At The National Association of Memoir Writers, we believe in the power of memoir writing!

Writing a memoir is a powerful way to find your voice, tell your story, and reach out to the larger world with who you are. It’s a process of mining memories and discovering the most meaningful stories. Through the benefits offered at NAMW, we help writers feel empowered with purpose and energy to begin and develop their stories into a publishable memoir, whether in essay form, a book, a family legacy, or a blog. NAMW founder, Linda Joy Myers, has taught memoir writing for many years, and has written two memoirs and three books on memoir writing.

Focused on the Needs of Memoir Writers

Memoir Authors Online

NAMW provides online events to support memoir writers and connect you with published memoir authors, who are blazing a trail in the memoir writing field.

Keys to Memoir Success

With 10 years under our belt, we’ve developed a wealth of resources to support memoir writers, both new and experienced, in honing their craft.

Learn and Grow

One of our primary missions at the National Association of Memoir Writers is to help our members learn to structure memories into published, well-crafted memoirs.

Connect and Share

Through telesummits, roundtables and more, we provide our members with a variety of forums to connect and share with others who are working on memoirs.

The Home for Memoirists

Through the benefits offered at NAMW, we help writers feel empowered with purpose and energy to begin and develop their stories into a publishable memoir, whether in essay form, a book, a family legacy, or a blog. We offer over 80 audios of live member teleseminars, several free eBooks, and discounts on workshops and writing craft tools and products. Serious memoir writers and novices alike depend on NAMW to guide them through their writing and publishing process.

Join a community that understands the power of memoir – from craft needs to the healing process of writing your life’s experiences.

Start with Free monthly Live Member events on Zoom. From the comfort of your home, you can call in to talk with a variety of experts about memoir writing, the process and the craft. You can learn about creating your plot from dreams and memories, the psychology of memoir writing, how to write the truth and still be invited for the holidays, the healing power of writing, and much more. These teleseminars are an $800 value and are included at no additional charge to members of NAMW. During these Member Events, our members learn about the important elements in memoir writing. Inspirational, instructive, and valuable teaching that help you begin, develop, and complete your memoir. Check out our Member Event page for an up to date listing of confirmed monthly teleseminars!

Networking opportunities with other memoir writers. We want you to be able to share your successes, news, and stories with others. Our mission is to help you connect with other memoir writers for support, education, and inspiration. Membership benefits also include access to contests, grants, agents and publishers as well as exposure to cutting-edge news and information about the memoir-writing field.

Access our Members Only Facebook Group If you want to share how your writing life is going, you can tell us more on our Facebook page. This space will help you to connect with other members, share your story ideas and progress, and talk about the skills you need to write and publish your memoir. The NAMW Members Only Facebook Group is visible and accessible only to NAMW members.

Group Laser Coaching with Linda Joy Myers

– a $595 value

Members receive this special benefit to join president Linda joy Myers in an intimate laser coaching setting.

Each month, members sign up to get the exclusive audio recording of the meeting for their archives. You know how hard it is to remember a conversation while you’re in it? This way, you can listen over and over again to the insights and remember how the hive mind comes up with creative new ideas–about titles, structure, theme, plot, and characterization skills in your memoir.
Laser coaching focuses quickly on the problem and looks for a solution and resources.
Everyone benefits from a group call—even if you can’t ask “your” question, you hear the questions and answers from the group.
You can be at any stage of writing your memoir to get value from this deep dive into the craft and process of writing a memoir.

Group coaching helps connect the NAMW community.

[NEW] Learn for Less. New this year are courses and online learning opportunities for aspiring memoir writers. The 30 Day Memoir Writing Challenge, our first online course will be featured this fall. Members receive discounts on all courses offered by NAMW.

The NAMW Jumpstart Your Memoir Questionnaire. This questionnaire helps you to focus on the meaning, themes, and structure of your story. Using this tool, you will discover the title, turning points, and affirmations that will keep you writing and help you conquer your inner critic

The NAMW Newsletter sent to you monthly via email. Keep up with the happenings in the memoir world through our monthly newsletter. Stay tuned for featured members, member news, articles, and stories from other members.

Access to Downloadable recordings of our Monthly Memoir Writing Roundtables and Previous Day-Long Telesummits. This list of an additional audio recordings grows monthly and is available to our members for immediate download! A $120 value.

