Fear, doubt, procrastination, starting over, changing subjects... resistance to writing takes many forms. In this free, 90-minute class we'll talk about resistance, what it is, why it exists, and--most importantly--how to manage it!
You've been dreaming about writing--both in general and for a specific goal--and yet you haven't made the progress you'd hoped. You're not going to let that happen this year--dammit! This is the year you're going to do it. You're going to send out that book proposal, finish that memoir, start writing those essays, and start believing it when you call yourself a writer. At least... that's what you think you're going to do. Problem is, you're not quite sure how.
Soon, we'll arrive at the ending to 2021. In honor of this, we'll spend this meeting of The Memoir Collective talking about endings, in particular, how to write successful sentence, paragraph, chapter and story endings. We'll also talk about that ever-vexing problem: how to identify the ending of your memoir.
There was a time in my early forties when I once spent the better part of a day shopping for a soap dish and toothbrush holder that would perfectly match the brushed nickel faucets in my newly remodeled spa bathroom. Back then, I was extremely proud of my just-spicy-enough jambalaya […]
There are no free classes currently scheduled, but shoot me an email (link on the next page) and let me know if you'd like to be notified when the next classes are scheduled. All classes are free, take place online, and will last about an hour.
Fear is predominant emotion for memoirists. We fear what others might think, we fear failure, we fear success, we fear we’re not any good, we fear we may hurt others... and the list goes on and on. But fear is not out to stop us, it’s there to warn us and make sure we contemplate all facets of a situation before proceeding. This free Zoom class will introduce you to a tool to help you handle the heebie-jeebies when they arise.
I’ve worked as a writer ever since I graduated with a journalism degree in 1982. For almost every piece of writing I’ve done, I’ve had a contract to write it ahead of time. I’ve known the topic, the length, the audience, and how much I’d be paid for my efforts.
With […]
You’ve lived through an amazing experience and know you have a story to tell, but you’re having trouble getting started. Where do you begin? How should the story be structured? Why would anybody care? In this daylong class, you’ll be guided through a series of writing exercises designed to help you understand your story, find its universal relevance, and—most importantly—start writing. Whether you’re interested in writing a book-length memoir or a memoir-essay, you’re guaranteed to end the day with a stack of freshly written pages and new insight into what an experience meant.
Readers don't care about your life experiences as much as what your experiences have to teach them. In this quick zoom workshop, we'll look at ways to make your life experiences more relevant--and relatable--for readers, while also making the writing process more memorable to you.
I was recently interviewed for a podcast sponsored by the Hoffman Institute. If you’ve never heard of Hoffman, well, let me say that if you’re ready to make some important changes in your life–or, if you’re stuck and have no idea where to turn–you may want to check […]
