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Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

Uncover the fascinating stories of everyday life in this immersive workshop that teaches you how to craft your personal experiences into compelling memoirs. Develop the finesse of fiction writing as you learn techniques to captivate readers and market your work. 

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  • 18 and older
  • $464
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  • Online Classroom
  • 237 hours & 30 minutes over 10 sessions

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Start Dates (2)

  • $464/person
  • 237 hours & 30 minutes over 10 sessions
  • Includes $25 Reg Fee
    Class accessible anytime within the session dates
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  • Tue, Jan 07 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
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  • Tue, Jan 28 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Feb 04 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
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  • Tue, Feb 18 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
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  • Tue, Feb 04 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Feb 11 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Feb 18 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Feb 25 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Mar 04 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Mar 11 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Mar 18 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Mar 25 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Apr 01 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
  • Tue, Apr 08 at 12:00am - 11:45pm
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Class Description

Description

What you'll learn in this memoir writing class:

Memoir Writing I is a 10-week workshop, which includes lectures, exercises, and the critiquing of student projects. It’s for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.

Every life holds many tales. Whether your life is wildly unconventional or relatively normal, there’s bound to be something fascinating about it. That’s why the contemporary memoir—everyday people telling their stories—has become such a popular phenomenon. A memoir covers an aspect of a life, whether it’s a short piece about, say, a bicycle ride with a friend, or a book about, say, your entire childhood.

To make readers care, your memoir must be told with the finesse of fiction. Here you will learn techniques for focusing your life stories, as well as well as writing craft and how to market your work.

Whether you seek to write essay-length pieces or a book, we’ll show you how to best tell the stories from your life.

This course gives you a firm grounding in the basics of memoir craft and gets you writing a short memoir (or two) or a book. 

Course components:

  • Lectures
  • Writing exercises
  • Workshopping of student projects (each student presenting work two times)

Memoir I is for beginners or anyone who wants to brush up on the fundamentals.

Each week a new topic is explored through lecture and writing exercise. The topics covered in this course include:

  • Introduction to Memoir – The contemporary memoir defined. Short and long memoirs. Finding the “who cares?” in your story. Focusing on an aspect of your life. Types of memoirs—coming of age, adversity, relationship, career, travel.
  • Mining Your Memory – How “true” must it be? Researching your past. The balance of being “actor” and “observer.” Not using memoir as therapy. Facing the truth.
  • Character – Thinking of real people as characters. Making characters dimensional through desire and contrasts. Creating character profiles. Showing vs. Telling. Methods for showing characters.
  • Plot – Finding a major dramatic question. Shaping a beginning, middle, and end. The difference between short and long plots. Pros and cons of outlining.
  • Description – Using the senses. Specificity. Techniques for creativity. Finding the right words. Merging description with point of view.
  • Dialogue – The importance of scene. Turning real life conversations into dialogue. Quotation marks and tags. Stage directions. Summarized dialogue. Characterization through dialogue. Subtext.
  • Point of View/Voice – Point of view defined. First person and other memoir alternatives. Voice defined. Exploration of the various types of voice. Tips for finding your voice.
  • Setting/Pacing – Creating setting through time, place, and weather. Description of setting. Mood and emotion of setting. How to manipulate time through pacing. Flashbacks.
  • Theme – Theme defined. Types of theme. Weaving theme into a story.
  • Revision – Exploration of the various stages of revision.
  • The Business – Proper format for manuscripts. How to target publishing houses, literary magazines, and agents. How to send your work out. Query letters.

Note: Content may vary slightly among individual classes.


Important:

Schedule posted is the Start and End date of the class. You may access the class at any time, day or night, within the schedule provided. Please see Online Class Delivery for more details.

Registrants will receive email instructions and information on how to access the online classroom.

Remote Learning

This course is available for "remote" learning and will be available to anyone with access to an internet device with a microphone (this includes most models of computers, tablets). Classes will take place with a "Live" instructor at the date/times listed below.

Upon registration, the instructor will send along additional information about how to log-on and participate in the class.

