Fundamentals of Life Stories: Memoir Writing Class
Posted January 8, 2010
If you’re interested in taking a terrific online course to write down some of the stories of your life, I’d sure appreciate it if you’d consider Fundamentals of Life Stories, which starts on January 21, 2010.
Here is the course outline:
Session One: Getting Started
The stuff life stories are made of; Exploring your memories; Focusing on sensory details; How detail evokes emotion in your writing
Writing Assignment: Select two memories—your earliest memory and an important memory from the past year and write up to 250 words on each one, including detail about sensory perceptions and the emotions they evoke.
Session Two: The Importance of Place
Setting the scene; Writing descriptively about place; Showing vs. telling
Writing Assignment: A 500-word scene from your life when “place” had a special significance. Use descriptive language to “show” the place to your reader.
Session Three: Real People Are Characters Too
Becoming a careful observer; Characterization techniques; Dialogue
Writing Assignment: Write a scene from your life in which someone important to you played a central role. Include dialogue that helps reveal that character to your reader (maximum 750 words)
Session Four: Every Family Has a Story
Anecdotes & oral histories; Interviewing friends and family members; Research
Writing Assignment: A family story, or collection of shorter personal anecdotes (maximum 1,000 words)
Session Five: Voice & Style
Putting your personality on the page; An introduction to style; Word choice; Clarity
Writing Assignment: To help develop your personal voice, write a letter to someone you’re close to, telling about something important in your life (maximum 500 words); Then try to maintain that voice as you write the first draft of a complete life story (or a chapter of your memoir), up to 2,000 words.
Session Six: Making Your Writing the Best it Can be
Polishing your prose; Revising and rewriting; Making tough decisions about what to leave in and what to take out
Writing Assignment: Revised draft of the story or memoir chapter you wrote for Session Five, putting together everything you’ve learned (maximum 2,500 words).





