Win Memoir Writing Contests–Edit Your Memoir

When I wrote The Power of Memoir and my own memoir Don’t Call Me Mother, I spent more time editing than writing! For some writers, editing is fun, creative and mind-stretching. Finding the right word, feeling out the best tone for the mood of a piece is like polishing the piece, much the same way as a carpenter puts on the final finishes of a handmade table.

New Memoir Writing Class: Writing Your Memoir One Story at a Time Tele-class

National Association of Memoir Writers to Offer New Memoir Writing Tele-class this Fall 6 Memoir Writing Tele-classes with Online Writing Support Component Writing Your Memoir One Story at a Time Instructor:  Linda Joy Myers, Ph.D. When:  6 Fridays Beginning October 1st (class will not meet October 15, 2010) Time: 1 PM PDT | 2 MDT [...]

Jane Friedman at the Public NAMW Memoir Writing Roundtable Tele-conversation

I’m so excited to be able to have a conversation with Jane Friedman this Thursday September 2 at the free NAMW roundtable! She’s a contributing editor at Writer’s Digest, and an energetic, knowledgeable, and inspiring speaker.

The Power of Memoir to Heal

By now, many people have heard about the power of memoir writing to help the healing process in mind and body. As I mentioned in a previous post, because of my book The Power of Memoir, I receive many questions about memoir writing and healing, and I’m answering them here through a series of posts.

The Power of Writing Memoir: Dark and Light Stories

One of the most important subjects that writers confront is to keep a balance when writing the darker stories that may arise while writing a memoir. In The Power of Memoir I discuss balancing the light and the dark stories and why this helps the writer and the reader.

Secrets and Tips: Write a Powerful Memoir

Secrets are energy magnets. The force it takes to keep secrets hidden is energy that could be used for growth and creativity. So often though, the shame and guilt associated with secrets keep feeding the darkness and the fear. Secrets maintain a great power over us, and we are diminished by them. We become co-conspirators to family dynamics that we don’t agree with and want to break away from.

Poetry–the Door to a Healing Memoir

Mary Mackey, author of many award winning books, a memoir teacher, and a poet, regaled the National Association of Memoir Writers with her knowledge about poetry and creativity during our monthly teleseminar. She showed us how poetry can open the doors to our unconscious, invite new memories, and infuse our memoirs with the sensual details we need to create a good story.

The Power of Writing to Heal

To start creating stories from your memories, list the ten most important events or turning points, moments that changed your life. Write each vignette one by one, focusing on your emotions and the meaning the story has for you.

Capitol City Young Writers–Busy Writing at 8 AM on a Summer Day

It was like a taste of heaven seeing the 15 young writers the other day at the workshop in Sacramento, heads bent over their notebooks. They were writing on demand–creating stories from writing prompts that asked them to bridge the gap between memoir and fiction. Becky Levine and I drove up at 6 AM for [...]

Capitol City Young Writers Conference—Meeting Leaders in the Writing Community and Getting Inspired

I’m so inspired! A few days ago I spent a lot of time with young people who are interested in writing and their mentors. At the Capitol City Writers Conference in Marin just north of San Francisco, I joined Peter Beagle, Jane Friedman, David Corbett, and Seth Harwood among others. Verna Dreisbach, the founder of Capitol City Writers, has developed her nonprofit organization and this conference to support and inspire young writers

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