Fundamentals of Life Stories Writing

Writing is an inherently private activity – and the most personal form is the journal. This is often the jumping off point for a more formal approach to life stories writing, but the inspiration can come from many other sources. You may be intimately familiar with the events and “characters” themselves, you may never have given the thought to the actual process of turning these personal memories and experiences into stories that can be read and enjoyed than others.

You will work with a published author to write and revise a story or memoir chapter (up to 2500 words) and engage in directed journaling, hands-on writing exercises and constructive critical feedback.

Course level:  Beginner / Intermediate

Required Book:  Writing Life Stories by Bill Roorbach

Workshop Length:  12 weeks

Tuition:  $350.00 ($315 for VIP)

Start Date: View Fundamentals of Life Stories Writing Course Schedule

Course Structure
This workshop will consist of six two-week sessions. Each session will include online lectures (text based) and associated textbook reading assignments, along with writing assignments incorporating the techniques learned in the session, which you will submit to the instructor for private review at the end of the first week of the session. During the second week of each session, work will be posted for group review and feedback. Throughout the workshop you will be able to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion and encouraged to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and posted self-directed writing and creativity exercises. This is not a genealogy course, but we will introduce the basics of document research and techniques for “interviewing” friends and family members. (2.4 CEUs)

You will learn:

  • Fundamental creative writing techniques that will help you explore personal and family stories
  • How detail evokes emotion in your writing
  • How to write descriptively about place
  • How to put your personality on the page and develop individual style
  • How to polish your prose through revising and rewriting

Who should take this course:

  • Writers interested in learning creative writing techniques to bring their personal and family stories to life on the page
  • Individuals who want to know how to turn their life experiences and memories into readable and enjoyable stories
  • Writers who would like to write a memoir someday but aren’t sure how to start the process and would like some coaching from a Published Author

Register for Fundamentals of Life Stories Writing Workshop

Course Outline

Session One: Getting Started

  • The stuff life stories are made of
  • Exploring your memories
  • Focusing on sensory details
  • How detail evokes emotion in your writing

Writing Assignment: Select two memories—your earliest memory and an important memory from the past year and write up to 250 words on each one, including detail about sensory perceptions and the emotions they evoke.

Session Two: The Importance of Place

  • Setting the scene
  • Writing descriptively about place
  • Showing vs. telling

Writing Assignment: A 500-word scene from your life when “place” had a special significance. Use descriptive language to “show” the place to your reader.

Session Three: Real People Are Characters Too

  • Becoming a careful observer
  • Characterization techniques
  • Dialogue

Writing Assignment: Write a scene from your life in which someone important to you played a central role. Include dialogue that helps reveal that character to your reader (maximum 750 words)

Session Four: Every Family Has a Story

  • Anecdotes & oral histories
  • Interviewing friends and family members
  • Research

Writing Assignment: A family story, or collection of shorter personal anecdotes (maximum 1,000 words)

Session Five: Voice & Style

  • Putting your personality on the page
  • An introduction to style
  • Word choice
  • Clarity

Writing Assignment: To help develop your personal voice, write a letter to someone you’re close to, telling about something important in your life (maximum 500 words); Then try to maintain that voice as you write the first draft of a complete life story (or a chapter of your memoir), up to 2,000 words.

Session Six: Making Your Writing the Best it Can be

  • Polishing your prose
  • Revising and rewriting
  • Making tough decisions about what to leave in and what to take out

Writing Assignment: Revised draft of the story or memoir chapter you wrote for Session Five, putting together everything you’ve learned (maximum 2,500 words).