Memoir writers need to be consummate storytellers, grabbing for our craft toolbox the techniques that make all stories great: well rounded characters, an interesting plot, scintillating scenes that make us feel, see, smell and taste. We have to translate our inner world of  memory to that of story.

At NAMW, we are so pleased to offer this workshop on Story Crafting with our own popular teacher, Jerry Waxler.

Teleclass 4 weeks starting April 23, 2012

Mondays, April 23, 30, May 7, May 14 2012

3 PM PST, 4 PM MST, 5 PM CST, 6 PM EST

90 minute workshop

Fee:  Members – $69     Non-Members – $79

To tell your story in a memoir, you need to become a storyteller. In this four session teleclass, Jerry Waxler will explain the structure of a story, and show you how to weave your life experience into this structure, by finding the dramatic tension, character arc, and beginning, middle, and end. You will learn how to transform a lifetime of unstructured memories into a world that readers don’t want to leave.

What you will learn

• Importance of a protagonist and how you will become one in your memoir
• The importance of the inner as well as the outer story
• How to set up the beginning of a story so the reader wants to know the end
• How to energize the middle so it drives the reader to the next page
• How to create a satisfying ending to your  memoir
• How to turn your life lessons into a crucial element of a good story

Jerry Waxler M.S. is a workshop leader and writing coach, with a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. He is the author of the blog, Memory Writers Network, which contains hundreds of essays, book reviews, and writing prompts about reading and writing memoirs. Mr. Waxler is the author of “Learn to Write Your Memoirs,” a step by step guide” and “Four Elements for Writers” a self-help workbook, both available from his website. Jerry is a board member of the Philadelphia Writers Conference, is on the faculty at Northampton Community College and on the advisory panel of the National Association of Memoir Writers.

Blog: Hundreds of Essays for Memoir Writers and Readers
Home Page: JerryWaxler.com

NAMW Members  $69
Non-Members     $79