Member Teleseminar
Friday May 16, 2014
11 AM 12 PM 1 PM 2 PM
When you write a memoir, you’re caught up in a journey about your life, a journey that you try to capture in your book, but you can’t exactly predict the plot of this even though you know “what happened.” As you sketch out your memories, at first you think about your whole life, and can get overwhelmed with so many memories. But to write a memoir, you need to select and hone your memories, themes, and ideas and think about not only “what happened” but what the takeaway is for the reader.
The difference between memoir and autobiography can be a challenge to sort out. In memoir writing/storytelling, the theme is the ‘prize’ that writers need to keep as a focus.
What is theme? It’s the focus, the point of your story, the ‘feeling’ that propels the forward motion of your memoir. The ‘clothesline’ image is helpful: Think of theme as a clothesline and then make sure all your scenes hang from it.
What you will learn in this teleseminar:
Autobiography vs memoir: what is the difference?
Story sequence/scenes in Autobiography: Linear story telling
Story sequence/scenes in memoir: Inciting incident
Scene in memoirs: What do you include?
Recollections that serve the memoir theme
Why “less is more” in memoir storytelling
Themes: The Heart of Memoir
Examples:
Against All Odds
David vs. Goliath
Redemption
Good vs. Evil
Bring your questions to this informative and important teleseminar–learn the secrets of success from an experienced editor and marketer, Marla Miller! If you are not a member yet, check out the list of membership benefits here.
Bio
Marla Miller’s freelance writing career began 25 years ago: her talk show at KUCI ran for 8 years. Her book All American Girls, U.S Women’s National Soccer Team was published by Simon & Schuster. Since 2003, she’s been leading MarketingtheMuse Workshops at writers’ conferences. She’s co-author of the eBook, Days Gone By: Barnaby Conrad’s Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and Deadly Little Secrets. Marla works with many memoir authors. Testimonials can be found at MarlaMiller.com.
Southern California Writers Conference, workshop leader-2005-present.
Santa Barbara Writers Conference: Assistant Director, 2005-2009, workshop leader, 2003-present; Writer’s Digest Conference: Pitch Witch Bootcamp, 2013
Co-host: Indie Author, a Google+ OnAir show that spotlights ‘indie authors’ works and marketing strategies, 2013-present.
Host: Launching in May, 2014, Google+OnAir show, Literary Salon: Learning Prose From the Pros. The interview format show spotlights authors – from both traditional and indie -who discuss the path to publication.. Confirmed: Jane Smiley, Suzanne Redfearn, Caitlin Rother & Janis Thomas.
Website: www.MarlaMiller.com Google+ Marla Miller’s MarketingtheMuse
Google + Literary Salon: Learning Prose from the Pros
Twitter: @writersMAMA Facebook: Marla Miller’s MarketingtheMuse: Hooking Readers; LinkedIn: Marla Miller
Pinterest:http://www.pinterest.com/writersmama/
Linda,
Looking forward to this! At the end of our time together, I won’t guarantee that your members will find ‘Oz’ but I promise they will get closer to that story they must tell.
Best to all NAMW members.
Marla
This sounds excellent. How do I sign in?
Thanks
Carole
Can’t see how to sign up for connection details, and I think the date (Friday, May 18) could be a mistake.