Upcoming Teleseminar Speakers

Maureen Murdock

Maureen Murdock: Writing the Truth

Guest Speaker: Maureen Murdock
Topic: Writing the Truth
Date: July 15, 2009
Times: 11 am Pacific | 12 noon Mountain | 1 pm Central | 2 pm Eastern

Memoir is not a linear autobiography recounting a fully lived life, but rather a selected aspect of the writer’s life, written from his or her point of view. The memoirist recounts the incidents in her life to the best of her recollection. Does that mean she will have perfect recall? No, memoir is not about perfect accuracy of the remembered event; it’s more about finding perspective and making meaning of that particular slice of one’s life. The struggle for emotional truth is central to memoir. When you are talking about yourself, you are talking about all of us to a certain degree. The reader must trust that the memoirist has done a fair amount of introspection and is trying to give us her best understanding of the event. If she stays at the same flat level of self-disclosure and understanding throughout, the piece may be smooth but will not awaken a sense of self-recognition. [Read more]

Workshops & Classes

Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D.

Monday Memoir Online Workshop: Writing Your Spiritual Autobiography / Healing Memoir

Workshop Leader: Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D.
Summer Schedule: Mondays 3 PM PDT
Dates: July 6, July 13, July 20, July 27, August 3, August 10

None of us will ever accomplish anything excellent or commanding except when he listens to this whisper which is heard by him alone. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Summer focus: Choose a theme and write 6 stories on that theme. It can be broad or narrow, depending on your interest. We can talk about the possible theme for your stories this week—if you would like to continue this summer. If you need to miss a class you can send two pieces for us to comment on when you come back. [Read more]

Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D.

Spiritual Healing and Autobiography Online Workshop

Writing a Healing Memoir – Level Two with Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D.
Summer 2009 Schedule: June 26, July 3, July 10, July 17, July 24, July 31, August 7, August 14
8 sessions | Times: 8 AM PDT | 9 AM MDT | 10 AMCDT | 11 AM EDT

An advanced group for those who have taken this course from Linda Joy and have developed some vignettes for their memoir. The goal will be to deepen the progress of writing the memoir and to develop fictional techniques such as dialogue, scenes, point of view and story structure. Adding new skills helps you write an even more healing story.

Writing a healing memoir takes the writer into depths of soul, a journey into truth; the course becomes focused on support for that journey as much as techniques. [Read more]

Sharon Lippincott

Make Your Stories Sparkle TeleClass by Sharon Lippincott

Four Sessions: Tuesdays
July 7, July14, July 21, and 28
8 pm EDT | 7 pm CDT | 6 pm MDT | 5 pm PDT

Descriptions in a story are like the stage set in a play or movie — they provide the context in which the story unfolds and make it seem real to the reader. In this workshop we will focus deeply on each of the traditional five senses plus two more through which we experience the world around us and explore ways of conveying these impressions in fresh, compelling language, using them to move our story along. As you work through the assignments, not only will your writing take on new excitement, you will become more aware and present in your surroundings and see your world in fascinating new detail.
[Read more]

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Memoir Writing Tips

Tell the Story: Personal Essay Writing from a Memoirist’s Point of View

In high school years ago as I sat at a brown wooden desk carved with initials and looked out the long windows to see bending cottonwoods, I tried to remember all the rules about essay writing: don’t use “I”–say “one” if you’re referring to yourself, but DON’T refer to yourself. Prove a point through logic, not story. I’d write something I felt strongly about, only to have to cross it out because I fell into the “I” that I was supposed to avoid. Standing back to get an overview was not a bad idea, but I had to tie my thoughts into knots to escape breaking the rules. And I really wanted that “A!” Of course, I had to make sure I revealed nothing about myself or my real thoughts or feelings in the essay. No opinions. I had to package up the roiling layers of myself and try to appear beige when I was really red and yellow. [Read more]