The Storysmithing Memoir Circle ~ REGISTER NOW!
Six Weeks. Six Writers (or so). Stories Worth Telling.
Everyone has stories worth telling. Some are funny. Some are painful. Some are ordinary moments that, looking back, weren’t so ordinary after all.
But how do we turn those memories into stories other people will want to read?
That’s what we’ll explore together in the Storysmithing Memoir Circle—a small, interactive writing workshop where we’ll learn from accomplished storytellers, practice some of their techniques, and help one another become better writers.
What to Expect
We’ll meet once a week for six weeks, gathering on Zoom for 90 minutes each session. We’ll keep the group small (approximately 5–7 participants) so everyone has opportunities to participate, share their writing, and learn from one another.
Each week, we’ll explore a different aspect of memoir writing:
- Learning to Read Like a Writer — Discovering what makes good writing work and how to offer helpful feedback.
- Finding the Story in Your Memories — Recognizing which memories have stories worth telling.
- Let the Reader Be There — Bringing experiences to life through scenes, dialogue, and description.
- Then Me. Now Me. — Exploring the difference between experiencing something and looking back on it.
- Telling the Truth About Ourselves and Others — Writing honestly about our lives and the people who share them.
- Making Good Writing Better — Revising, strengthening our writing, and finding our way forward.
A Little Reading. A Little Writing. A Lot of Learning.
Each week, I’ll introduce short selections from accomplished writers—perhaps John Steinbeck, C. S. Lewis, Garrison Keillor, Henri Nouwen, Brennan Manning, and others. We’ll look at what makes their writing effective and consider how we might apply some of those techniques to our own stories.
There will also be a brief writing assignment each week, generally a few hundred words, giving you an opportunity to practice what we’re learning. We’ll share some of that writing during our meetings and offer thoughtful, encouraging feedback.
And don’t worry—I’m not assigning a book a week! I know we’re all busy. The reading will be brief, the writing assignments manageable, and the emphasis will be on learning and growing, not keeping up with an overwhelming workload.
You don’t need to be an experienced writer, and you certainly don’t need to have a memoir underway. Just bring your memories, your curiosity, and a willingness to put some words on the page.
The Details
- Duration: Six weeks
- Meetings: One 90-minute Zoom session each week
- Group size: Approximately 5–7 writers
- Between meetings: Brief reading selections and manageable writing exercises
- Cost: $199 for the complete six-week experience
My hope is that you’ll finish these six weeks not only with some stories on paper, but with a better understanding of how to tell them—and a renewed enthusiasm for writing more.
Your stories are worth telling. Let’s learn to tell them well.