So you wanna write a memoir?

“So, you wanna write a memoir? Go figure out what it’s all about and what it takes.” my husband said to me, and this is what I did.

The Gotham Writers Workshop was amazing – they have 3 memoir courses: Memoir I and II, take you through fundamentals of memoir writing, then finally, for those brave enough to embark on writing a book-length memoir, they have Memoir II Book, which includes lectures, exercises, and extensive critiquing of student projects, designed for those students working on a book.

Over a period of 6 months, the topics I delved into were:

• Who cares?: How to make readers care about my story. 
• The Journey: Finding the journey of the protagonist (me) – protagonist’s desire and the arc of the protagonist. 
• Designing a Life:  How to find the right structure for the book.
• Playing with Time: Finding the right time frame. Learning how to use flashbacks and flash-forwards.
• The Narrator: The importance of the narrator. Exploration of the different voices (e.g. my youthful voice). 
• The Cast: Choosing and importantly, prioritizing the cast (who will appear). Bringing the characters to life. 
• Tributaries: Weaving in subplots. Providing background and specialized information.
• Plumbing the Depths: Delving into my memories. Delving into the pain.

My mind was blown. Literally blown. 

As I worked through the course, I began to read lots of memoirs, particularly family memoirs (I will post a list of all the family memoirs I read in a later blog post), immersing myself in the genre, trying to figure out how I would approach my story.

Gotham gave me the confidence to put pen to paper and I began playing around with my story.

Check out my blog to find out more.

Here are links to the three Gotham Writers Workshop memoir courses:

https://wp.writingclasses.com/courses/memoir-writing-i/

https://wp.writingclasses.com/courses/memoir-writing-ii/

https://wp.writingclasses.com/courses/memoir-writing-ii-book/