The memoir is one of the best-selling and fastest-evolving literary genres. From prize-winning creative non-fiction like Dave Eggers A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius to celebrity tell-alls and confessional misery-lit, in recent years memoirs have attracted critical adulation, controversy and some serious sales.
Having a story to tell is the first step in writing a memoir. It doesn’t even have to be your own story. No longer the sole province of the nostalgic famous, a memoir doesn’t have to cover a whole life – it can explore the details of a personal triumph, a serious illness, a relationship, a divorce, or a job.
Through an intensive weekend of talks and practical workshops led by bestselling author Mark McCrum, you’ll learn the all-important craft of knowing what to share, what to leave out, and how to hone your writing style to build an intimate bond with your readers. You’ll end the course understanding the challenges of writing a memoir, but with the skills you need to pour a life onto the page.
This course is for you if…
- You are planning, or have started, a personal memoir, or other long-form autobiographical work, whether about your life as a whole or a single event or period within it
- You want to write a work of fiction based on your real-life experiences
Course description
This intensive, highly rewarding course teaches writers of all levels how to examine their personal experiences and translate them into literature. A highly practical, energising course which encompasses writing skills, research tips and learning exercises that will change your thinking, even when you’re not at the keyboard. Topics covered over the weekend include:
- Finding your story: what to share, and what to leave out
- Building a dramatic narrative from the chaos of real-life
- How to look at your life from the outside to find your own truth
- Writing techniques to help build a bond with your readers
Tutor Profile
Mark McCrum has published 15 books, including three travel memoirs and five top ten bestsellers. His pop biography of Robbie Williams, Somebody Someday, was a no.1 in both hardback and paperback and sold close to a million copies. As a ghost writer he has worked on memoirs for subjects ranging from victims of paedophilia to survivors of forced marriage. Mark’s most recent book was Walking With The Wounded, an account of the successful attempt of four wounded soldiers to reach the North Pole unsupported. He has done talks and workshops about ghost writing for the Cambridge Wordfest, Shetland’s Wordplay, Dartington’s Ways With Words, both the Bath and Isle of Wight literary festivals, and for Radio 4’s Short Cuts. He is currently a Royal Literary Fellow at Queen Mary University, London.
Details
Date: Saturday 9 and Sunday 11 May 2015
Times: 10am-4pm
Location: The Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
Price: £449 (includes VAT, booking fee, lunch and refreshments)
Event capacity: 16
To contact us, click here. Terms and conditions can be found here.
Returns policy
Tickets may be refunded if you contact us at least 14 days before the course start date. Please see our terms and conditions for more information on our refund policy.