Special Member Discounts for Workshops, Online Classes, and Webinars NAMW members get exclusive discounts for each workshop and class offering at the National Association of Memoir Writers. Workshops have included Begin Your Memoir, Spiritual Autobiography and Healing Memoir, Memoir and Plot and others by experts in memoir writing.

Everyone is talking about platform these days—I’m sure you keep hearing about how important it is to create networks where people have heard of you and your work. Writers are encouraged to start a blog and be active with one or two social media networks where you connect with an audience. Here at NAMW, we want to help give our members a boost toward building platform! Each month a member can be our “Featured Member” on the website and in our newsletter. You can talk about your book, your writing project, and give links to your website or blog. To be considered as a featured member, you need to log into the member area; select “Become a Featured Member” from the menu and enter your information in the form. You can include a brief write-up about your memoir, your website links, and a great looking photo of you! Once we hear from you, we will put you on our list of members to be featured.

Audio Download of an interview with Kathleen Adams, founder of the Center for Journal Therapy, Inc, about Writing as Healing conducted by Linda Joy Myers, PhD. This CD will be available for download in the Members Area when you purchase your membership. Kay Adams is well known in the therapeutic writing community for her work using journaling and writing as a healing tool. She is founder and president of the Center for Journal Therapy, Inc., and the author of Journal to the Self, The Write Way to Wellness, The Way of the Journal and three other books. She is a past-president of the National Association of Poetry Therapy. In 2008, Kay hosted the Journal Conference: The Power of Writing in Denver. Guests included the top names in the field of therapeutic writing, journal writing, and spiritual autobiography, such as Dr. James Pennebaker, Christine Baldwin, Tristine Rainier, and 75 other authors and experts, including NAMW president Linda Joy Myers. Please visit www.journaltherapy.com to learn more about Kay and Journal Therapy. A $20 value.

Free E-Books:

A PDF download of The NAMW E-book: Memoir Writing as a Healing Journey by Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D. Many memoir writers find that writing a personal history helps to integrate past and present, and gives them a new perspective about their lives. This book discusses the important research of Dr. James Pennebaker and other researchers that show how writing heals both body and soul, and makes a case for free expression and the wisdom of healing the past through writing the truth. Memoir Writing as a Healing Journey helps you with the journey of memoir writing, from how to get started to taming the inner critic. You will learn to how to make the transition from memory to memoir, and soon have many small stories or vignettes. There are powerful writing invitations to help you bypass your critic, and stories by other writers to encourage your path. You will find out that writing the truth is freeing and can be done without alienating the family. A $30 value.

Dazzling Descriptions: Selected Blog Posts from the Heart and Craft of Life Writing an E-book by Sharon Lippincott

Sharon Lippincott is a NAMW Advisory board member. Learn more about Sharon by clicking here A $20 value. E-Book by Jerry Waxler On Becoming a Writer Jerry’s eBook guides the beginning writer through the early stages of writing and creating a memoir. He draws from his book The Four Elements for Writers–Earth, Fire, Air and Water as metaphors for the creative process. A $20 value.

I loved Linda Joy’s two-hour workshop on memoir writing! She gave us such terrific information–all of which was helpful no matter what stage of memoir writing we were in. She has such an embracing style–this was not like most teleseminars I have taken, in that Linda Joy encouraged participation of the audience (she did not mute us), and no matter what participants said or asked, she always made everyone feel like their contribution or question was valued.

Debra Sanders

Learn with NAMW

The National Association of Memoir Writers brings together a variety of experts and professionals in the field of writing for our community and our members. These memoir writing professionals share their wisdom and insights on persisting through the challenges and making your life’s story an engaging work. Learn the craft of memoir writing from others who have forged paths from memories to published stories.

Learn More

For Advanced Writers As Well

Honing the craft of memoir writing isn’t just for beginners. Even experienced memoir writers find they benefit from the support and community that NAMW has to offer. And like our founder, Linda Joy Myers, found when she finished her first memoir. There are always more stories to be explored and shared! Write your second or even third memoir with our help.

Start with memoir writing experts featured in our telesummit audio recordings.

Learn with Telesummits

Start Your Memoir Journey Today

Join NAMW today and get access to all the experts and online learning resources
to help you along your journey as you capture memories and write your story!

Join NAMW