The Art of Memoir: Exploring and Telling Your Own Story (October 2019)
The Art of Memoir: Exploring and Telling Your Own Story (October 2019)
What's your story? That's never an easy question to answer, so this course will help guide you through the process — and give you the tools to turn that story into a polished memoir.
Date: Wednesdays, October 9, 16, 23, 30
Time: 6:30-8:30pm
Location: SE Uplift | 3534 SE Main St.
Tier A Pricing: $199 ($30/hr or above wage earners)
Tier B Pricing: $149 ($16-$29/hr wage earners)
Tier C Pricing: $99 ($15/hr or below wage earners)
See our Pricing + Generosity Policy for more information on tiered pricing.
PUGS is about both learning and community. Register with a friend and get 25% off with the code YOUVEGOTAFRIEND
You have a story to tell -- but will you ever get around to telling it?
If you've been kicking the can on starting a memoir or another personal writing project, this course is here to help you get unstuck. We'll discuss the elements of great memoir writing, figure out the story you want to tell, learn strategies for breaking through writer's block, and actually put pencil to paper... a lot. And we'll do it in a supportive environment where everyone is invited to embark together on the magical, maddening journey of writing.
Week 1: An Intro to Memoir: What's the purpose of memoir? What makes an effective one? And what can we learn from greats like Maya Angelou and Cheryl Strayed? We'll kick things off by diving into examples of great memoir writing and breaking down what makes them work.
Week 2: Deciding the Story (and the Audience): Everyone has a story to tell, but it's not always easy to figure out what's worth including, and what's not. In this session, we'll lay the foundation for a memoir from the bottom up, starting with anecdotes and themes and then connecting the dots into a cohesive narrative. And we'll talk through one of writing's most overlooked questions: who is this for?
Week 3: Getting Past the First Page: "I hate writing. I love having written." If that's how you feel about putting a pencil to paper, you're not alone. The struggle is real when it comes to writing for an audience, so we'll use this session to discuss and practice techniques for breaking through that writer's block.
Week 4: Applying the Polish: The last step in memoir writing is arguably the most important: editing. And there's nothing harder than editing your own words. In this session, we'll discuss the basic principles of editing and then put those skills to work on the narrative shorts we wrote throughout the course.
Ben DeJarnette is founder and director of the local publication Bridgeliner and co-author of the book Reimagining Journalism In a Post-Truth World: How Late-Night Comedians, Internet Trolls, and Savvy Reporters Are Transforming News.
Cover photo credit: Amy Ross