Online: Writing Memoir with Kate Holden

This writing course, Online: Writing Memoir with Kate Holden, will take place online.

In a big life, where is the story? Everyone has not just one story but thousands. Somewhere in your many years, encounters, lessons and relationships is the tale you need to tell. It may be sad, it may be joyful, complicated or simple. It might be just for you or it might be a story lots of people can share.

How do you condense a whole person into a memorable character on the page? What about the legal and ethical issues—how do you respect someone’s privacy while speaking the truth? And what are the ingredients that make a memoir something not only you will want to read, but people you’ve never met will want to read?

It’s one thing to live it; another to write it. In this six-week online memoir writing course, Kate Holden takes you through discussion, exercises and the sharing of stories to help you shake off the cobwebs and tumbleweeds and find the story inside you – and how best to make it sing.

This online writing memoir course will include practical components and writing exercises as well discussions focused on theoretical issues.

This workshop will cover:

motives to write
motives to publish
memory and verification, clearances and permissions
legal and ethical issues
stylistic and voice issues
refining a story arc
boring and gripping memoirs
This course involves submitting short writing exercises, and giving and receiving peer feedback. Participants will receive limited tutor feedback.

Expected Learning outcomes:
In this course, participants will:

Learn about major logistical and stylistic issues of contemporary memoir
Discuss and share impressions of successful (and unsuccessful) published works
Describe your own projects and challenges and practice short passages of character portrayal
Discuss the legal implications of publication, and feel excited to work on their memoir projects.
Participant Requirements
Internet access and confidence using basic computer software are essential for this program.

Is this course right for you? Please read our FAQ> for important information before enrolling.

If you have questions about this course, please contact us.

More Information
The course takes place on a user-friendly website called Wet Ink, designed specifically for writing courses. Participants will have the week to work through the content and post responses to exercises designed to put the theory they’re learning into practice.

You do not need to log into the course at a specific time and there are no live meetings. You will receive an email with an invitation link to join the online classroom a week before the course starts.

Participants will work through several lessons, which will open sequentially over the course.
You can complete the lesson material in your own time.
This course includes assignments and participants will give and receive peer feedback on their work. Some assignments will receive tutor feedback if completed by the deadlines provided.