Memoir Writing Class
Mondays, September 18 through November 13 – 3:00 to 5:00 pm
Connestee Conference Room, Transylvania County Library
Sponsored by the Friends of the Library

Registration for fall is complete – if you would like to be put on a wait list, click HERE. Space is limited to ten participants.  Registration  is first come, first served.  At the end of the class, participants will have the opportunity to read their work during a Public Reading Event at the Library, which will be open to the public.

Class Description and Participant Responsibilities

Do you have a story to tell about your past? Would you like to write about it, perhaps even publish it?  Are you interested in writing to find things out about yourself and others, to gain insight and clarity, to strengthen your sense of identify and purpose?  Then, come take the creative journey of a lifetime and join the Memoir Writing Class!  Experience the joy of writing as you explore and reflect on your life, recall, record and preserve important moments, connect with yourself and others on a deeply personal level, and hone your writing skills while having fun.

In this fast-paced, eight-week class, you will learn how to:

• Set the scene to develop character, write sensory description and compelling dialogue
• Establish your “voice” and tell your truth
• Pace your story as you build a narrative arc with a great beginning, middle and ending
• Dive to the bottom of the ocean to capture the emotional heart of your story

You will write at home, share your work online in advance of class with other participants, read your work in class, gently and constructively critique your classmates’ work, and then rewrite your story to make it even better. Use of a computer to write and an email address are required for participants.

Class Schedule for Fall 2023

Class #1:  Sept 18
Class #2:  Sept 25
Class #3: October 2
Class #4: October 9
Class #5: October 16
NO CLASS October 23
Class #6: October 30
Class #7: November 6
Class #8: November 13
Public Reading:
December 4th in the evening.

Because memoir writing is especially personal and some will be delving into sensitive topics, participants must be accepting and non-judgmental of the work shared and protect the privacy of classmates.

At least one of the following titles are required reading for the class
The Art of Memoir (Mary Karr)
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (Stephen King)
On Writing Well:  The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (William Zinsser)
Bird by Bird:  Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamont)

The instructor is Daphne Larkin, an award-winning book author, columnist and memoirist who is writing a book on the art, the alchemy and the craft of memoir writing.

Questions?  Email Lisa Sheffield at the Library.