Writing Your Memoir

Are you hoping to share your life and experiences with others by writing a book? This four-week course is designed to introduce you to the four fundamentals of memoir writing—framing, content, voice, and structure—and provide you with the skills and confidence to begin writing your story.

The course begins by exploring different starting points and framing techniques for memoirs, so you can have a powerful beginning while controlling time and pacing to engage your readers. You'll then learn how to tap into your lived experiences, conduct research and interviews to support your narrative, and use rich sensory details to write vivid descriptions.

You'll explore the nuances of narrative tone and experiment with different voices to define and refine your unique voice. You'll also learn how to shape your memoir into a cohesive and compelling narrative by working with traditional and experimental structures that employ collage and hybrid techniques.

Throughout the course, you'll engage in lessons, readings and analyses, lively discussions, and writing prompts. You'll compose short memoir pieces each week and receive detailed, constructive feedback from your instructor. By the end of this course, you'll emerge with the confidence and skills to advance your memoir and share it with others.

What you will learn:

✔ Evaluate potential starting points for your memoir and use various framing techniques to control the pacing of your story 
✔ Write with sensory details to enrich your narrative with vivid descriptions 
✔ Use your personal archive and conduct research to gather content and write about authentic experiences 
✔ Develop a distinct narrative voice that reflects your personality and experiences 
✔ Experiment with various tones, perspectives, and structures in support of developing a cohesive and engaging narrative