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waters_edge_2It’s autumn, and it feels as if school has started for memoir writers, along with all the school children! My workshops have started with seven eager students in the Writing a Healing/Spiritual Memoir workshop. We had a lovely reunion after some took the summer off and we moved right into the joys and challenges of writing the truth, of grabbing memories by the throat and taking a risk to drop them on the page to turn into stories. It’s an act of faith, this writing, and a group makes it a bit easier. We support each other and talk through the tough stuff. Oh, and we laugh a lot too.

Next week I’m flying to New York, and then taking the train to Connecticut, which should be showing off its colors. The first annual National Association of Memoir Writers retreat is meeting at the Water’s Edge Resort on Long Island Sound—my first time in Connecticut and in this lovely setting.

We are so pleased to have a great group of people coming to write and learn and talk about stories all weekend. Jerry Waxler, Judy Mandel and I have been planning the retreat since March, and now it’s finally here! We asked for stories from the participants about what they are writing and what they want to take away with them at the retreat, and now we’re even more inspired! They are bringing up the Big Questions about memoir writing, and we’ll do our best to help answer them.

Some Big Questions have to do with structure—a common problem that memoir writers need to solve—after all, once you have lived the stories, it’s hard to stand back and be objective about what goes where, what to leave in and what to take out. We will spend a lot of time talking about the craft of memoir writing—what makes a great scene, the arc of the narrative, how to create characters that live and breathe on the page—even if they are/were your family.  Memoir writers always need to discuss the complexities of writing the truth, and their worries about what the family will say when the find out about the memoir. We will talk about breaking the silences that stop us from writing and confronting the inner critic. We will talk about writing, and more writing and not giving up.

Another Big Question has to do with how to be published. With so many choices now, and fewer large publishers to choose from, it’s a challenge for even very experienced writers to figure out what path to take. We will discuss all the ways to be published, from self-publishing to traditional, and all the new hybrid ways in between. There will be lectures and writing groups and private mentor consultations all weekend.

Afterward, I’m going to New York to celebrate that great city, the art, the zip and jazz, Greenwich Village, Central Park, and see the Carol King musical “Beautiful” with Judy! I am also taking my laptop so I can work on the two books I’m writing, another memoir and a how-to book, title to be shared some time in the new year.

We are planning to offer the retreat again next year, so if you aren’t able to come now, we’ll miss you, but stay tuned for future announcements and early bird sign-ups.

Keep writing! We’ll send photos and news about the retreat in the October newsletter.

In the meantime, join us for our September member webinar—this time we are using the webinar format  for our presentation so you can see what makes a great—and a not so great—book cover. We want to urge you to take seriously that people—and bookstores and reviewers—DO judge a book by its cover and how to avoid the pitfall of a bad cover that won’t show off your book the way it needs to be. It’s a journey when you write a book to learn the professional standards of the industry so you can shine!


 

September Member- Only Webinar

We DO Judge a Book by Its Cover – Secrets You Don’t Know About Cover Design with Michele De Filippo and Sonia Marsh
FridaySeptember 26, 2014 11 AM PDT/2 PM EDT

This is a WEBINAR, not our usual member teleseminar. On this webinar, we are excited to present photos of good and not so good book designs, to teach you what works and what doesn’t in the publishing world. Please join us!
Log-in if you are a member to get the call information.
If you want to attend, but are not a member click here to learn more about the benefits of becoming a member.

Early Bird Pricing for Breaking Silence, and Low Low price for NAMW Members

bys-bonusesBreaking Your Silence Teleconference

November 14, 2014

Join us for 6 hours of amazing presentations by women who have walked the walk. The conference will be recorded if you are unable to attend. Sign up today.

If you register now, you will receive early bird pricing PLUS two bonus eBooks! This conference will address the issues that memoirists deal with constantly- how to find your voice and break the silences that plague our deep writing!

 

It’s time to find your voice and break your silence — and write the memoir you want to write! During this day long teleconference, we will be addressing the “secret” issue of shame for writers. We call the voice that creates writer’s block the ”Inner Critic,” but at the core of the Inner Critic is shame and doubt. Please join these amazing women who are willing to share their stories of shame, doubt, and how they have broken through and helped others find their voice. I’m so pleased to have with me at this conference Sue William Silverman, Amy Ferris, Amy Friedman and Brooke Warner.

Learn more here!


Roundtable for October

Date: October 16, 2014
Time: 4 PM PDT / 7 PM EDT
Experts: Mary Gottschalk and Carol Bodensteiner
Topic: The Big Decision: Memoir or Fiction?
At this free Roundtable Teleseminar, we’re going to address a subject that memoir writers struggle with: whether to write their story as a memoir—everything is true!—or as autobiographical fiction—I made it up!
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