Refund Policy

All Classes (except One-day and Zoom Intensives and Write-Ins):

  • For a refund or credit, contact us three business days or more before your class starts. You can either choose to hold a full credit with us good for one year on other Gotham classes OR you can opt for a refund less a $25 administrative fee and your $25 registration fee ($50 total).
  • If you need to withdraw after your class has started (or two business days before it starts), you won’t receive a refund, but you’re welcome to a Gotham credit less the price of Week 1 and your $25 registration fee, but we need to hear from you three business days or more before Week 2 meets for that to happen. After that point, no credits are available.

One-day and Zoom Intensives:

  • You may reschedule a One-day or Zoom Intensive one time, if you notify us two business days before the class begins. After that first reschedule, there is a $25 rescheduling fee.
  • If you notify us three business days or more before your class begins, rescheduling is free. If you notify us less than three business days before your class begins, there is a $25 rescheduling fee. If you don’t notify us until after your class begins, we cannot reschedule you.
  • You may get a refund (minus a $50 fee) if you notify us three business days or more before your class begins.

Write-Ins:

  • If you withdraw 1 business day or more before it begins, you’re welcome to a full credit good for one year toward another Write-In. No refunds are available.
  • If you simply don’t show up and don’t notify us in advance, you forfeit your money.

A few more things:

  • Credits are valid for one year and cannot be changed into refunds down the road.
  • Simply not attending class or notifying the instructor does not mean you've officially withdrawn.
  • Some exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis for medical emergencies with a doctor's note.
  • Refunds take up to six weeks to process.

Please understand, we can't issue a refund after classes have started, even if you miss your first class. Similarly, we can't offer you a credit one day before your second class or after that. We understand that other obligations get in the way of attending class, but these policies allow us to get other interested writers into class early enough to have a good experience, and this allows us to offer our classes at a reasonable price.

Important Notes:

  • Students are allowed to join a class in the second week.
  • Only those who pay the tuition in full can be guaranteed a place in class.
  • Class dates and times may be subject to change. A substitute may be assigned or make-up classes added to the end of the term.
  • Auditing and the recording of classes are not allowed.
  • For all classes, students receive a record of payment and registration.
  • Gotham reserves the right to remove any student at our discretion.
  • Gotham does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, socioeconomic status, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, or marital status.
  • Our courses are not intended to provide instruction that will result in the student's acquisition of occupational skills.

In any event where a customer wants to cancel their enrollment and is eligible for a full refund, a 5% processing fee will be deducted from the refund amount.

Reviews of Classes at Gotham Writers Workshop (746)

(4.4-star rating across 746 reviews)
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Virginia S. on 8/8/2020
    Excellent class. I learned so much about the basics of memoir writing . West was very organized, clear and interesting!
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Shannon M. on 11/10/2019
    Practical “mining your memory” and formatting skills provided with writing exercises throughout to apply new concepts and hone existing abilities.
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Anonymous review on 7/29/2019
    This was not a beginner class at all, but the quality of the material was fantastic. I did find the instruction a bit boring and hard to follow but luckily I had taken writing classes before so I was able to "hang on" throughout. I wouldn't recommend to someone who has never had any formal experience with writing.
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Judith D. on 7/28/2019
    The instructor Cullen Thomas was extremely knowledgable about the subject of memoir writing. I was also impressed that he remembered everyone's name after an initial introduction.I will definitely explore other curses available in memoir writing.
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by LinDa S. on 6/29/2019
    It was very insightful
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by ramona S. on 3/30/2019
    Amazing teacher! Amazing class
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Marjon J. on 9/16/2018
    Cullen was such a great teacher. I wish there was more time for individual feedback and/or we could have that opportunity even if we didn't discuss our piece out loud in class.
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Anika V. on 7/24/2017
    Feel I really got my time and money's worth in this class. Taking classes in universities can sometimes feel stiff and also costs way more but Gotham feels more accessible and casual but still professional. I'm a copywriter for a living but was curious about what it would take to write a personal project: a memoir. This class was a good intro to all you need to know. Even it was a one day intensive, it didn't overwhelm either so I give props to the instructor for handling our time and the exchanges among students well. Would def recommend this!
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Lynn R. on 12/8/2016
    on time. Ron is a very creative and positive teacher. I plan to take a class next year. Lynn Ritchie
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Edith Z. on 5/21/2016
    I liked Cullen Thomas's teaching technique and ended up learning a lot during that one-day session. He systematically went through every important aspect of writing a memoir, which gave me the inspiration to get back to writing. I am thinking of signing up for a 10-week Memoir II session that it taught by him this summer or fall, although I already completed both Memoir I and II at Gotham last year.
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Maryanne S. on 4/11/2016
    Class was fast moving and very informative .Instructor was friendly. I loved the I class exercises and left With a new confidence. EXCELLENT,
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Dawn L. on 3/15/2016
    Great class great teacher. Very informative and inspiring!
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Kaitlin Z. on 1/12/2015
    Great instruction, peers, and learning opportunity.
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Gary on 8/2/2012
    Very satisfied. Good instructor. Nice group of students.
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Richard G. on 1/12/2020
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Amber J. on 11/17/2019
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Farah D. on 11/12/2019
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Cheryl K. on 10/14/2019
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Reviewed by Margaret H. on 5/25/2019
  • Memoir Writing Level 1 (Self-Paced)

