It's All About Me: Making Yourself Into a Great Nonfiction Character

Do you worry your "I" is boring, whiny, self-indulgent or one-dimensional? Do you fear no one cares about you in your essay or memoir? If you're writing nonfiction that features your little ole self, you might worry the "I" (that is, the character of you in your story) just isn't grabbing the reader. Perhaps it's because in your personal narrative, you haven't fully developed yourself as a character. Just like in fiction, if you're writing nonfiction --- - a book-length memoir, or a personal essay --- your own persona needs to be a well-rounded, reflective, complex character, with dreams, goals and desires, and beset with fears, complications and contradictions. You need to begin your narrative with the "I" in a compelling place. Your "I" also needs to go through an emotional/intellectual journey, or a "character arc." In this seminar, we'll show you how this is done. Via lecture, discussion of great examples from memoirs and personal essays, short exercises and Q&A, we'll explore how to make yourself a compelling character. You'll leave having written some new passages that you can later expand upon and import into your current projects. Bring to class a chunk of writing -- memoir or essay -- that features yourself as a character (perhaps a work you're struggling with). For writers looking to revise their work or find new inspiration to delve into personal narrative.