines, pictures of old toys, places, whatever I may want to write about.
For example - I have a page for each school I went to and I make an outline
about the things I want to write about for each. I have ideas written about
how I became interested in certain subjects that are or have been a part of
my life. I have also ran off timelines of history so I can write about my
own impressions at the time of things like our president being assassinated
(when I was in elementary school). The book mentioned above does the same
thing by subject. I get ideas from it too. Any thing I come across or ideas
I have I put in the book. I also save short stories I see that are ideas for
my own writing. I keep my little notebook handy so I can stick things in it
any time I want.
Hope I have helped.
Jann
"Joseph" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Children's Children" by Bob Greene. It is full of questions and though
provoking ideas, divided into chapters by subjects. I am helping my husband
write his life story with this book. He is not the type of person to
actually write something like this himself, but he is really enjoying it
when we work on it. This is all you need. We take my laptop on vacation and
I ask the questions and type his answers while we are traveling. It really
makes the time pass quickly when we have a long drive ahead of us.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038546 ... e&n=283155
The subjects of the chapters are shown here
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0385467 ... eader-link
As you can see there are about 10 pages of questions for each subject. There
is also a workbook that you can write in that is a companion to this book.
For myself I have a spiral notebook that I have written notes in by subject
and I try to write about one or two at a time. I tear things out of
magazines, pictures of old toys, places, whatever I may want to write about.
For example - I have a page for each school I went to and I make an outline
about the things I want to write about for each. I have ideas written about
how I became interested in certain subjects that are or have been a part of
my life. I have also ran off timelines of history so I can write about my
own impressions at the time of things like our president being assassinated
(when I was in elementary school). The book mentioned above does the same
thing by subject. I get ideas from it too. Any thing I come across or ideas
I have I put in the book. I also save short stories I see that are ideas for
my own writing. I keep my little notebook handy so I can stick things in it
any time I want.
Hope I have helped.
Jann
"Joseph" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Hello There
Does anyone have any experience in using dedicated software for writing
your
memoirs? I would be interested in the name and approximate cost.
Joseph
Australia