The 3 Day Memoir
 
Become the ancestor remembered and talked about for generations
 


For years I have taught memoir writing classes in Southern California.  It is pure pleasure--because of my students.
  • In one session a man read aloud his memoir about buying his first home back in the '60s and helping to pay for his mortgage by being a "secret diner" at a new restaurant called Jack in the Box.

  • From one woman came the amazing story of how she--at age 9--single-handedly rescued her parents and sisters in the Philippines during the Second World War.    

  • And in yet another session the class and I laughed at one woman's hilarious tale of the boys she dated in high school while looking for "The One".

None of these people would call themselves "a writer."  Today they all live seemingly ordinary lives.

But, following the specific techniques I recommend, these people and hundreds more have unlocked memories of their pasts and actually wrote fascinating mini-memoirs during the class.  No homework involved.

These people have been thrilled to see what they can accomplish in each two hour session whether they have experienced lives of adventure and drama or simply lived a seemingly everyday  American life.

At the end of the 3 sessions each of them walks out of the class with a mini-memoir in hand--plus the knowledge and skills to write an even longer memoir if they choose.  And each of them has become the person their descendants will never forget!

"Where do I start?  Should I begin with my earliest memories?"  

Those are the questions I am asked most frequently. The answer about early memories is "No."  The reason why is simple: Your earliest memories are probably fragments. To write a real memoir you want more than fragments, you want a narrative that tells your story and answers questions about how you made decisions in your life.  

You will be telling your true life story, revealing what is and was important to you as your life unfolded.  

In my class you will receive clear step-by-step instructions and examples to make writing your memoir almost effortless. 

You will learn:

  • The best way to start your memoir.  My proven technique  overcomes any doubts or hesitations about how and where to begin.

  • The importance of your life-decisions and turning points.

  • How to capture the "spirit of the times" during the years when you were young.

  • Guidelines for writing about your family and friends as they were then.

  • Which details are important--and which you should handle with kid gloves.

  • How to write about unpleasant episodes, such as divorce.

  • How to avoid writing a boring memoir.

  • Who you should tell about your memoir and who you definitely should not.

  • How long a real memoir should be.

  • What to include in a travel memoir.

  • What you should add to your memoir in this digital age.

  • How a memoir differs from an autobiography.

To see an example, the experimental memoir I am writing as a blog, click here. (Because it is a blog it is best read from the oldest to the most recent post and even then it is somewhat out of sequence.)

In my class you will also learn how to self-publish your memoir

Once you have completed your memoir, you can simply take your finished manuscript, stick it in an envelope with your name on the outside and consider that "published".

But why settle for an envelope stuffed with sheets of paper when you can have a hard-cover book of your life memories.  A book that could last for hundreds of years.  A book that will make you the most remembered ancestor in your family.

You will be astonished to learn about the inexpensive resources available now to create a beautiful, full color memoir to pass along to your family.  

Better yet, you will learn how to officially copyright your memoir for free.

Do not leave your descendants asking questions about you, wondering who you were--or forgetting about you altogether.

Now is the time for you to write a memoir that will tell your grandchildren and their grandchildren about you, your life experiences and answer questions they, no doubt, will have about how you lived and what life choices you made. 

Your memoir will be like a personal private letter to the future directly from you.  A letter to people whose parents are not even born yet--but they will be related to you and curious about you.

You will become the Very Important Ancestor, the one they remember and talk about--even a hundred or two hundred years from now.   

If all this sounds interesting, contact me by email today.  I can arrange to teach memoir writing to your group of 8 or more. 

 
Upcoming Classes:

Glendale Community College-evening class:
April 22, 29, May 6
Click here to enroll.

Pasadena City College - evening class:
Next class: Fall 2010.

Burbank Public Library
March 13, 20, 27
To enroll call 818-238-5562

I can teach this three session class to your group of 8 or more.  Please contact me at carollight@sbcglobal.net or call 626-304-1145.

 


 

About Carol Lightwood

After graduating from Smith College, I worked as a writer for my entire career, as a magazine journalist and copywriter.  I've won some awards along the way.  
Now retired, I teach memoir writing classes and develop websites. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Entire website, photos, wording, design:  Copyright © 2009  Carol Lightwood  All Rights Reserved.