A memoir tells the story that otherwise would be lost. If you are writing a memoir, you probably are aware of the various layers of excitement/worry/curiosity/ and passion that goes with such a project. It takes craft and creativity, persistence and motivation to write a story about your life. It means you are vulnerable and exposed too, even to yourself. I know this well. have just finished writing my second memoir Song of the Plains—A Memoir of Family, Secrets, and Silence, and I can tell you I went through, and am still going through, all the ups and downs that you do as I wrote the book. And now I’m going to share it with the world. Gulp!
I kept asking myself why I did this—again—and found an answer, or answers: because I have a story that I believe is particularly mine, yet has universal elements in it that we all share: mothers, grandmothers, fathers, and a search for identity. It’s about blood ties, and the land where bones are buried. It’s about failures and secrets and successes, and hope. All our stories are about these things in one way or another. The trick is to find your particular vision and voice, the threads of your story that you weave together for us to read.
Here at the National Association of Memoir Writers, our goal is to help you learn new skills and to lift you up as you work on your story. This year we added two new features: our monthly programs are in a webinar format, which makes learning and connecting even easier and more fun. And at our group coaching sessions members have been making new friends and finding writing buddies that help them on the journey. Our Roundtable webinars feature new authors just like you, who have crossed the finish line into “published author.” Some of these writers have been NAMW members and now are authors! Their books are winning prizes! This is very exciting.
We’re celebrating a creative spring this year, and the fact that memoir is still wildly popular and a genre that isn’t going away! There are more ways than ever to be published and share our stories, so keep writing!
To help you celebrate we’re offering a special spring sale of $40 off our regular membership price—Only $109 for a year membership. Renewals are also discounted $40 off and are only $107. Our sale begins Friday, April 14th and ends at midnight on Monday, April 17th.
You receive two new bonuses with your membership: The audio and transcript of What Made Liar’s Club a New York Times Bestseller—a four week course taught by Brooke Warner and me a year ago. And the audio and transcript of How to Tell the Truth Without Ending up in Court, a webinar by Helen Sedwick, an attorney that specializes in what writers need to know. We have many other benefits so you can find them here.
