Welcome to the National Association of Memoir Writers newsletter!
Paradoxes
Happy New Year to all
members and newsletter subscribers—all you writers from the heart! I hope your
holidays were joyful and that you enter the New Year with renewed energy.
At the beginning of the
year, I often start a new journal, eagerly combing the aisles for the right
size and feel—soft leather? Cloth? Smooth or textured paper, lined or unlined?
Should I have a separate journal for gratitude, another for work plans, yet
another for a memoir in progress? Or should I blend my life and ideas in
one book? How do you decide these questions? Have you got a new journal yet?
And what kind of pen will
allow my thoughts to ripple through ink and onto the page—enhancing each
creative bon mot—or will the pen help to untangle the web of my thoughts
and memories?
Writing is like
that—tangled and flowing, challenging and easy, full of paradoxes.
Memoirists have our own set
of paradoxes to balance—we pour out memories privately, yet must confront the
public view of our memories when we publish. We wrestle with the liquid gold of
memory wanting to capture it and mold it into form while we ask—is this really
true? How can I be certain about my truths or do I weave figments of
imagination or hopeful whitewash and call it true?
Perhaps you are motivated
to write your memoir as a legacy to others—either for family or a love letter
to the generations who didn’t live during the times you experienced. But what
do we include—the boisterous disasters of our own youth or the freshly ironed
version of ourselves we prefer to reveal?
Perhaps this is a time to
list your paradoxes, to create a column of the reasons that you want to write
your memoir, what you want to share. Write your wisdoms about life that might
help others to live their lives in a more creative or balanced way, or you
might have a cautionary tale to tell. Keep in mind that the things we want to
keep secret might be the very lessons that are the most valuable to others.
New Year’s Reflections
- Write
10 things that you are grateful for as you begin the new year.
- List 5
intentions for your writing for the next 6 months. Be specific, like “I
plan to write 500 words a day for a month.” Or I will write the stories
for the first three decades of my life in 6 months.”
- List 5
things you will do to stimulate your creativity each week—things that
don’t include writing. These might include gardening, reading a favorite
book, walking your dog, petting your cat, going through the photo albums,
or doing genealogical research.
- List
the 10 best memories of your life.
- Write a
love letter to someone you miss.
- Write a
letter to someone who has angered you. Don’t send it.
- Pretend
you are the house you grew up in. Write from the house’s point of view
about the family who lived there.
- List
the workshops, classes, and writing books you plan to draw upon for
inspiration.
- What
new books do you plan to read in the next three months?
- Write
about the paradoxes in your writing life.
New Writing Workshop
Opportunities for 2010
Here at NAMW, we have some
great workshops coming up, from brief, focused workshops on skills to the
weekly intensive workshops of Linda Joy’s Writing a Healing
Memoir/Spiritual Autobiography. Jordan Rosenfeld, our popular teleseminar
presenter, is back! She is giving a wonderful FREE preview on January 15th
of her 4 week Fiction Magic for memoir Writers. Sign up for her preview
workshop here.
Jerry Waxler, one of our
popular teachers, will be teaching for us in February and March, and we are
pleased that Sharon Lippincott and Kim Pearson will also return to teach this
year. Sue William Silverman, our membership teleseminar leader for February,
has also agreed to teach a course sometime this year. We enjoyed a wonderful
interview with Sue that is available for you to listen to on our site. Click here to redirect to the NAMW Audio Interviews section.
Here at NAMW, we have high
standards for our workshop leaders. They are all experts in their field and seasoned
writers, some with advanced degrees. Our workshop leaders do not ask anything
of you that they have not encountered themselves on their writing journeys.
When you are on your writing journey, it helps to have guides who know the
terrain well, and who have encountered all the challenges and rocky
outcroppings that need maneuvering skills to resolve.
We have good news! Normally
Linda Joy’s Writing a Healing Memoir/Spiritual Autobiography
Monday courses are full, but right now both these groups have openings. These
workshops are a prime opportunity to get deep, skilled, and empathic feedback
for the stories that have shaped you into who you are. Because of Linda’s 30
years of clinical work in the arena of healing and transformation, she brings
unique skills to teaching memoir writing. Family dynamics and the psychology of
memoir writing are aspects of memoir writing that need careful attention. The
stories in these workshops are kept private in the sacred safe space of the
workshop, where all members are invited to share respectful and
supportive feedback to help the writer continue to hear their writer’s
voice. Issues such as the inner critic, layers of truth and family voices
are discussed in this in-depth workshop.
If you are interested in
these workshops, write to Linda Joy at lindajoy@namw.org or use the NAMW Contact form.