    Anonymous review on 2/25/2019
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Review Summary by CourseHorse

Students who took the Memoir Writing Level 1: Two Day Intensive class had a positive experience and learned a lot about the basics of memoir writing. The class provided practical skills in "mining your memory" and formatting, with writing exercises to apply new concepts and improve existing abilities. The instructor, Cullen Thomas, was knowledgeable about memoir writing and provided clear instructions. Overall, students felt that they got their money's worth and found the class to be a good introduction to memoir writing. They appreciated the accessible and casual yet professional atmosphere of the class. Direct quotes from the reviews: - "I learned so much about the basics of memoir writing." - "Practical 'mining your memory' and formatting skills provided with writing exercises throughout." - "I liked Cullen Thomas's teaching technique and ended up learning a lot during that one-day session. He systematically went through every important aspect of writing a memoir, which gave me the inspiration to get back to writing."

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Questions & Answers (5)

Get quick answers from CourseHorse and past students.

Question from Alice
Hello, I'm trying to determine if the personal essay or memoir one-day intensive is the better format for me. Let's say I wanted to write a story about job loss after 20+ years at one company. I want to tell the story of what happened, but also reflect on the learnings and themes from that experience. Is it a memoir or personal essay? Thank you!
Answer from Shannon M. Verified Student
Hi Alice - here’s what the site has to say about the differences between those writing styles: “A memoir is similar to a personal essay; both incorporate elements from the writer’s life. But a personal essay focuses more on the viewpoint, and a memoir focuses more on the story.” So...if you are focusing on what you learned from the experience rather than the plot points along the way, my guess is personal essay may be more your speed. Good luck and I hope this helps!
Answer Show answer
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Question from lauventria r.
I am interested in taking Memoir Writing Level 1: One day intensive on 11/10 my question is ... I am interested in this class as I am interested in writing my personal memoirs of my life.Will this class help me do that or is geared towards people who want to publish. Thanks.
Answer from Georgia C. CourseHorse Staff
Hi there! People come into these classes in all sorts of different situations. Some people have no idea what they want their play to be about, they just know they want to write a play. Some people come in with a first draft done, some with just a few scenes. It's all over the spectrum. Wherever you are in the process, you will make progress in the class.
Answer from Georgia C. CourseHorse Staff
There are almost entirely about the craft of writing. That is what the focus will be on. There will be one short lecture at the end of the class about publishing, but the bulk of the class is about writing and honing that writing craft.
Answer Show all 2 answers
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Question from Katherine S.
Hello, who is teaching Sept 14th intensive?
Answer from Brenda L. CourseHorse Staff
Hello, Katherine! The school does not have a teacher set yet. They are still gathering teacher availabilities and should have that up in the coming weeks. Hope this helps!
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Question from anonymous
Who is the teacher?
Answer from Brenda L. CourseHorse Staff
HI! The April 7 section of the class is going to be taught by Jon Reiner. The school is still working on placing an instructor for the May 11 class.
Answer Show answer
Cancel
Question from Maia B.
Who teaches this class? I cannot find the teacher's name.
Answer from Chermalyn P. CourseHorse Staff
Hi, Maia! At the time we listed the schedules, the instructors' names were not yet available. We've updated the information and you should be able to see it in the class details page.
Answer Show answer
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View all 5 questions

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Gotham Writers Workshop is a creative home in New
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