Linda Joy Myers—Coach and Mentor for Your Memoir Journey

If you are a writer, I’m glad to be here to help you. There are so many layers to finding stories, wrestling with permission to write personal stories, and discovering the craft techniques needed for a book—it’s a lot to learn. I write and teach memoir writing and historical fiction—genres that are about writing the truth, digging for not only what happened, but also how we can make sense of this life. Writing my own books—two memoirs, Don’t Call Me Mother and Song of the Plains, and my first historical fiction novel, The Forger of Marseille, have taught me a great deal about the paths we take as we open ourselves to creating a book. The learning curve, and the deep satisfaction of writing a story we believe in, can be satisfying yet challenging.

With my degree in psychology and years of listening to people’s stories, first as a therapist and now as a memoir teacher and coach, I bring that experience to my teaching and coaching sessions. I call it “wearing my therapist hat.” It’s not therapy, but writing a memoir is a deeply therapeutic and life-changing venture, and it can help to have someone on board who is familiar with things like family dynamics—you know, all the stuff that whispers in your ear as you think about writing your story. And there is our own psychological journey when we write a memoir.

It can open new doors to your ideas about storymaking as you learn craft skills like scenes, narrative voice, point of view, and characterization.

Writers ask me questions like these:

• How can I translate my life experiences to the page?
• How can I bear to expose myself and my life in a memoir?
• How will I know if the story makes sense to a reader?
• How do I finish my memoir and figure out what to do with it?

People who want to write a memoir also express these concerns:

• How much truth do I need to include to have an authentic story?
• I’m a new writer—how do I transition from journaling to writing stories?
• I’m concerned about the process of writing—what if digging into the past takes me to memories I’d rather avoid?

All of these concerns are real and valid, and we will work together to solve your specific questions.

Writing and getting feedback along the way is the best combination to get your work done. Professional feedback helps you move through the challenges of writing a book more quickly.

How Does Coaching Work?

An hour-long coaching session is divided between a half-hour of reading/editing and a half-hour of one-on-one discussion of your work on Zoom. During our appointment, we discuss things like how you are progressing, your questions about your story, and any craft skills you need clarified. Sometimes memoirists need emotional support to get through writing about family and challenges they face. I can help you write through those challenges and make forward progress.

Wherever you are in your writing journey, I can help you figure out how to write a memoir that will offer meaning and substance to your readers. If you are writing historical fiction, we can look at how fiction works, and your job as a researcher so you can write an authentic, inspiring, and accurate story. Your story is unique, and I know how much courage it takes to do this work. I look forward to learning more about you and your story.

When you sign up, we’ll set up our first appointment to discuss your work and your goals. I look forward to hearing from you.

Bio

Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D., MFA, founded the National Association of Memoir Writers in 2008. An experienced speaker at conferences and memoir expert, she’s the author of two award-winning memoirs Don’t Call Me Mother and Song of the Plains, two books on craft The Power of Memoir, & Journey of Memoir, and co-authored Breaking Ground on Your Memoir and Magic of Memoir. A memoir coach for over 30 years, she helps writers find their voice, work with their genre, and get their story into the hands of readers. Linda Joy’s prize-winning first novel, The Forger of Marseille was released in 2023.

Six Sessions–$1050