Workshop previews now available to members & non-members:
 January 15, 2010: Workshop Preview with Jordan Rosenfeld
Learn to Layer Scenes: A preview of Jordan’s Fiction Magic Workshop With Jordan Rosenfeld and Linda Joy Myers
Date: Friday, January 15, 2010
Times: 10 AM PST / 11 AM MST / 12 PM CST / 1 PM EST
Cost: FREE FOR EVERYONE (Click on the "more" link to be redirected to the sign-up form. You will receive the call information via email after signing-up!) » more
New Workshops at NAMW
 [2010 Winter workshops] Writing a Healing/Spiritual Memoir sessions with Linda Joy Myers
In this class each student writes the vignettes that are important to
the story that needs to be told. We begin with turning point stories,
stories that are most significant on the timeline, and write those
first. ...more
[Jan-Mar
2010 Workshop] Fiction Magic for Memoir Writers: Transform your memoir
with the miracle tool of good fiction writing with Jordan Rosenfeld Workshop Period: January 26 through February 16, 2010 (4 weeks) First class will meet by phone for one hour on: January 26, 2010 | Times: 10 AM PST / 11 AM MST / 12 PM CST / 1 PM EST | Price: NAMW MEMBER: $155.00 / NON-MEMBER: $175.00. Memoir writers may trade in facts, but the tools of fiction add
important qualities to a compelling narrative. From the material of
your own life, create the pulse-pounding drama of a good story using
strong, powerful scenes balanced with effective, but judiciously placed
exposition.... more
Saturday Classes in Berkeley with Linda Joy Myers
Saturday Healing Memoir and Spiritual Autobiography Schedule: Saturdays, 10am-1pm PDT 8 Sessions starting from Jan. 9-Mar 6, 2010. Price: $380.00 As a group, we write about the important moments in our lives–childhood
memories, careers, love and family, and spiritual quests. Some...more
Coming soon at NAMW!
 [Feb. 1, 2010 / Workshop Preview] Discover the story amidst the facts with Jerry Waxler Many aspiring memoir writers fear their lives are not interesting enough to keep people reading from beginning to end. Many successful writers take the opposite point of view, that the events of any lifetime contain compelling material and that the writer’s real job is to find the story... [Watch out for more details coming soon at NAMW!]
Important notice: Price changes for NAMW membership
Here at NAMW, we are passionate about memoir writers and the special services and support memoir writers need on your memoir writing journey. As you know, writing a memoir is a challenge that requires education, inspiration, and information to help you reach your writing and publishing goals.
At NAMW, we strive to offer our members benefits that match your needs, whether they are for workshops and online classes, live monthly teleseminars, memoir coaching, publishing opportunities, or books. As we evolve, we are creating even more networking and opportunities for our members to connect with each other through the café, forum, and social networks.
In order to continue providing our members with these benefits and continue to develop our services, we find that we need to raise our membership fee to cover the expenses of our growing network and staff at NAMW. The new membership fee is $147.50, but if you join NAMW before January 31, 2010, you can still enjoy the many perks of NAMW membership at the previous price of $127.
Hurry before it’s too late! Join now at just $127 (CLICK HERE TO JOIN).
Expect TWO NEW BENEFITS to be added to the current list of NAMW Membership Benefits this year! We will announce these benefits very soon!
Upcoming January Member-only Teleseminar:
Do you wish to become a member of NAMW? Click here to learn about the benefits of membership.
Or, CLICK HERE TO BECOME A MEMBER NOW!
Guest Speaker: Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada
Date: January 22, 2010
Times: 11 am Pacific | 12 noon Mountain | 1 pm Central | 2 pm Eastern
Cost: Free for NAMW Members
Become A Member of NAMW Today to take part in this teleseminar!
Please join Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada from the Larsen-Pomada
Literary Agency as they talk about what memoir writers need to know
with Linda Joy Myers. They will discuss the role of the literary agent,
publishing realities, and how you can shape your writing life so you
will be ready for what the agents need to help make you a successful
published author. [Read more]
 Do you Tweet? NAMW is actively posting updates on Twitter. Please follow us @NAMW to receive updates, etc. Click here to follow.
Fan of Facebook? Be a fan of NAMW on FB. Click here.
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 Click here to take a peek at the NAMW Calendar of Events and Workshops in store for you this year!
NAMW 2010 TELESEMINAR CALENDAR:
[January 22, 2010] Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada / Agents and Memoir Writers—Who, What, When, Why, and How
[Feb. 19, 2010] Sue Silverman
[March 12, 2010] Brooke Warner
[April 9, 2010] Ruth Folit
All teleseminars start at: 11 am Pacific | 12 noon Mountain | 1 pm
Central | 2 pm Eastern and hosted by Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D. | The NAMW
Teleseminars are a benefit of NAMW Membership.
Become a member now!
Do you Tweat? NAMW is actively posting updates on Twitter. Please follow us @NAMW to receive updates, etc. Follow us now!
Join the NAMW Group on FB! Click here!
We offer inspiration, connection, and support through our membership organization, our website, and Facebook network. Stay tuned for our teleseminar series, products, and services. Stay in touch, and join us at Facebook. Get acquainted! Be Brave—Write Your Story!
The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust
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