2012 The Year of the Memoir!
2012 Events
January 2012 Roundtable Discussion: January 12, 2012 4 PM PST, 5 PM MST, 6 PM CST, 7 PM EST Teresa LeYung Ryan will begin the year by educating and inspiring us to create our platform in 22 days! Even if you have just started writing, it’s not too late to muse and think about what your audience might be and the themes of your work. Platform is not the scary subject that you might at first think–it’s a natural way to think about your audience, and as you write, you can jot down your ideas as you go. Your first job is to write, write, write, while you learn about the process of writing and publishing, so when you’re ready, you can draw upon your resources. Sign up here to get the audio download and call in number. Member Teleseminar January 27, 2012 11 AM PST, 12 PM MST, 1 PM CST, 2 PM EST We’re so pleased to have an author I have admired for a long time with great talent and style–Jane Vandenburgh. And we’re neighbors as well here in California! Jane is going to continue the conversation we started at NAMW last year about the edges between truth and fiction. If you are a member, be sure to join us live on the call. If you’re not a member yet, consider joining us for a year’s worth of amazing presentations and for access to over 80 audios from previous presentations. Join here for this terrific presentation. February This month celebrates love, creativity, and the harbingers of spring. There’s a  lot going on at NAMW too, with a new course by Sharon Lippincott– Roundtable February 9, 2012 4 PM PST, 5 PM MST, 6 PM CST, 7 PM EST Memories Are Made of This….Or Are They? Sharon Lippincott Get to know Sharon at our free roundtable discussion where she will share with us her insights about memory–what is memory, how do we know what we remember is true? How much do we count on our memory when we are writing memoir–and much more. I’m sure most of you have asked these same questions. She brings her research on the subject and her experiences with other writers to enlighten us. The line will stay open for your questions and ideas. Sharon is on the NAMW advisory board and has been a long time memoir teacher, presenter, blogger, and author. She is teaching a new course. Member Teleseminar February 24, 2012 11 AM PST, 12 PM MST, 1 PM CST, 2 PM EST Beth Barany Social Media–Fun, not Fraught Beth Barany will talk with us about getting acquainted–in a friendly non-threatening way–with social media. Why this is the best way to get your work and yourself noticed in a busy whirlwind world? Why do you need to know about social media even if you are a serious writers? Join us to find out.
Welcome to Jennifer Lauck and Brooke Warner–New Advisory Board Members! We are growing at NAMW and are so happy to welcome new members to our board–two people who have so much to offer. I first got to know Jennifer through her amazing first memoir Blackbird, a book I simply could not put down, and then I followed her journey into Still Waters, turning the pages to find out more. Each book has shown us that not only can you write a memoir, you can write more than one, and each will teach, inspire, and move our hearts. Her last memoir, Found, is about finding her birth mother after a lifetime of feeling unwanted, and her own journey as a mother is chronicled in Show Me the Way. Read more about Jennifer, and stay tuned to more events and teleconferences with her. I first heard about Brooke Warner a couple of years ago because my friends were telling me what a great editor she was, and what a nice person–and she is. We met at the San Francisco Writing Conference and other events, and she is a gem. Brooke has mentored several of my writing pals into publication with her fine coaching and editing skills. Read more about Brooke here, and you will be learning more about what she has to offer writers in the next few months.
Other important events to Stimulate your Writing Life Put your work out to editors and agents at these events. Get started with your pitch and professional presentation. Even if your book is not done, these events will help you learn how to be a professional writer. Starts January 18, 2012 You’ll learn an 8-step plan to create your own memoir, experiment with writing exercises that will demonstrate how writing your truth and shaping your narrative can propel you toward life-changing discoveries, and learn lots of tips, techniques and tools for your own personal or group work.
Required Text: The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story, Linda Joy Myers
San Francisco Writing Conference February 17-19, 2012 Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco Networking, three days of great workshops, and Speed Dating with Agents. Great conference. http://sfwriters.org Meet the Agents, Speed Dating with Agents March 24, 2012 Sponsored by the Women’s National Book Association, SF-Chapter. Intimate and focused conversations with agents. www.wnba-sfchapter.org AWP Conference Chicago, Illinois February 29-March 4 http://www.awpwriter.org/conference/2012awpconf.php There are over 100 workshops with famous writers at this conference. See you there! Redwood Writers Conference April 28 Santa Rosa, CA http://redwoodwriters.org/conference Story Circle Conference April 13-15 Austin Texas http://www.storycircle.org/Conference I’m teaching Writing a Spiritual Memoir. Austin in spring, wildflowers, networking–all great stuff! ————————————————————————————————————– Books to Feed Your Writing Soul View our Recommended Reading List at NAMW and choose some new books to read–memoirs, inspiration, and craft! Spirited Woman Make sure to check out Spirited Woman. It’s a community for woman where your passion connects YOU to the world. Spirited Woman is positive, empowered, fun, vibrant, and inspired. My book Don’t Call Me Mother is currently being featured on the front page, so take a look while you’re there.
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 Writing Prompts for January 1. Describe your childhood home, or a home important to you. Use sensual details–color, sound, smell, and taste. What made it feel good? What was uncomfortable? Write a portrait of this place. Be sure to talk about your own room or place. 2. Describe your early experiences with wonder and awe. Did this occur in nature? Use sensual details to describe how you felt and the scene. How old were you? Where were you? What did you think about this experience? 3. Describe a mentor or teacher who influenced you or changed your life. Describe the physical attributes, energy, attitudes, spiritual self, and clothes. What happened in your relationship? How old were you? What do you know, who are you thanks to that person? 4. Write about your philosophy of life: When did you first develop your unique point of view? What influenced your philosophy along the way? 5. What was the best day of your life? Why?
Keep writing! If you have any questions, or would like to suggest a workshop, teleseminar or roundtable topic please let us know. Email us at: customersupport@namw.org. And thank you very much for your support of the National Association of Memoir Writers! Keep writing, Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D., MFT
President & Founder
National Association of Memoir Writers
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