Memoir\u2019s particular appeal lies not only in its truth-telling but in the effort the writer makes to reveal herself.\u00a0Mary Karr writes, \u201cA psychological self-awareness and faith in the power of truth gives you the courage to reveal whatever you unearth, whether you come out looking vain, or conniving or hateful or not.\u201d\u00a0The essence of a great memoir is the voice of the writer and how she brings the reader into a scene with sensory details. The memoir has to deliver vivid characters, evocative settings, and pitch-perfect dialogue for the reader to remain interested. This opening residential aims to help you uncover your truth, develop insight into the larger themes of your story, and cast yourself as a compelling character. We\u2019ll read excerpts by published memoirists such as Mary Karr, Abigail Thomas, Brando Skyhorse, and Myra Shapiro as examples of character development, dialogue, and structure, and we\u2019ll spend some time with writing exercises each day. Participants will have an opportunity to come to know their fellow classmates, including the three they will be partnered with for feedback groups during the online writing modules.<\/p>\n
The online portion of the certificate program, facilitated by Jennifer Leigh Selig, takes place over eight months, each covering a distinct theme in memoir writing. The month begins with select readings on the theme (typically 60-75 pages), accompanied by a video presentation and an online discussion. In the middle of each month, participants have the option of joining a live Zoom discussion of a recommended \u201cmemoir of the month\u201d to study issues of craft and content. Each month ends with the posting of 2-4 pages of memoir writing by participants for small group and faculty feedback. Participants may choose to submit pages of an ongoing memoir in the process or may produce new material in response to suggested writing prompts.<\/p>\n
While there are due dates for each of the components, participants can work at their own pace and partake in discussions and offer feedback at their convenience.<\/p>\n
After nine months of intensive memoir writing, it\u2019s time to give birth! Participants will celebrate their labors as a community with Maureen and Jennifer as midwives. On Saturday, December 3rd<\/sup>, everyone will be encouraged to read aloud from self-selected pages of their memoir writing, with Maureen offering feedback on the pages and the presentation. On Sunday, December 4th<\/sup>, Jennifer will lead the group in taking a backward glance, discussing the insights we experienced and the inroads we made on our individuation journeys vis<\/em>-\u00e0-vis<\/em> writing our memoirs. We\u2019ll look into the future as well, and discuss venues for publishing memoir essays and full-length books, including mainstream, small press, and self-publishing options. Participants will be invited to submit a piece of their writing for a compilation yearbook commemorating the course.<\/p>\n During this optional retreat, participants will gather in community with Jennifer, who will draw from her 33 years of teaching both writing and depth psychology and offer presentations to inspire both craft and calling. There will be time for writing, for revising, and for workshopping memoir pages on the peaceful Ladera Lane campus. Alumni from the Writing Down the Soul program starting with the class of 2017 are also invited to attend, making this writing retreat a rich opportunity to meet other memoirists and learn from their journeys. Alumni will participate in panel discussions, present their own workshops, and offer mentoring to the class of 2022.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Opening Residential Weekend with Maureen Murdock and Jennifer Leigh Selig (Conducted live via Zoom) Memoir\u2019s particular appeal lies not only in its truth-telling but in the effort the writer makes to reveal herself.\u00a0Mary Karr writes, \u201cA psychological self-awareness and faith in the power of truth gives you the courage to reveal whatever you unearth, whether […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":27422,"template":"","level_of_course":[982,981],"class_list":["post-27421","courses","type-courses","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","level_of_course-intermediate","level_of_course-introductory"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOptional Residential Writing Retreat<\/h3>\n