Life narrative of a scientist On 2 November I’m speaking about narrative strategy in biography at the annual Life Narrative Lab mini-conference. Richard Holmes, who wrote the biography of scientists from the eighteenth-century romantic age of science who laid the foundations for modern science, suggests today’s readers want to read about scientific work as part […]
This time last year I published Breaking through the pain barrier. The extraordinary life of Dr Michael J. Cousins—the biography of Dr Michael Cousins AO, a trailblazing Australian pain medicine pioneer who played a pivotal role in shaping modern pain medicine. Michael grew up on Sydney’s North Shore in the 1940s, studied medicine at Sydney […]
Australia’s Father’s Day celebrations this year will be a little different because of COVID-19 lockdowns around the nation. Instead of picnics, barbeques and trips to the beach, many dads will celebrate on their own or use Zoom, Facetime or a myriad of other devices to connect with their loved ones. There are 4.6 million dads […]
On 25 July 2021, Painaustralia will launch my biography of a trailblazing Australian pain medicine pioneer, Breaking through the pain barrier. The extraordinary life of Dr Michael J. Cousins. You might ask what inspired me to write this book. Here’s my story. The room swirled as my eyes fluttered open. I could feel something tight […]
It can be daunting trying to write your life story—sifting through a mountain of files, photos, letters and memorabilia and organising them into a coherent narrative. So overwhelming in fact that many potential memoirists procrastinate and may never end up writing their life story. If you write your life story or memoir, you will realise […]
One of the most satisfying ways you can share the lessons from your well-lived life is through writing a memoir. Today the publishing market is flooded with sensationalist and trashy memoirs of celebrities and politicians, but you want to write a meaningful memoir that touches the hearts of your readers and inspires them. Writing a […]
Looking for tips to write a book? Humans have been sitting around fires entertaining each other with stories since before we could write. We have all created and told so many tales in our life that we probably can’t remember them—or at least I can’t. One way you can capture your memories and anecdotes is […]
The beginning of a story is an essential part because it captures your readers’ imagination and keeps them reading. In my memoir writing workshops, a question participants often ask me is: ‘Where should I start my story? At my birth? An important milestone? A momentous occasion?’ If you are writing a memoir or life story, […]
