Memoir 101: Writing About Your Life
Emily Rapp Black
Class Preview
1:54
- In-depth Instruction; over 62 mins
- On-demand video access anytime
- Bonus downloadable PDF resources
- Access to class Q&A
Why Does Anyone Care About My Story?
8:56
Meet Emily Rapp, author of "Poster Child: A Memoir" and "The Still Point of the Turning World." Emily talks about why she writes memoirs and why you should, too. Learn the different types of true stories, discuss memoir versus autobiography, decide when you should write a memoir, and get a writing prompt for you to get started.
Managing Time in the Story
8:15
Find out where and how to start your story, how to choose the moments in your life to include, and how to manipulate time to increase the dramatic tension in your story.
Telling the Truth in Memoir
8:21
Learn how to find the truth in your memoir, what to do if you can't remember everything, and how to be honest with yourself to create a better story. Try a writing prompt that will help you write hard scenes.
Your Voice as Narrator
6:57
Emily shares strategies for finding your memoir voice and deciding what point of view works for your memoir. See how bringing out your flaws makes for a better book. Plus, work from a writing prompt that helps you hone your voice.
Writing Real People Into Characters
5:54
Find out how to write about people whom you know and discover how to take people you know in real life and make them come alive on the page.
Plotting in Memoir
5:04
Discover why you need a plot and how you can create one by mining the major moments in your life. Plus, find out if you need to outline and try an exercise that will help you create your plot.
Writing Dialogue in Memoir
5:29
Emily discusses ways to remember dialogue, and shares the rules for creating great dialogue. Plus, discover how summarized and floating dialogue can help make your story flow.
Recreating Scenes in Memoir
6:56
Discover what elements you need to create a scene. Plus, learn about exposition versus reflection and how to use them. Work with the interior and exterior in each scene to make it more interesting.
Life Skills for Writers
6:07
You've written a memoir! Now what? Emily shares what you need to do to get published, including finding an agent and how to pitch your memoir.
So, you want to write a memoir but you’re not sure where to start? No worries, you don’t need to be an expert writer to tell your story in a compelling way. Author Emily Rapp Black shows you how to write a powerful memoir by identifying your five moments of great change. And, once the writing is done, find out how to get your memoir published!
Emily Rapp Black
Memoirist Emily Rapp Black is the author of "Poster Child: A Memoir" and the New York Times bestseller "The Still Point of the Turning World." A former Fulbright scholar, Emily studied at Harvard University, Trinity College Dublin, St. Olaf College and the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow in fiction and poetry.
Bonus materials available after purchase