Creative Writing: Writing a Successful Memoir

Memoirs can take any form and use any tone. For example, it can be poetry or prose, highly factual, or an emotional narrative. In this course, we will look at tricky technical skills such as how to write darker episodes without putting off the reader, how to include elements of social history without boring the reader, and how to play with form to engage the reader. We will also explore key issues such as narrowing the focus and writing more than your story. In addition, we will study memoirs from the intense Joan Didion, the humorous Alan Bennet, and the magical realist preserver of community history, Isaac Bashevis Singer. We will enhance our craft skills through a range of stimulating exercises, and respond to a variety of helpful prompts, and all writers will receive detailed one-to-one feedback. Previous attendees have commented upon how useful the exercises have been and how valuable the one-to-one feedback has been to their journey.

Key Learning Aims:

* To write entertaining memoirs.

* To edit your text.

* To place the reader at the heart of your process.

By the end of the course, aspiring writers will feel more able to make writing their memoirs a reality.