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NAMW February 2012 Newsletter

February 9, 2012 By

 

 
National Association of Memoir Writers Be Brave. Write Your Story

In this Issue:

Welcome & Updates
 
February Writing Prompts
 
Valentine’s Day Promotion
 
February Events
 
NAMW Writing Workshops
 
Other Important Events

 

 

  

 

 
 

 

NAMW NEWSLETTER February 2012 | Issue #53 
 
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
I’m writing my memoir

Thinking of you.

 
Welcome to all new subscribers to our newsletter and NAMW  members! We love connecting with you and learning about your writing life, challenges and questions. We’ve had a great beginning to our writing year with our roundtable guest Teresa LeYung Ryan and our teleseminar presentation on Genre Bending with Jane Vandenburgh. You can listen to the Roundtable discussion on the importance of platform here–or our other free recordings. If you’re a member, be sure to tune into the audio with Jane. Both presentations had me taking pages of notes! 
 
 
It’s not too early to have thoughts of spring–it’s lighter every day, and creativity abounds in nature, even when hidden by snow or cold. In California, buds have poked out on trees and bushes. Valentine’s Day is soon, a day to celebrate those we love and how we have been loved in our lives. 
 
 

Hope is a Thing with Feathers    
 
by Emily Dickinson
 
 
 
Hope is a thing with feathers
 
That perches in the soul
 
And sings a tune without words
 
And never stops at all

 

  • A great writing prompt: make lists of the people we are happy to know and love.
  • Write a portrait about them. Use Dickinson’s poem above as inspiration to write about hope.
  • Write about love–of nature, a person, a book, or….

 

 
To celebrate Valentine’s Day,we are offering a discount on membership until February 15, 2012.  For the next week, NAMW membership is only $129!  This is $20 off the normal price.  Make sure to take advantage of this great deal while it lasts.  Click here to join today at our reduced rate.   We are also offering this discount on membership renewals.  Please click here if you wish to renew your existing membership at this rate.  

We offer:

  • Three free eBooks when you sign up
  • A welcome package with Myers’ memoir Don’t Call Me Mother, discussion questions, a CD, and writing tips
  • Access to over 80 audios with agents, authors, teachers, and marketing experts
  • Monthly excusive conversations with experts in writing and publishing
  • Connection with other memoir writers at our Facebook page

And much more. To read all our benefits click here.

 
 
February Events
 
Free Roundtable Discussion about Memory–Memories are Made of This–or Are They?
Sharon Lippincott

Let’s have fun talking about the very resource that drives memoirs– memory. Sharon will talk with us about her research and the nature of memory, and we will all chime to discuss the various kinds of memory–visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
  • What is your strongest source of memory?
  • How do you interact with memory in your writing and reflecting? 
  • Are there tools that help you remember–share them with us on the call.
Sign up here so you can get the audio for this discussion!
 
 

Member Teleseminar February
Social Media Branding for Memoir Writers: Discover how to  attract raving fans 
Beth Barany
 
I attended a seminar with Beth in September in the San  Francisco Bay Area, and learned so much about social media that I wanted everyone to know about her, and to learn from her, so she’s our guest in February.
 
Find out more here.
 
 
 
 

New Mini-Writing Workshops at NAMW

Polish up your writing skills and dust off your stories in Year of the Memoir. Do you have some stories you’ve been meaning to revise, or finish? Do you wonder about what skills you need to complete your book or short memoir?

Two new short workshops at a rock bottom price can help you pick up your writing and move forward–where did you stop writing anyway, you ask yourself. Engaging with your material helps to get you back in writing mode so you can get published in 2012.

We are so pleased to present two new workshops with our veteran teachers Sharon Lippincott and Jerry Waxler, who are also NAMW advisory board members.


 
 
Soaring High and Digging Deep
3-Week Short Course
Sharon Lippincott
February 8- February 29
Calls: 8 p.m. EST / 7 CST / 6 MST / 5 PST
 
 
One of the most daunting aspects of writing a memoir is finding and clarifying the thread of the story. You may have already used the tried-and-true technique of drawing a time-line of your life, listing turning points and other key events. Perhaps you’ve mined piles of journals and made long lists of memories. Stacks of vignette stories may wait to be woven into a larger tale. Or, you may be staring at a blank page and wondering where to start. Whatever your situation and stage of writing, this class will give you unique new tools for exploring your life from several perspectives. Read more… Visit Sharon’s Website.
 
 
 
 
      
 
Four Elements for Your Memoir Journey
 
Jerry Waxler
March 21- April 2, 2012 
4 weeks 
3 PM PST, 4 PM MST, 5 PM CST, 6 PM EST
90 minute workshop
Members – $69 Non-Members – $79 
 

To start a memoir, and just as importantly, to keep going, you must master the art of self-direction. This workshop will provide you the four essential elements that every writer needs in order to overcome resistance, and harness positive energy. Based on Jerry Waxler’s Four Elements of Self Help for Writers, the class will help you get to your chair and maintain focus and creativity while you’re there. Writing exercises will show you how to connect with the strengths you have developed in the past. The workshop will give you insights into these four aspects of energetic writing. Read more…

 


 

These terrific conferences will hone your skills and connect you with new writing friends, perhaps an agent or a publisher of your dreams:
 

San Francisco Writing Conference
February 17-19, 2012

This great conference connects you with writers and authors from all over the world. Speed Dating with Agents is worth the admission alone. Terrific workshops and networking in the heart of San Francisco!
 

Associated Writing Programs Conference
Chicago, February 29-March 4

Have you ever gathered with 10,000 other writers? This is your chance in the Windy City!  Hurry, almost sold out. Check out the amazing presenters in three different hotels in Chicago. Bring your faux fur coat!
    
 
   
National Assocation of Memoir Writers | 1700 Solano Ave | Berkeley, CA 94707
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