That’s not my idea. But what a relief when I read it in Christine Rainer’s How to Tell your Life Story. Having rough drafted Book1 of Changing Colors, I was concerned I’d made too much use of imagination, which, like some evil snake, couldn’t resist hissing from inside my wicker basket. My inner critic, Detective Joe Friday on that old timey TV series Dragnet, kept insisting, “Just the facts, maam. Just the facts.”
But take a gander at some of wise Christine’s quotes.
“The truth one seeks in autobiographical writing is not literal truth as emotional truth.” And next paragraph, “Mixing imagination with memory is a powerful technique, perhaps the most important secret of autobiographic writing I will teach you (page 109).
My hope is that you will write your own life story. Why should the great stuff you’ve got housed inside your heart and soul drift off like the mists on my 80 Lakewood Loop river?
How heroic of you to leave your shifting states of consciousness for future generations to ponder and enjoy.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’m wondering: Did you find the Ronnie in Chapter 2 a likable and believable character? Are you craving to feel what he felt, when his Princess Vicksburg and shadow brother Bega got snatched away? What vows do you intuit he made?
As always, I thank you in advance for your comments.



