You: the Story by Ruta Sepetys

You: the Story

A Writer's Guide to Craft Through Memory

Ruta Sepetys

Penguin Young Readers Group · Print & ebook · May 7, 2024

A powerful how-to guide that helps aspiring writers find the stories hidden within—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray. ★ "Instructive and inspiring for storytellers of all ages."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Life is story in motion.

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Who it’s for
A thoughtful guide to finding writing material in the stories and memories already close at hand.
Themes
Writing craft, Personal memory as storytelling material, Finding an authentic voice
Genres
Fiction Writing, Writing Nonfiction & Memoir, Unlocking Creativity

About this book

A powerful how-to guide that helps aspiring writers find the stories hidden within—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray. ★ "Instructive and inspiring for storytellers of all ages."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Life is story in motion. Each day, you add to your story, revise it, and view it from a different angle. You erase things. Tear pages out. And sometimes, in hindsight, wish you could put them back.

Continue reading

A day is a story. A year is a story. A life is a story. You are a story. Ruta Sepetys is known for creating vivid characters and harrowing plots. After five award-winning works of historical fiction and countless hours of meticulous research, she can affirm that the secret to strong writing is embedded within your life experience. You: The Story encourages you to look inward and excavate your own memories in order to discover the authentic voices and compelling details that are waiting to be put on the page. Masterfully weaving in humorous and heartfelt stories from her own life that illustrate an aspect of the craft of writing (such as plot, character development, or dialogue), Sepetys then inspires readers with a series of writing prompts and exercises. Compelling, deeply intimate, and inspirational, You: The Story awakens the emerging writer within each and every one of us and reveals that with some reflection, curiosity, and courage, your story can be told.

Memory on the Page

A thoughtful guide to finding writing material in the stories and memories already close at hand.

Come here for

  • A fresh look at life experience as writing material
  • Humorous, heartfelt craft stories from Ruta Sepetys

Expect

  • Reflection, curiosity, and prompts for your own writing
  • Guidance touching on plot, character, and dialogue

Where it sits

Fiction Writing55%
Unlocking Creativity52%
Writing Nonfiction & Memoir26%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Writing for Children & Teens
  • Fiction Writing
  • Writing Nonfiction & Memoir
Authors
Ruta Sepetys
Publisher
Penguin Young Readers Group
Published
May 7, 2024
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Writing craft · Personal memory as storytelling material · Finding an authentic voice
Reading lane
Writing for Children & Teens